We spent last week on vacation to New Mexico to visit Grandmommy, my husband's mother, who is living out in Santa Fe for the summer. She needed a grand baby fix so she lured us out of our New England hole with promises of a hotel with room service and a prenatal massage for the very sore mommy.
It was a fantastic week, you know with the exception of the NINE HOUR emergency room trip where I was subjected to lots of large needles and forced to watch LeBron James: The Decision until they finally decided that I did not have blood clots. (Praise God!)
But other than that it was a fantastic trip.
The problem with traveling cross country with a one year old is usually two part. Part One: They are difficult to deal with on planes. And Part Two- JET LAG.
Now Madeleine has flown over 21,000 miles in her lifetime so as far as one year olds go, she is a flying champ. However, it took her a month to adjust back after we went to Los Angelas in March so I should have been prepared for what awaited me when we arrived back home.
Monday- Bed time at 11:30
Tuesday- Bed Time at 12:00
Wednesday- Bed Time at 11:30
Thursday BED TIME AT 12:45
I'm not entirely sure how to explain this. I mean, I admit that we let her stay up later than normal in New Mexico because she couldn't fall asleep well in the hotel room, so nine or ten Mountain Time is like 11:00 or 12:00 Eastern time. Also, my husband is probably slipping espresso shots into her sippy cup for lolzies. There is no other possible way a one year old could stay up this late.
It begins around nine when I try to cuddle her and give her a milk cup to prepare her for bed. She usually smiles at me, chucks the milk cup clear across the room, and then climbs off my lap and begins crawling away from me as fast as she can.
I believe in letting a child cry it out, but after 20 minutes or so, when they are still no where near sleep, it just becomes mean. When Madeleine is tired, she will sleep. When she is not tired there is no force on earth outside of narcotics that will get her to go to bed.
My plan of attack for tonight is to give her hardly any nap time and end that nap time early. This has been the only proven method of success for me yet. Wear her out to the point of sheer exhaustion and she will be in bed by nine. And mommy will take a bath and reread Twilight. After one or two days of this she should be back to normal.
But it could prove to be ugly. Today my happy little lady might be transformed into a crying beast. But I have to remember, this is all for her own good. I can't be one of those parents who doesn't do what is best for their child because they are afraid of upsetting them. Those children turn into beasts, not just for an afternoon but for life.
At least tomorrow I should have my sweet princess back to normal. Oh yes, and my sanity.
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