Daddy's Home! Four Military Homecomings

"I was pregnant when we found out that my husband, Jason, a supply officer in the navy, had to go to sea. I was in the navy, too, until recently, so we're both used to this crazy life. Jason shipped out when Lyla was only 3 months old. It wasn't ideal. Everyone felt bad for me but it was worse for Jason, being gone during that important bonding time. When I heard he was finally coming home after seven months, we made posters and decorated the house. One of my best friends bought Lyla's stars-and-stripes outfit -- I know it's a little overboard but you've gotta do it. Jason had talked to Lyla on Skype once a month and he'd sent her videotapes of himself reading bedtime stories, but I was nervous that she wouldn't know him. Plus it was naptime when the ship arrived. I didn't want her to start crying. But it was a beautiful day, and Lyla took to him right away. In this picture I'm feeling so many emotions!"

-- Stephanie Shaw, Norfolk, Virginia

"My husband, Chad, a sergeant first class in the army, had been in Afghanistan for a full year. It was my idea to wrap him up as a surprise gift for our daughter, Hadlee, who was 2. My sister and I were up all night long creating a box big enough for a grown man, and my mom had made Hadlee a dress to match Chad's uniform. When Hadlee first tore the paper off and saw a guy inside she was startled, but then she realized it was her dad and wrapped her arms around him."

-- Whitney Walker, Moore, Oklahoma

"When my husband, Marty, a lieutenant commander in the navy, was deployed for six months, our youngest, Sawyer, was only 2 1/2. He'd gone through many changes while his dad was away. All three kids were so excited they didn't know what to do with themselves. But no one was going infringe on Sawyer's 'daddy time' that day -- he made sure of it!"

-- Whitney Fentress, Chesapeake, Virginia

"It was around 1:00 in the morning when my husband, David Kim, a navy chaplain stationed with the marines, got back from Afghanistan after seven months. I had to wake our son, Hunter, and at first he had this blank look, like, what the heck is going on here, why am I up?! I was afraid he'd start crying and have stranger anxiety. But thanks to all the video CDs David had sent home of himself, Hunter had no hesitation. He immediately reached out to his dad. I couldn't stop smiling, seeing them together. My best friend was finally home."

-- Susan Bang, Oceanside, California