Mother Has Baby, Struggles While Husband is on 10 Month Deployment

Special Series: Dealing With Deployment Part 1

Sorry, this video is no longer available

Right now thousands of men and women are on the front lines defending the country they love millions of miles from home.

Those brave souls who choose to serve overseas also sacrifice precious time with family and friends.

Picture this – a 26-year-old mother of two.

One is an excited three year old and the other only a month old.

Every night Carissa Frankel is forced to tuck her kids into bed without their daddy because he’s on a ten month deployment.

“She always says how much she misses daddy and she wants daddy to come home now,” said mom Carissa Frankel referring to her 3-year-old daughter Cora.

She hears the voice of her dad and Second Class Petty Officer Brian Frankel every night before she goes to bed thanks to her daddy bear.

“As far as she knows she just knows that Daddy’s at work and it’s going to be a little while before he comes home,” said Frankel.

Her husband is serving a ten month deployment with the U.S. Navy as military police aboard the U.S.S Carl Vinson.

“When we have time apart like a deployment it really does suck for lack of a better word,” said Frankel.

He’s been gone about five months and so far he’s missed Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas but more importantly he’s missed a moment that is impossible to get back.

“It really hurt my heart a lot and it broke for him too,” said Frankel tearing up. “I know how much he wanted to be here for it.”

Three o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Day Frankel walked across the street to St. Luke’s hospital.

A few hours later the world welcomed Zarina Rose.

“I was so emotional, I started crying,” she remembers.

Already the baby is considered a local celebrity by being the first baby girl born in the Twin Ports in 2015.

“It wasn’t easy for me,” she said. “They put her right on my chest and I really wanted my husband to be there.”

A Red Cross phone call and Facebook is how Brian found out his baby girl had safely entered the world.

“Congratulations you’re a dad again, and that’s how he got woken up that day,” laughed Frankel.

Out of all the military mom’s out there Frankel understands how important her husband’s job is because at one time she was in his position.

Frankel also served in the U.S. Navy as military police.

“I don’t blame him. I’m not mad at him,” she said. “I don’t take anything out on him for that.”

As military parents living ten hours apart the struggle became too hard so Frankel set her dreams aside for her family.

“I requested to get out of the military early,” she said. Her request was granted.

As a Proctor High School grad Frankel calls the Twin Ports home.

Instead of being home alone in California her mom came to the rescue.

“You’re going to come home, and grandma will help you,” said Frankel’s mother Jodi Eales. “He just wants his girls taken care of, bottom line all three of them.”

It’ll be another five months until Brian gets to take care of his girls himself, but until then all they can do is draw pictures and send gifts, hope for the phone to ring, and post as many pictures on Facebook as possible with the hope daddy might see them.

“I really think that Facebook helps extremely because being able to see your daughter versus just hearing about your daughter helps so much more,” she said.

The newborn baby girl doesn’t get to meet her daddy for another five months and mom already has a plan for the special moment by making a sign for her reading, “I’ve waited my whole life to meet my daddy.”

It’s a difficult decision for any family to put life on hold to protect the United States.

“It was hard,” said Frankel. “I’m not going to lie it was hard.”

It’s a sacrifice the young family is willing to take and with the press of a paw these girls know daddy has a job to do and he’ll be home soon.

“It makes me feel good that she still does he night time with Daddy too,” smiled Frankel.

The Frankel family expects Brian to be home in June.

They’re hoping it’s just in time for their daughter Cora’s 4th birthday.