Bam

That's how it felt to come home from China. Bam. Our blissful little traveling family got off the plane and bam. Welcome to the real world. 

A lot of people like to talk about jet lag after you return from China, but I don't think it's a simple as that. Sure, your body is adjusting to a twelve hour difference in time zones. That's opposite times. Day should be night and night should be day, and that sucks. But let's face it, with modern medicine comes modern help for things like jet lag.  A little melatonin, a little Benadryl, and you are good to go. Unless you have a toddler who is also experiencing the same upside down circadian rhythm. And what kind of parents would we be if we drugged our newly adopted child just so they would sleep. (Full disclosure, my eldest two may or may not have received a certain mommy prescribed jet lag cocktail, but let's not talk about that.) So, here you are with a child that you have only known for less than two weeks and who has only known you for just as long. And it is 3 in the morning and you want to play games and laugh and be silly (see below) but all your mama wants to do is sleep. Please, for the love of God, let's just sleep. 

Maybe watching Bubble Guppies will work. What's that? You have no interest in TV because you have never seen or heard of Elmo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, or whatever other free babysitting any normal American parent would enlist at such a time as this?! 

Crap. 

Why are you banging on the refrigerator telling me (in Chinese) "Open it! Open it!"

Don't you know it's 2 in the morning?

Oh. Right. 

You think it's time for lunch. 

Well, lets just eat some cereal. Or what about a pop-tart? 

What's that?  You have no interest in pre-packaged processed American kid food? You want rice and eggs and chicken?!

      

For the love of everything that's holy. 

Who do you think I am?

Your mother?

Well, not really. Because "Mama" is just what you call any female that gives you food and picks you up and gives you kisses. You even call your dad "Mama" if you think he has food and will give it to you. 

But I am your mama. 

You don't understand that yet, but you will. 

Just like I stayed up all night feeding your brother and sister, I will feed you when you are hungry, any time, day or night. 

(Ok, so they just wanted to nurse in the middle of the night and that was a whole lot easier than making you a four course dinner at 2 a.m.  Easier but not any different. Not really.)

Because I really am your mama. Forever. 

You don't know this yet, but you will. 

So sleep well, little one. Forever means we have plenty of time to find our rhythm again.