A day came today that Sidney was dreading. After nine weeks of maternity leave, she returned to the classroom in her role as the best 2nd grade teacher in the world. Her students were overjoyed to have their teacher back and Sid was also happy to be reunited with her class. But even those with the coldest of hearts know that returning to work after two months of bonding with your firstborn is hard.

Understandably so, some tears were shed yesterday as we came to grips with the looming reality of what Monday would bring. However, as bedtime approached, Sidney impressed me. Completely motivated, she prepared Sloan’s bottles, clothes, and other items for daycare. She put things in order for her own first day back at school as well. She went to sleep with everything ready to go for what would be a tough day.

This morning, Sidney was so strong. She rose right when her alarm went off, got ready, and then got Sloan ready. She didn’t let emotions overcome her and just focused on remaining positive. When she dropped Sloan off at the home where she will stay over the next two weeks, Sid kept it together. Along with the physical logistics of packing for Sloan, it was obvious that Sidney had mentally prepared for this morning as well. I was so proud of her.

It was a tough 24 hours but our little family is reunited now and very happy.

Make no mistake about it, Sid was not the only one dreading this day. I didn’t want this morning to come either. First and foremost, it is tough to see your spouse in pain. It broke my heart to see Sidney going through such a difficult time. But to be honest, I was also battling her return to work for my own selfish reasons. My own day in the office would no longer be the same. No longer would I receive Facetime calls “from” Sloan. No longer would I get descriptive updates from mommy on how our little one was doing. No longer would I get Snapchats and photos of my daughter enjoying her day. No longer would I get the peace of mind knowing that Sloan was in the loving care of her amazing mother.

But if Sidney could get through it, so could I. The strength she has shown with this situation has rubbed off on me.

There is a major silver-lining in all of this: Sidney only has two weeks of work left before summer vacation (I can hear all my readers yelling Oh come on, that’s it?! Toughen up, Brent!). Before we know it, Sid and Sloan will be back to spending every single minute together. This is a major comfort to the two of us but it still didn’t take away the difficulty of dropping Sloan off this morning.

I truly admire the way Sidney handled this inevitable, but tough, situation. As I write this tonight, our little family is back together and we couldn’t be happier. We know these next several days will fly by and then the best summer ever will begin. Don’t Blink.