Good Ole' Jet Lag

Have you ever had jet lag? Have you ever had it with small children? Just wondering.

Upon returning to the States we decided to "power it out" and try to get over the jet-lag quickly, rather than taking the week or two that has been normal for us. We thought we would forego naps with the idea that the boys would be so tired at bedtime that they'd sleep right through the night. It was a good thought, and now we'll regroup and find a new philosophy for next time.

The conflicting schedule looks something like this: while waking up in California, it's the middle of the night in Bali. When going to bed at Grammy's, we are going down for afternoon naps over there. Two in the morning here equals dinnertime in Bali. You can understand our difficulties.

Most books I've read recommend beginning to alter your schedule several days before travel. Not a bad idea. I've contemplated this method and decided that either way I'll be entertaining my kids until late in the night, so why not wait until it's necessary? Also, sometimes the 30 hours of travel before jetlag sets in is a jump-start to sleep upon arrival. I like to call my method the "cold turkey" method. I just need to make some adjustments.

The last two nights the boys have been awake from about midnight to four or five in the morning. It doesn't help that our usual dinner-time falls in this time frame. We have succeeded in keeping daytime naps short, but those short naps have yet to succeed in making long night-time sleep. Thankfully, Charlie's parents are very understanding and Charlie's mom is somewhat of a night-owl herself. Last night she took Charles on a two a.m. walk to check out the chickens and the flowers they planted yesterday. A wonderful adventure for a three-year-old. At least it's not too much work for us, since our bodies are on the same schedule as theirs.

Today things seem to have come to a head. Thomas fell asleep on the porch swing with Uncle James amidst several bustling cousins. He proceeded to nap in a lawn chair on the porch. Charles was playing with a flashlight in our room before dinner. Charlie went to check on him and found him asleep on the rocking chair - flashlight in hand. Thomas woke up for a quick walk and some dinner, then requested to lie on the couch where he fell asleep watching us eat.

Here's hoping our two boys sleep through the night, and that we can sleep through, too.