Communication

I've been an Army wife exclusively for a little over a year now, prior to that we were dual military.  But it wasn't until recently that we became parents.  We have been through more separations and time apart than I care to count on a daily basis - currently more than half of our four year marriage has been separated.  Throughout the previous separations, technology has had its part with being able to use a cell phone at times.  We have not ever used Skype as he was never in a place where he was able to access it, so that world is foreign to us.  Our primary form of communication was snail mail.  Each night I would sit down and write my husband at least a short letter that would let him know I missed him and loved him and maybe a little part of my day.  After a few days, I would drop a chunk of them in an envelope and drop them in the mail. 

Now with having a baby, we have had to adjust our methods of communicating.  A six-month-old doesn't understand that daddy is leaving, but he may not have an understanding of who daddy is when he gets back.  On the other side, children change so much in a short period of time and daddy is going to miss quite a bit.  Two days before he left this time, the first two teeth broke through, but you really couldn't see them... Our little man has also become more effective at rolling over and is starting to get the rocking bit going as he preps to crawl.  So for daddy's peice of mind, the night before he left he recorded a book for the little guy and we made sure there were pictures up where he could see them.  And for daddy, I made a little photo album before he left 'narrated' as if coming from little man and I have made a conscious effort to ensure I get a few pictures and/or video each day. 

I know that this is only a short separation, but trying to ensure that our little family stays one little happy family means making sure whether it is as short term or long term separation that everyone feels like they are involved.