Missed Calls

I broke two of the most important deployment rules.  I turned off the ringer on the home phone, and I kept my cell phone buried in the diaper bag.  I missed three calls yesterday from Joel.  So, for the last 18-hours, I've been checking my email constantly and walking around the house with the phone right next to me, just in case.

I've done this before, and it still feels awful.  I always get an extreme amount of guilt when I miss his calls.  But three calls equates to triple the guilt.  I've emailed him apologizing a few times.

I have no idea when he'll get to the phone next or when he'll have access to a computer.  So, right now, I'm just sitting here feeling really guilty.

The Replacement Baby

This picture was taken just moments after Grace was reunited with her beloved Soft Baby... well, Soft Baby's "sister".

Just a few weeks ago, I took the girls to the mall while Joel was out of town. Both Joel and I had made a rule a few weeks back that Grace wasn't allowed to bring any toys or her purse while we did errands, because she got in the habit of leaving things places and then we'd end up running everywhere trying to track things down. Well, a certain momma had a lapse in judgement and allowed Grace's favorite baby, aka Soft Baby, to come out for a shopping day.

After a very nutritious lunch at the food court, I realized Grace no longer had Soft Baby with her. We went back to all the stores we visited... twice. I talked to the manager's from the stores, but no one had seen her. Before we left the mall, I spoke with an employee from the Chanel counter - whom I know too well and see too frequently. She said she'd keep and eye out and check with her store before she left. (She ended up calling twice within the next few days to check-in to see how Grace was doing without her doll).

I called the mall stores and the mall office several times over the following days. Poor Grace was pretty lost without her Soft Baby. Who would she drag around the house with her?

Joel and I emailed back and forth - both of us were trying to find out who made the doll and if we could find a similar one on EBay. No luck and then Joel found her - she was made by Goldberger Doll Company out of Brooklyn, NY. He contacted the company and just this Tuesday, a representative called back and said they had one left at the factory. So, they shipped it overnight to us and last night, Grace got the surprise of her life.

She knows it's not the same baby. I think Joel told her the new baby is Soft Baby's sister or something. Grace seemed fine with that answer. So, Soft Baby's sister is named Heartie. I think because she has a heart on her? I don't know.

Major kudos to Goldberger - what great customer service. They've made our four-year old very happy and this momma feel a little less guilty.