Daddy, gone?

Bear has realised that Mr isn't home.  The moment of realisation occurred just as he was drifting off to sleep last night.  He had been fine all day.  In the morning, he assumed that Mr was still in bed, and told me off for being "noisy" because "shh, Daddy sleeping".

And then, last night, he was okay, until just as he was going to sleep, and I went to take him in to his cot and he said, "night-night, Mumma.  Night-night, Daddy..." and THEN, it clicked.  He sat bolt upright and frantically started saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.  Night-night DADDY.  No Mumma.  Daddy!". And then the tears started.  He was so over tired, but just wanted to say good night to Daddy.  He was beside himself.  So, we sat on the lounge and sung lots of lullabies, and eventually, he let me put him to bed.  But several times through the night, he would stir, and cry and call out for Daddy.

This morning, he was chirpier, but I could see he was trying to work out what was going on.  He was trying out theories,

"Daddy in the car?"
"Daddy in the bath?" "Shower?"
"Daddy sleeping?"

And he went around opening all the doors and  cupboards to see if he as hiding.  The side room and even the pantry I could understand.  But the little cupboard in his toy room (where you would struggle to fit a quarto book) I think reflects his increasing desperation.  No tears though.