Dealing with Deployment #2

So, Nick has now been deployed for one full week.  Only about a zillion more to go, and he will be home!  I always feel a little better after the deployment actually begins.  That means that the clock has started and we are closer to the end then we were a week ago.  I know it is not the best form of thinking, but it certainly helps me.  We did a lot of things last deployment to help us through it.  This time around, we have copied some of the same ideas as well as added a few more.  Here's a look into what we are doing:
-Kisses from Daddyman Countdown:  We have loaded enough kisses into a candy jar for Archer and I to have one every day to countdown until Daddyman arrives.  It is a sweet little treat that we have at the end of the day, and as the amount of kisses gets lower, the closer we are to Daddyman getting home!

-Build a Bear:  Last deployment, we visited build a bear.  Nick and Archer picked out a bear and Nick recorded a special message for Archer to listen to every night.  We repeated this, so now Archer has two bears with a special message.  He plays the messages each night and makes me tuck them in around him.
-Recordable Story Book:  This is also something we did from last deployment.  We bought a new recordable book from Hallmark and Nick recorded himself telling the story.  I truly believe that this is one of the most helpful things.  Archer gets to hear his daddy's voice every night, whether or not we get to talk to him on the phone that day or not.
-Daddydoll:  Last deployment, I had a daddy doll made from a picture of Nick in his flight suit.  We only take the daddy doll out when Nick is gone, and it has a nice place in Archer's bed.  He also makes me tuck the daddydoll in every night.
-Mr. Trunks Travels:  Nick asked Archer if there was a stuffed animal he could take with him on his trip.  Archer carefully selected his elephant, Mr. Trunks.  Nick carefully packed him among his one million other things.  Since Nick has been gone, Archer has received several pictures of Daddyman and Mr. Trunks on their adventure together.  Archer LOVES this.  He thinks that it is so cool that Mr. Trunks goes on daddyman's plane and he uses the map in this picture to track were daddyman goes:

 

Soooo...we have a VERY long four months ahead of us, but hopefully all of the "tools" we have made up help us through it.  We are already missing Daddyman VERY much, but each day is one day closer to when he will get home!