Tough Being Apart

We are once again faced with no option but to be apart for more than a month. It was already tough when we didn't see each other for a little over five weeks right after the baby was born, but here we are again. We've prayed about it, It's tough certainly. But it's best for our family, for the baby.All because Beijing doesn't have the Rotavirus vaccine that she's scheduled to get before she turns 6 months old. We honestly didn't know a lot about immunizations (other than the fact that we NEED them) until we had a baby; no clue that vaccination schedules were different by country and region. I certainly didn't know Beijing didn't offer it, after all, China's population is the biggest in the world. Surely they would have it, right?Wrong.Only one clinic in Beijing has it, offered only to EU citizens or people with diplomatic passports.So, off to Manila we go. We felt overwhelmed because we had to book tickets, pack, and say goodbye in a rush.Allegra is growing so fast that she'll be bigger by the time we return. That saddens my husband as he will have missed more time watching her grow.But honestly, we have no choice. We could just stay in Beijing and not give her the shots, but we'd have no peace of mind. We could fly to Hong Kong for a day trip to get the first dose, and then fly again after a few weeks for the second, but we didn't have a pediatrician there.Adulting is hard but parenting, oof.At least we'll be with family in Manila. It's always nice to see people you love. Even then, it's still going to be tough for my husband and me.Tough times that we have to power through. I find it gets easier when I repeat these words: We have prayed. It's for the baby.