WICHITA, Kansas – Every guard deployment starts with a readiness meeting where soldiers and their families ready for the upcoming trip. But Senior Airman Steffan Smith had something else on his mind.
"Seventy-two hours from now and we'll have kids,” he said.
Nikki and Steffan first started dating at Heights High School. Nearly a decade later, they are now married and expecting twins.
"I’m excited to tell everyone names,” Nikki said. “We've kept them quiet, so that will be the exciting thing is finally letting the cat out of the bag I guess.”
Three days later on February 10th, family and friends would get their first look at Gavin Vance and Chase Ray, who were born just 90 seconds apart. But the now complete family would only have a few months together before Steffan’s unit would depart.
By early May, the foursome was well into their family routine. But with just two days left with the boys, the reality of what Steffan would be missing was starting to hit hard.
“It feels like I'm leaving everything behind now, I just think about how is she going to do it on her own,” he said. “The thing that really kills me is not being there to help her at 2 o'clock in the morning when they are up screaming.”
Family and friends will make sure Nikki’s not alone. Still, she’s been preparing to handle a lot of things by herself.
"Everyone wants to help, but I have to make myself do a lot on my own,” she said. “Carry two car seats on my own sometimes, so I can start building up my muscles, getting the stroller out.”
She knows she can do it. But even with help, Steffan’s time away won’t be easy.
"It’s not your husband though, and it’s not their daddy and he'll miss out on a lot and that’s the hard part,” Nikki said.
Steffan would be able to chronicle his boys’ growth through e-mailed pictures.
"Every now and again we have the capability of video conferencing, and video chatting online, so I have the ability to see my kids on a weekly, or bi-weekly basis,” he said.
In Saudi Arabia, Steffan would endure 100-plus degree heat and 14-hour shifts – sometimes six days a week.
"I think about the day that I get to return home every day that I'm here,” he said.
Back home, the twins have gotten more active.
"It’s not quite a crawl, it’s just a scoot everywhere,” Nikki said of the boys’ movement.
They’re teething, fighting over toys and reaching new milestones almost every day.
"People say they are going to walk soon and I don't want them to until they get back,” Nikki said.
Nikki’s also gone through changes. Once worried about how she would take care of the twins on her own, she can now handle just about anything.
"I definitely do feel a little tougher,” she said.
But soon, the moment she’s waited almost a year to come will be here.
Chase and Gavin are too young to ever remember daddy’s time away. Only pictures will tell the tale. But right now it’s not about the stories they’ll share in the future; it’s about reuniting in the present and becoming a family once again.
Click here to see part one of this series Click here to see part two of the series: The Balentine family
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