WEBVTT 00:00.273 --> 00:02.810 (baby laughing) 00:02.810 --> 00:05.810 - So, when I joined the military I knew that the reason 00:05.810 --> 00:08.000 I was coming in was because I wanted to travel. 00:08.000 --> 00:10.530 I wanted the education, I wanted the experience. 00:10.530 --> 00:12.380 But primarily, I wanted to go places. 00:13.870 --> 00:17.820 So for my last deployment, I was gone in 2018. 00:17.820 --> 00:19.980 Right up until the last minute, I didn't actually know 00:19.980 --> 00:21.650 for sure if I was gonna be back in time 00:21.650 --> 00:24.139 to actually see my child get born. 00:24.139 --> 00:27.360 I got back in the country about four days before 00:27.360 --> 00:29.740 she was born and that was actually bringing me home 00:29.740 --> 00:30.793 two weeks early. 00:32.210 --> 00:34.417 And that's kinda whenever I started to realize like, 00:34.417 --> 00:35.847 "Hey, there's a really good chance that I'm 00:35.847 --> 00:37.637 "gonna miss a lot of firsts. 00:37.637 --> 00:40.847 "There's a good chance I'm gonna miss the first holiday, 00:40.847 --> 00:43.337 "there's a chance I could miss her first steps, 00:43.337 --> 00:44.697 "her first words." 00:45.950 --> 00:49.930 So, basically every chance that I can get to actually 00:49.930 --> 00:52.563 be around her, I try and take it. 00:54.680 --> 00:57.370 It's kind of where you set your standards 00:57.370 --> 00:59.270 and where you set your priorities. 00:59.270 --> 01:02.440 So for me, obviously job is a high priority, 01:02.440 --> 01:04.550 but my family always comes first. 01:04.550 --> 01:07.090 Now with Rachel always being around and always 01:07.090 --> 01:10.397 being so positive with me, she's the kinda person that's 01:10.397 --> 01:12.367 always gonna be like "Hey, if you wanna go 01:12.367 --> 01:13.247 "to this place, do it. 01:13.247 --> 01:15.267 "You know, this could be your only chance. 01:15.267 --> 01:18.170 "Go on that mission, go to that country, do it." 01:18.170 --> 01:20.350 And she's never the kind of person that's gonna sit back 01:20.350 --> 01:23.557 and say "Well, just don't forget that leaves me 01:23.557 --> 01:25.807 "with the dishes, that leaves me with taking Harper 01:25.807 --> 01:28.227 "to daycare, that leaves me with trying to get home 01:28.227 --> 01:31.260 "in time from rush hour traffic to come and pick her up." 01:31.260 --> 01:34.856 She's always been just a positive reinforcement for us. 01:34.856 --> 01:37.850 (baby laughing) 01:37.850 --> 01:39.610 - The hardest part about being with somebody 01:39.610 --> 01:43.640 in the military and having a child is them being gone. 01:43.640 --> 01:45.960 A lot of the time it's unexpected. 01:45.960 --> 01:47.800 You don't really know when they're gonna be gone, 01:47.800 --> 01:49.300 and sometimes for how long. 01:49.300 --> 01:52.486 And you have to take on the role of two people. 01:52.486 --> 01:53.500 It's tough. 01:53.500 --> 01:55.870 I really do enjoy being a mom, it's one of the best things 01:55.870 --> 01:57.425 I have ever done. 01:57.425 --> 01:59.675 I never really thought I would be good at it. 02:00.770 --> 02:05.040 But the scariest part is the fact that she's so little 02:05.040 --> 02:07.600 and I don't know if he's gonna miss any of those 02:08.580 --> 02:09.940 milestones, you know. 02:09.940 --> 02:12.230 I was afraid that you know, he was gone a lot 02:12.230 --> 02:15.680 of the times in prior years and I thought maybe 02:15.680 --> 02:17.410 he's gonna be gone for her first birthday 02:17.410 --> 02:19.080 or when she takes her first steps. 02:19.080 --> 02:22.110 And that, it's scary because those are things that 02:22.110 --> 02:24.210 you're gonna get to see but he's gonna miss out on. 02:24.210 --> 02:27.170 So, that's probably the worst, is that you're afraid 02:27.170 --> 02:29.733 that he's not gonna, is not gonna be there. 02:32.590 --> 02:35.180 - So through all of this, just over the past ten 02:35.180 --> 02:37.030 years that Rachel and I have been together, 02:37.030 --> 02:40.740 it's kinda brought us to a specific spot where I know, 02:40.740 --> 02:44.100 I know for sure that if I wasn't in the military, 02:44.100 --> 02:46.380 we wouldn't of been this strong of a couple. 02:46.380 --> 02:49.200 'Cause this really tested out a lot of our strengths 02:49.200 --> 02:51.660 and our weaknesses throughout our relationship. 02:51.660 --> 02:53.920 And it kinda brought to light everything that we really 02:53.920 --> 02:57.950 needed to work on as a couple and as a team and as a family. 02:57.950 --> 03:01.890 And in June of 2020, we'll be looking forward 03:01.890 --> 03:02.763 to our new kid.