Fussy Days, Restless Nights

Catie seems to have adjusted quickly to the Glover family, but she still gets fussy during the day and awakes several times during the night. A head cold she got a couple of days ago has been part of the problem the past two nights.

We did start putting her to bed on her stomach because her foster mother said that's how she is used to sleeping. But that technique only worked for one night. Then she developed the head cold. She slept a little better on her back last night because the mattress in the bed was slightly elevated.

The bigger problem seems to be that she wants to eat all the time -- no cracks about how she's just like her Daddy, please -- but never very much in one sitting. So she eats an ounce or two during the daylight hours, naps a half-hour or so, awakens in a happy mood for a brief time and then wants more food.

We're slowly trying to get her adapted to eating larger amounts and sleeping for longer stretches, but that has been a challenge. We're hoping that once we get home that she will become more settled.

Having Papaw here has definitely helped. When I couldn't get Catie to stop fussing the other day, Elli looked at me and said, "Uh oh, it's Grandpa time." And sure enough, Catie quieted down for Dad. But Dad will have to go home at some point after we get back to the states, so Catie is just going to have to learn to be content with "Daddy time" and "Mommy time."

One good sign: Catie fell asleep in my lap for the first time today and then let me move her to my shoulder as I lay on the bed. She slept about two hours. Kimberly said that is the longest stretch of sleep Catie has had since we met her Monday. It was also the most peaceful I have seen her. Catie typically tosses and turns quite a bit, far more than either Anthony or Elli did.

You can bet that Daddy loved every minute of that quiet time with Catie -- and I am hoping for many more to come.