Coping With A Parent Who Travels

I just tucked Delilah in for her afternoon nap, she is so sweet.
She likes to fall asleep with her pink stuffed giraffe, I wind it up and it plays Rockabye Baby... she just lays down listening to it until she drifts to sleep. Sometimes I will crack the door open and just watch her, she's so innocent watching laying there listening to the lullaby. I love her so much.

This week Ryan is in Australia, he toured Sydney over the weekend...

When he is away, we try to do Google Hangouts to keep in touch. Ryan can so silly sometimes on them to make Delilah laugh...

The Hangout sessions really help her cope with having a parent who travels. When she was an infant, she didn't show many signs of missing him, as she probably didn't understand he was gone. I believe she was 18 months old when she first showed us that she knew he was leaving, we were driving to the airport, Delilah was strapped in car seat looking out the window... when we got off the 405 freeway at the LAX exit, she quietly said "bye bye Dada". It was pretty significant, and somewhat heartbreaking, to hear the instincts of such a young child. The older she gets, the more she understands that Daddy is away. This week she has been clingy to me, she would rather fall asleep with me by her side. Usually I will turn on a movie and sit with her on the couch, she will lay there until she falls asleep. It's a little out of our routine, but I think making adjustments to help her is the best thing I could do for her.
Ryan travels nearly once a month, so this is nothing out of the ordinary. He has been all over the world, and is flying to Tasmania on Saturday, marking his 25th country visit! I'm so happy for him for getting to travel and explore the world, it is truly a luxury, and he absolutely deserves it. He is a hard-working man, and is such a good person (and Daddy!).