Daddy’s Home!
pamelamyers | March 23, 2013
Mark got back from Germany last night and we were both certainly very happy to see him. Sam had a really hard time understanding where he was and since she has no real concept of time, it was difficult to explain how long he would be gone. It has been a really long time since he went away — she was just about a year old the last time — so she didn’t remember what it was like. Every single day she’d ask me, “Where’s Daddy” and I’d have to explain that he got on the airplane and went to his other office far, far away. We took him to the airport so she would have some idea that he was going away, but, since she has never seen an airport before, at least not that she remembered, to her, I am sure it was just another building. On the way there, we were trying to explain it to her and we saw an airplane making its ascent near the airport. Mark told Sam he’d be getting on an airplane just like that one and Sam got very quiet in the back seat and then said, “But, Daddy, how will you catch it?” So cute. She really thought that it was the same airplane he would be taking. Every once in a while, my mom would say something about Daddy being in Germany and she’d get very mad and say, “No! He is on the airplane!”
Now that Mark and I both have a Mac, we were able to have a FaceTime call every day so Sam got to actually see Mark as well as talk to him. That went a long way toward making things easier for her. He showed her his hotel room and outside his window and she found it all very funny.
When Mark finally got back, we had to wait for him to clear customs for almost an hour. Sam was so good at the airport, waiting patiently. She kept looking down the long hallway for him and she would just say once in a while, in a sad little voice, “Daddy is taking a long time….” Eventually, I saw him coming and when I told her he was there she went running off and just about jumped into his arms. Then she immediately began talking a mile a minute to him. I am sure, after almost a week, she had a lot to say. Mark brought her presents, of course, a toy airplane, a music box that has little rotating ducks, and some Kinder eggs, all of which she is enjoying immensely! Presents help a lot to ease the pain of missing someone, as you all know. I have a feeling travel is back in the works for Mark after a long time, and I am going away soon (which Sam doesn’t know yet….) so she’s going to have to get used to it!