Heartbreaking

It should be said that the people affected by deployments the most in a family are invariably the youngest in the household. In this household, that would be Hannah. She misses her Dad so much... and it's so darn sad to see her sobbing each and every night and asking all sorts of impossible questions, like, "Why does Daddy have to go back there?", "Why can't someone elses Daddy go?" Those sorts of questions, the ones that of course, have no answer.
When Rich left the last time, I think at 6 she was too young to really understand what was going on. She had no real idea of how long a year was, and after she got past her initial crying, she was ok with Mom. But this time, at 10 1/2, she totally understands what is going on, and she knows just how long a year is.
She is not dealing with it well at all, not at all. I am hoping and praying that it gets easier for her, and for all of us VERY soon.
In other news, Rich reported to Ft Dix yesterday to begin his training. They should be there until approximately the middle of March before heading overseas. It looks like he will get a 4 day pass, but it will be at the end of the training period. So, we probably will not see him until March at some point. Sigh. It would be really cool if it was around Matt's birthday weekend. He hopes to come home for his R&R near Hannah's birthday. I sure hope he is able to! It would be the best birthday present for her, she is such a daddy's girl.