Will work for sleep...

After almost 2 months home with a baby and not sleeping through the night, you kind of get used to it in a strange way...but the scary part is that, when the baby has an especially sleepless night, you know you are really in for it the next day! ACK! It's misery all around you...he bawls because his stuffed animal is too close to him, he bawls because you move it away...he bawls because you try to give him his bottle, he bawls because you take it away...he bawls because you go outside, he bawls because you go back in...he bawls because he wants in the tub, and when you put him in he bawls because he wants out. THANK GOD for the grace HE generously disposes to both baby and mama to endure this season of sleeplessness.

I believe for adoptive parents the issues of sleeplessness can be especially unsettling. First, you have no clue (or very little) about your child's sleep habits prior to the adoption. Did he sleep with a light on? Is he used to being rocked to sleep or drifting off on his own once laid in the crib? Did the nursery workers or foster family let him cry himself back to sleep, or did they respond immediately? What was his bedtime routine? So you end up in this crazy trial-and-error game as you desperately seek to help your baby get settled. Second, it has been researched/noted/reported that even very young babies suffer trauma from the adoption transition. Absolutely everything familiar to them...sounds, smells, caretakers, feel of their bed, etc...has suddenly disappeared. So...when your baby is up at night crying...you have the added questions of wondering is he scared, is he expecting to see his foster mom's face when you walk into his bedroom, is he having bad dreams? OR...is this just typical baby stuff? And those are the things you can ponder when you are up with a baby at 3:00am!

On a lighter note, I have a recommendation for your feet! If you are a flip flop aficionado like myself, your feet probably take a serious beating. So I am encouraging you to RUN, DON'T WALK to your local Walgreens (I know there is one on a corner near you!) to get this new product: Curel Targeted Therapy Foot Cream. This stuff rocks, and I don't even have time to use it regularly! It is the best $5 I have spent in a very long time. But don't get the Wet & Wild Reflection Lip Gloss because it makes your lips so sticky that dust particles flying through the air get stuck on it, eventually leading to a build up of sticky, dusty lips. Scott even tried it on, and he agrees the stuff is worthless!