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I'm sorry you're feeling that way, too.

I feel bad that my nieces live 3 hours away and that all of us have such busy schedules. I usually get to see them about once a month or every six weeks, but I sure wish I could see them every week at least.

Hi fellow Aunties ..thank you for your input,
Ali...I have to laugh a little bit at your advice. My nephew will be turning 2 next week. So Skype's not an option. (Thanks anyway. I keep in touch with his mom on Facebook though am always telling her to give him hugs kisses from me.)
Harlem_Roman's Auntie (Danielle ) that's sweet that your nephew tells you that you're his favorite aunt! But yeah...I agree. It'd be nice if you could have more time with him. (BTW..I added you to my Friends list ;-) )
andreamuse- I see my nieces (they're my older brother's kids. My nephew is my younger brother's ) about 3 or 4 times a year. My younger brother lives in a different state. All of them are up north I'm in Florida.
Kathy

I know exactly how you feel! My husband and I live on the opposite coast from my sister-in-law and her family, and it's been really tough not being able to see our 3.5yo nephew (it will be just as hard with his soon-to-be-born little brother). It does hurt a little when I'm on the phone with my sister in law and she asks my nephew if he wants to talk to me and he says no. (It does make me feel better that he says no to talking to my husband, too, ha!). My SIL rarely uses Facebook or email, let alone Skype, so it's all up to the phone. I know she has photos of us all over her house and always reminds our nephew of his aunt and uncle (we're the only ones, since her husband is an only child), so he knows who we are, but he still gets shy whenever he sees us again after a long period away.

The phone is a good way to stay in touch (even if you don't get to talk to him, at least he's reminded you're there), and we also try to send along things in the mail every so often (usually something sentimental or a souvenir from our travels...nothing expensive). Maybe send a framed photo of you and him so he can have it to look at?

I know I'm late to the party, but I wanted to let you know that I understand how you feel. My nephew was just born, and luckily I live close enough now for a weekend trip. However, I am moving another 800 miles away in 2 months, and I am scared to death that I will not have a good relationship with him. My only uncle was absent from my life because of distance, and now we have a terrible relationship, and I don't want that to happen with me and my nephew. To make matters worse, my brother-in-law has an INCREDIBLY invasive best friend who keeps posting all these things on facebook about how much she loves her new nephew and what a great aunt she will be. She's not even family, and doesn't seem to care about my feelings or realize how she's acting. The whole situation gives me a lot of anxiety because I don't want him to know/like her better. I have talked to my sister about getting Skype, but they don't have a webcam on their computer and can't afford a new one. I fear the only updates I will get will be on facebook, which I also hate - there are some things that should not be shared with the rest of the world, and it makes me feel less special when I'm finding out things with the rest of the world or after it's posted online. I also don't know how to approach any of this with my sister because I feel like I'm being selfish or petty or something. What do you all think? Do you have any advice for dealing with the absentee aunt fears?

Well, I no longer have to worry about feeling like the absentee aunt!
A couple of people suggested Skype and (knowing my brother the relationship I have with him) I turned down the idea. BUT there's something called FaceTime that my mom has for her computer. It's pretty much the same thing as Skype..(I'm not really sure of the difference,really) Tonight I got a chance to see my 2 year old nephew my 4 month old niece on there.! My nephew has gotten SO big since I last saw him! And my baby niece is precious! My nephew was talking to us (meaning my mom I) and showing us his Mickey Mouse doll. We were talking to my brother and my future sister in law. In about 6 weeks they'll be coming down here (along with my older brother ,my sister in law and my 4 year old niece.) We'll be going to Disney World. So THAT will be a lot of fun!
Aunt Kathy