I'm back.
Obviously, two weeks of nothingness is all you've heard from me since I've been back in the US. But, never fear. My little blogging hiatus after the Germany countdown project is done and I'm back. For this first entry after getting back from Germany I figured I would blog about something (recently) current, applicable, and may or may not be considered one of the many circles of hell.
Surviving a jet-lagged toddler.
The time difference between Leipzig, Germany (where we lived) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (where we spent our first two weeks here) is six hours back. Lunch time in Philly means dinner time in Leipzig. It also means that when our plane touched down at 4:05 pm our bodies were telling us it's 10:05 at night. Which, for Norah, meant bedtime was about two and a half hours earlier yet it's still bright and sunny out. This is enough to make an 18 month old brain spin.
We were a bit nervous beforehand because you never know what's going to happen. Would I be walking back and forth, up and down the isles with my energetic little girl? Would she, for one reason or another, cry and fuss the whole time? Or, would we luck out and have a sleepy little girl who would just doze for the duration?
Not long into our flight the clouds parted, the heavens opened up, and a mildly fussy Norah Grace stretched out across mommy and daddy's laps and fell asleep. Outside of periodic interludes for eating, drinking, and diaper changing, she slept the whole flight. It was a nice, relaxing flight. This also meant she was well rested when we landed. We lucked out. (Tip: If you have the option, try not to have a connecting flight after the long flight. The little one may have no desire to board another plane and could make you pay for it.)
But then came the jet lag.
She went to bed fine the first night and woke up happy and ready to go the next morning. Well, technically it was the next morning. 1:15.
She wanted to nap early and go to bed early each day for the following two or three days. I started out trying to stick with the normal routine and had no success and a perpetually fussy toddler. Then realized easing her into it would be better. Instead of forcing her to stay up until her normal bedtime I put her down an hour or so early one night, then half an hour early the next night. She kept waking up early, but that eventually worked itself out. I used the same process with her nap time.
After three days or so everything was back to normal.
The other tip: Before you travel across a couple of time zones with a toddler, accept the fact that you may be a bit sleep deprived your first few days at your destination and that you'll drink a whole lot of coffee. Have no fear, though. It will get better.
She went to bed fine the first night and woke up happy and ready to go the next morning. Well, technically it was the next morning. 1:15.
She wanted to nap early and go to bed early each day for the following two or three days. I started out trying to stick with the normal routine and had no success and a perpetually fussy toddler. Then realized easing her into it would be better. Instead of forcing her to stay up until her normal bedtime I put her down an hour or so early one night, then half an hour early the next night. She kept waking up early, but that eventually worked itself out. I used the same process with her nap time.
After three days or so everything was back to normal.
The other tip: Before you travel across a couple of time zones with a toddler, accept the fact that you may be a bit sleep deprived your first few days at your destination and that you'll drink a whole lot of coffee. Have no fear, though. It will get better.
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