A two-year-old girl picked the perfect time to run for the first time as her military father entered her daycare to surprise her after being stationed overseas for six months.
When Staff Sergeant Anthony Davis II, 38, headed off on deployment to Italy, his daughter, Nina, had only just started standing and barely walking.
On his return home, though, Anthony got quite the surprise when Nina came running through Embracing Differences, in Havelock, North Carolina, and into her father’s arms.
RELATED: Toddler Surprises Military Dad By Taking First Steps During Reunion
The moment took place on March 17, and mom Britney, 35, was able to capture her daughter’s milestone on video.
Nina is extremely close to her father and while Anthony, an E6 in the U.S. Marines, was away, his daughter would walk around their home holding a picture of him, kissing and singing to it.
Britney said: “I was so shocked at her response because I had never seen her run before.
“She was in such shock she didn’t say a single thing for like five minutes.
“It broke my heart because I couldn’t make him reappear any faster, but when that day finally came I wanted it to be special so, I decided to have him to pick her up from daycare.
“Being a spouse of someone on the military is really hard – especially when you have children.
“We have to be strong and deal with so many emotions from your kids, meanwhile, you as a mother or spouse have to hold everything together.
“We missed him so much and now enjoy the time we have with him before he has to leave again.”
