Advice on how to deal
 

As my ship date quickly arrives it's beginning to set in that I will be away from my wife and kids (8 and 5) for almost 9 months minimum (they're not moving with me to A-school). For those that have left family behind for an extended amount of time: how do you deal with it? What can I do to help with missing my family? Any advice?

I know a lot of people that have used programs such as Skype to keep in touch with their families. You can do video calls so your family can see you and you can see your family. It tends to help a bit.

Although it will be 7 months from when you leave, many schools allow you to take about a week of leave during Christmas stand down. Maybe you could travel to see them then.

It sounds bad, but you get used to it. You get set in a pattern and figure out what works for you to stay in touch.
For some it's just texts/emails (no skype or regular phone access on the ship...), some people like to prerecord themselves reading different books to their kids.