An Update or Jet Lag Sucks Big Time

Posted by Traci at 10:26 PM

So it’s 3:00 a.m. and I’m sitting in the hall between Rosalee’s and Trey’s room. This is about the 4^th configuration we’ve tried since coming home. But I think this one might work. Both Rosalee and Trey can see me, and because of a baby gate and a crib, Rosalee is free to roam about her room as she needs and Trey can play in his crib and I’m not chasing after both of them in the middle of the night. Rosalee frequently climbs out of her bed to look and make sure I’m still here. I am. Tragic. I wish I could go hold her but if I did Trey would freak out. And vice versa. So here I am, stuck in the middle with me. But that’s ok.

They both have jet lag in a major way. Chip and I have been trading off, he sleeps some at night then I crash somewhere around dawn and he takes the morning/early afternoon shift, then…well you get the picture. Maybe someday we can parent these kids together. But tonight is exponentially better than the screaming chaos of last night, so there’s hope. And there was one other big thing that happened yesterday and today – Nannie and Papa to the rescue!

The general advice is that only the mother and father should feed, clothe, change, and basically care for the new children for 8 weeks. But as the reality of three kids under five and sleep deprivation set in we realized this was impossible and I called my mother crying at 4:30 in the morning. And of course, just like always, they are there when I need them and then some. It’s amazing how parents get smarter and smarter with each new stage of life. When we had Eli my parents got a million times smarter. With these two new kiddos they just got a billion times smarter.

Right now we are just trying to make it through jet lag, then after that we will try to find our new normal. But sometimes my nostalgia for our old normal with the crown prince is nearly crushing. My mom says these feelings are normal and that I just need some sleep. I’m sure she’s right I thank God for her experience and wisdom. How could I know our lives would follow such similar paths?

Other than sleep issues, things have been going well. The kids seem comfortable in the house; love the playroom (thank you Lord for the previous owner and the 211 mafia who felt the need to convert the garage to an indoor space for sound recording – not kidding); and are bonding with us more and more each day.

Both are reading signs quite a bit and Trey is signing back some. For my records, here’s the signs he’s had since we got him: daddy (of course his first sign), eat (his most favorite thing, the boy can put down!), more, play, mama, shoe, please, thank you, Eli, and today he told my mom “you, go in there”. He’s pretty good with directional signs and we’ve started calling him the little emperor. Rosalee isn’t signing yet, but she understands quite a bit. I think it’s more of a control issue with her right now, which is fine, the poor girl hasn't been able to decide much of anything about her life so far. But she did sign to my mom today.

I just want to say thank you for all your kind words, posts, emails, texts, and mostly prayers. Those first few days in China with them both were pretty hard, but one day when I was walking and praying the strangest thing happened. As I walked it was like I could almost see prayers from across the sea flow into me, and I felt uplifted in way that I had never felt before. I have no doubt it was my Mom and the rest of you prayer warriors out there. Thank you so much.