Jetlag

Somebody give me an Ambien.

Who knew the long journey from LA to Estonia with two toddlers was the least of my worries. It’s been a week now of complete madness. Jet lag to an normal adult may be difficult, but to a toddler (and a mom) who still relies on a daily nap time it’s a real nightmare.

I’ve read all the tips and tricks via trusty old Google for how to deal with jet lag for kids and I have tried them all with no luck. Articles have said to try and spend time outdoors to expose them to vitamin D. We have been walking around the city everyday, as well as playing at the park. I let them run around like maniacs but come nighttime no one wants to sleep. We also have been swimming at the pool at the hotel to tire them out but it’s not working.

I found the Zarbees brand melatonin for kids at Target that I purchased at home but I forgot to bring it with me. I had plans to give it to them to see if it would work. That’s a mom fail on my part. But hey, I had to pack for three people my mind blanked on the damn melatonin.

I could buy melatonin in pill or liquid form here at a pharmacy but dosage for kids is not recommended. Even after doing some research there isn’t even a safe amount that adults can or should take.

Melatonin is made by your own body to essentially tell your brain it’s time for night night. And with us being 10 hours ahead of our nighttime back home, that means 6am local Estonian time is our bedtime. Complicated af if you ask me.

This past week we have spent here the kids have been falling asleep then waking up in the middle of the night WIDE AWAKE. One night Kingston woke up from 2-3 am, went back to bed then Zola woke up right after that at 3 to 5am when Daniel had to wake up for work. Kingston would wake up because he could hear Papa getting ready for work. Then they would be awake until 8am and slept until 6pm. Yes, 6pm. See my struggle here?

And of course, if one of them is awake obviously I am awake too. I have gotten little to no sleep in a whole week. The only thing I can really compare it to is the last week of pregnancy when you’re woken up by the urge to pee every half hour or to reposition your belly comfortably-ish. Or maybe the first newborn week when you’re waking to a baby that needs to be nursed several times a night.

Last night, I can say is the closest we have come to a full nights sleep. We were up watching “Stranger Things” until 3am and then slept until 1pm. Success? Maybe. We will see tonight. Because it’s 7pm at the moment. Kingston is about to take a nap attached to my boob and I may have to force him awake after no longer than a hour nap. We can get dinner and try and go back to bed. Late.

Sorry Papa, you wanted us to come across the world to be with you. But all we are doing is keeping you up all night then you have call time at 5am. We love you.