Oh where oh where did my husband go?

Jim is in Oregon. Bringing home some bacon.

I really miss him. I miss him because I love him, but also because:

1. He does Hunter's poo change every morning and lets me stay in bed. Since he's been gone I've had to do the morning poo change. Yeah, not as fun as staying snug under the covers.

2. When I'm dealing with both kids at their nightly bath time, it's really nice to have Jim come take one, while I deal with the other. Yesterday I took Hunter out, and Tralee wanted to stay in the tub. It was only as soon as I was settling Hunter down for bed that Tralee announced she was ready to get out of the tub. This is usually when I would shout for Jim to come help Tralee, but I couldn't. . . cuz he's in Oregon.

3. I had to take out the garbage for pick up. Not a super big deal, but as I was pulling the garbage and recycling containers to the curb, it was just another reminder that I have a husband-less home for the time being.

4. Hunter is sick again. He's been waking up at 2:00 in the morning. It would be nice to have Jim here for some moral support, and to switch off getting up with the baby.

5. I can't sleep well when Jim's gone. I can't settle in for the night. I end up staying up too late. Then when I finally drift off. . . Hunter wakes up.

6. There's no one to cook for. I mean REALLY cook for. The kids don't appreciate the kind of food Jim does, so I don't want to go through a whole bunch of effort creating a meal only I'll enjoy and then have way to many leftovers. So. . . it's been sandwiches, carrot sticks, broccoli and dip, apple slices, spaghetti, grilled cheese, and any other easy thing I can chop and slap together for dinner.

7. Jim makes me laugh on a daily basis. I miss laughing with him over his stupid jokes.

8. There's a feeling of security when there's a man in the house. I heard a weird sound last night. This sound got my imagination going. Before I knew it, I was sure someone was about to sabotage me in my room. I scared myself silly. I also thought to myself that a baseball bat would be a handy thing to keep under my bed for when Jim's out of town.

9. I don't really get breaks away from the kids. Don't get me wrong, I love being with my kids. . . but everyone needs some time alone. On some nights when Jim gets home from work, I take the opportunity to go run errands sans kidletts. It's nice to step away from the house for an hour or so and feel like Leslie instead of Mommy. When Jim's gone, I don't get this time alone until the kids settle down for bed. By then I usually just want to crash too.

10. I miss watching Jim play with our kids. They adore their daddy, and his absence effects them too. I'll admit, Jim's the "fun parent" in this household. I try to compete with the title, and although I'm a contender, Jim takes home the gold for being the fun one. My babies miss the fun one.

So there you go. Ten reasons I miss Jim. One reason for each day he's gone, although I could come up with more. I really don't know how single moms do it. Kudos to them for staying sane.