I'm sorry for the longish silence; the days of our trip flew past and then it was time to head back. They say the relaxing effects of a holiday wears off within 24 hours of returning home. In this case, I'd estimate it to be something more like 2 hours, 14 minutes and 36 seconds.
We flew across the water from Florida last Friday; unfortunately the trip home was so long and sleep-deprived for all of us that, together with the consequences of jet lag and daylight savings time, it has taken until today to resume some semblance of a normal routine around here.
Before we left, I blithely reassured Knox that the trip home would probably be easier than coming over, because Botany would sleep most of the way. Oh, how the sleep gods smite the smug. On the day of departure, Botany (who up until then had taken to sleeping in until 6am most days) treated us all to a 4.30 am wake up call. Unable to nap very well, she was a grizzly, grumpy mess most of the day. The five hour layover in Newark airport was particularly fun. If you were passing through and spotted a couple taking turns carrying a child up and down the bank of pay phones so she could push all the buttons, for about three hours, that was us.
Knox and I hung on for grim death; by the time we boarded our flight for the last leg back to Scotland, it was just past her bedtime and she was in meltdown. We wrestled her into her jammies and sleeping bag and I produced the inflatable nursing cushion and my best boob. As we took off, she fell asleep. And then, wouldn't you know it, after about an hour they turn on all the lights, serve dinner and generally make about 50 announcements over the PA system, thus waking up the baby (who I had stupidly presumed would sleep through all of that). She didn't go back to sleep until 1am. Mind you, once she got finished with climbing up and down all over the seat and our laps, she did sit quietly leafing through the in flight magazine in the dark for about an hour while Knox kept an eye on her. I was falling asleep at the wheel tired.
Upon arrival, Botany treated the immigration officials, not to mention the rest of our fellow passengers with a meltdown so spectacular they let us jump the queue. Thank you, kind sirs, we appreciate it.
Since then, it has been a long slog to try to get her back on a normal sleep pattern. Coupled with the kind of uber-clinginess during the day not seen since she was about a year old, for some reason, despite being very tired, she had some sort of nasty regression- for the first couple of nights we experienced the sort of howling for hours on end if left alone in her cot that marked my last encounter with sleep training. Bedtime has now gotten a little easier (although she still stands up and whimpers briefly when I put her down and leave her- oh, how it tears me up when she does it) but naptimes are shot to hell. I can only hope that once she is back at nursery she'll remember how to go to sleep during the day on her own.
Bless her little heart, I'm trying to be patient but everything seems to be such a huge battle right now. Suddenly, my sweet baby has become this wildcat hell beast. She won't have her clothes put on and she won't let me change her nappy without a huge thrashing screaming mess. I can't pee or make dinner or otherwise leave the room for more than two seconds without her calling frantically for me. Everyone else is pushed away with angry little fists. Knox, who thought he had done some good bonding with her over the holiday, is feeling just a little rejected and disappointed. I know it will pass, probably quite soon. But I'm essentially feeling like a frazzled mess and absolutely dreading trying to get her ready for nursery and out the door tomorrow without having my eardrums pierced.
On the bright side, Botany has learned all sorts of interesting new words and phrases that I am sure will come in very handy in day-to-day Scottish life, such as manatee and turtle, along with "go fast! big bump! see boat! sit car! sit buggy! open door! push button!". I reckon with her penchant for speed and marine life, she's destined to be either a race car driver or a marine biologist; or possibly both. That's my girl.