So far, Ellie’s sleep schedule has been the main event of our visit in Japan. I don’t think either of us will feel like we are really here, or able to enjoy the sights until Ellie is more adjusted. So Aya reached out to a friend who’s traveled to Japan many times with her kids for some advice on how to cope. The advice was to skip Ellie’s nap. What!? Skip a nap!? Are you crazy!? It kind of made sense, but it also frightened me. Her major freak outs have occurred from being over-tired. Skipping a nap seemed like adding fuel to the fire. But giving her a nap didn’t work, so this was worth a shot. But before we dropped it all together, I figured we’d try letting her have a catnap in her stroller for a little bit, just to take the edge off. So that was our plan.
TIME ZONE CONFUSION
This jet lag business is totally taking me back to when Ellie was an infant when each day felt like two days. Part one, and part two. We didn’t like part two then, and it’s no picnic now either. After the first night here, we knew it was important to get Ellie, and us, adjusted to the new time zone as soon as possible. So after our first full day, we figured if she had a nap, she’d be good for bed time. She was totally backed up on sleep and desperately needed rest. But somehow, this turned out to be a very bad idea.
GETTING ACQUAINTED
Even though we went into this trip not really knowing what to expect, I think everyone involved is surprised with how difficult the adjustment has been. But, considering that everything everyone is experiencing during this trip is brand new, I suppose it’s no surprise. Yes, we’ve been to Japan before, but not to this city, nor to this apartment. And we’ve never traveled with a kid before and especially one that is dealing with jet lag. And this is all new to Aya’s parents as well. They Skype with us every week, but they’ve never had Ellie over to their house. It’s a brand spanking new experience for us all. But they say that’s how you grow, right? Through new experiences? I think I’m going to grow a lot very quickly then. Well, not knowing the best way to get adjusted, we figured the first thing to do would be to get acquainted with our surroundings.
SURVIVING THE FIRST NIGHT
Well, we made it! We are in Japan! We survived a 12 and half hour flight with an almost two year old, plus an hour long train ride, and made it up to the seventh floor of my in-law’s place in Japan. After an approximately 18 hour doorstep to doorstep journey, into a time zone the completely opposite of our own, we were glad to be on the ground and in one spot for awhile. And the first order of business was to try to get Ellie adjusted, and rested to her new surroundings as soon as possible so we could all get some much needed rest.