Thank you for your brave work over there. Since our office is close to Camp Pendleton, we have many military families in our practice. I hear many of them talk about using video conferencing as a way of keeping in touch. Another good idea is to use video tapes or audio tapes of you talking to your new little one. A nice large photo of your face can also help baby have an idea of who you are when you get home. At 8 months, it won't be too late to develop a bond. Just by thinking about the little one, your bond will develop the whole time you are over there. Now for the bad news: Here is another observation I have made in my military families: many of the mothers complain about behavior problems in their older children because their dad is gone for six months at a time. I see many grade-schoolers acting out in class in a negative way to seek the attention they are not getting at home. If dad needs to absent for many months, it would probably be best in the first few years. In the early years, kids mainly need mom anyway, but once they hit preschool age, your time becomes much more important, even vital to their emotional development. So I hope that 4 years from now, your line of work won't require deployments away from home.