With Christmas around the corner, my husband jumped on a turn that pays more and gets overtime, but it keeps him away for a few days at a time. Since our son was born, Ryan hasn't really worked out of town. When Evan was really young, he didn't notice daddy being gone so much. Lately, I've started noticing that Evan would become a little more defiant around the second day of Ryan being gone. It clicked with me one day when I realized that's the only thing that has changed lately in our day to day life. When Ryan's home, the normal routine is that he gets up with Evan and I sleep in. I am a natural night owl so I stay up to put Evan to bed, straighten things up, and get chores done that I couldn't do during the day. Ryan likes to go to bed early so it works out perfectly for us. But I think Evan expects that time with daddy every morning. Not that he isn't excited when its me that walks into his room in the morning instead of daddy, but on the second and third day you can tell hes wondering where in the world his daddy is. He likes his routines like his momma does, ha-ha! Our son is never bad - he has the sweetest, happiest personality of any baby I have ever met and that isn't me being biased at all - its the truth. So when he starts to get a little defiant or agitated/whiny about things for no apparent reason, I know he is missing his daddy. Of course Ryan is missing Evan just as bad and can't wait to come home, and he doesn't wish for Evan to be difficult for me - but he loves that Evan misses him, it makes him feel good. And the excitement from Evan when daddy walks through the door is the cutest thing I have ever seen.
Our dog Annie is attached to Ryan at the hip. I am the discipline and the rule enforcer so she is on her best behavior around me usually. She likes me well enough, but she loooooves her daddy. She whines when he leaves and searches the house for him every time I let her outside and back in. When his car rounds the corner she is at the door, tail wagging, full of excitement. It kills her that she isn't the first to get his attention after he gets inside and puts his bags down. She doesn't wait very patiently but she eats it up. I'm not the first to get his attention either, I'm the third! Only because Annie is so dang impatient and she crowds, ha-ha!
And then there's our cat, Oakley. She could care less. She does as she pleases and doesn't care who's there to feed her and fall asleep on.
Railroad life definitely affects the kids, but so far I haven't considered it to be in a bad way. If anything, the time away results in more quality time together and that's never a bad thing. Evan gets his daddy's undivided attention while he's home and it's like they haven't skipped a beat.
