I lived in California and traveled to and from the East Coast numerous times… both as a child and as an adult. I always hear people complain about the jet lag after these flights. Honestly, I was never bothered by a three hour difference. Maybe woke up a little earlier or went to sleep a little later but nothing to make a fuss about. Even when we came to visit AD for the first time, we were fine really. Eight hours time difference is a big deal to the body but it was actually kind of nice… the kids slept in until 11 am for the first time in their little lives! I think the hotel made a difference, looking back, because it was very quiet, and the curtains enabled the room to be extremely dark. Upon arriving here in June, again, there were no real issues. The kids slept in late, we stayed up a little later than normal but no big deal. It took a week or maybe two to feel truly on schedule.
This trip, however, is nothing like those last two. I think my kids have been bitten by some sleep deprived gremlin who enjoys seeing me overly exhausted… and now overly emotional (I almost started to cry when I was asking a school administrator to please let Zach’s teacher know he was definitely going to fall asleep in school today).
Ok, so Day One: We get in around 8:30. Unpacked some, by the time we realized the time, it was after midnight. Hurried everyone into bed. Kids are wide awake at 4:30 in the morning. No, I say. This can’t be… you guys always sleep in when we return. Not only are they awake, but they are AWAKE. Giggling, chatty, let’s go ride bikes kind of awake. Fine. I give in. I get up.
Day Two: Today is New Year’s Eve so I think I better take a nap or I am so not gonna make it til midnight. I fall asleep at 2, wake up at 6. Kids, no nap. I am not lying… they have been body snatched. OK. So NYE, we go to a friend’s house, the kids play upstairs. I think they will fall asleep up there for sure. NO. We all head home, in bed sometime around 2 am. 2 AM. Surely, they must be so exhausted by now, they will sleep all day tomorrow, right?
Day Three: 5:30 am. Yes. No lie. We convince Abby to go back to sleep, which she does for a long while. It’s the little crazy one who won’t sleep. John and I did sleep in this day…gotta be grateful for that. Zach played with his new toys and only woke us once an hour-ish… so charitable. We watch a family movie at night and get everyone to bed around 9:00 pm (afraid to let them go too early b/c can’t handle earlier than 5:30 wake up again!)
Day Four/ Five: January 2nd. Getting down to the wire… school/ work resumes tomorrow. No joke, we must sleep. But instead we wake up at 5:20 am. I hear them off and on and when I finally stumble downstairs around 7, they are ending a movie. NO ONE should be ENDING a movie at 7 am. We decide they should take a nap. Lay them down, John and I run some errands. Called home to make sure they were up… language barrier, no wake up takes place. OK. So now they have slept for three hours during the day. I had that sick feeling in my stomach… this could not be good. At 6:00 pm I personally can’t take it anymore. I fall asleep replying to an email. Never a good sign. Can I please go to bed, I plead with John? Off I go. Certainly I will sleep through til tomorrow after all this deprivation. At ten pm my eyes pop open like a someone has just set a firecracker off in my room. And that’s how they stay for the next 6.5 hours. But no need to feel bad for me up at 4:30 am… I had company. Oh yes. It started with one, I heard little feet on the stairs. We must go to bed Abby, I told her around 2 am. We traipsed up the stairs, and what do I hear but my least favorite word between the hours of midnight – 7 am??? “MOM” Zach hasn’t slept at all yet. Partially amazed he hasn’t gotten out of bed 1100 times, I decide to lay with him for a bit. Then comes Abby again… now there are three of us in the twin bed. At 3:30 I tried again… c’mon guys! We have to get up in 3 hours!! No sympathy for the old, tired woman, they just wanted to have a sleepover they said. (Me thinking that ship has sailed!!!) Everyone in their own beds, I head back to mine. At 4:30, just as my eyes finally close, my two little friends are back to visit. Can’t be, I say. PLEASE, GO AWAY! Being “best mom ever” is not priority at 4:30 am. I finally got to sleep for about two hours. I get up, go to wake Zach for school and he is sitting up, wide eyed in the bed. “MOM, I was petting Tucker, I was petting him this way, then I was petting him that way, he likes me, MOM I think he likes this pet the best, MOM why do I have to take a shower, MOM you never read me this book, MOM, remember MOM you said you would read it to me yesterday.” Me: “Zach, let’s go… for real… they are closing the school gate earlier starting today because they want you in your seat earlier.” Zach: “Really MOM? What happens if you get there after the gate shuts?” I explain that we would have to go around to the front of the building and get a late slip, seems to understands, shuts shower door. Ahhhhh, peace. Then, shower door bursts open as my toe crosses the threshold of the bathroom (sooo close!) “MOOOMMMM!!! I KNOW! If we are late then you can just teach us school today.” Tears well in my eyes, “No, honey, I don’t think so.”
I have absolutely *no doubt* that Zach is going to fall asleep at school today. Abby will just cry over everything that happens (no idea where she might get that) but Zach is going to literally fall face first asleep into his lunch. What then? Do they call you to pick up your sleeping kid?
Dear Lord in heaven, please let this family sleep tonight. Please, please, please. I can’t take it no mo’!!!!!!!!!!
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