Sleepless in St. Pete

Thwarted in my attempt to get more sleep. D woke up crying at 11:30 pm and I spent the next two hours trying to calm her down. It just wears me out. The crying started out as the "night terror" variety, then quickly progressed to demands for water, milk, mommy. It reminded me a bit of how she was when M first left for Kosovo, so I'm attributing it to the fact that M's parents picked up the Dog last night. She is going to live with them while we're away - she'll be a Mountain Dog! They love her and vice versa (can't say as much for their cats) so she'll be well taken care of, but D kept asking where she was and I guess she decided that the middle of the night is a good a time as any to get upset about it.

Anyhow, at 1:00 am I caved in and brought her into my bed -- after all one half is empty. If only she understood about halves. Instead she spent the next 30 minutes sobbing on and off, then about 45 minutes thrashing about trying to get comfortable. She ended up curled against my back in a sweaty heap, hair tangled everywhere, with her feet positioned in kick mode. It was a mighty uncomfortable night, and just one of many reasons the family bed doesn't appeal to us.

M called yesterday. He was just off work and passed a phone box and decided to call. All is well in Kosovo. He's discovered an egg shop near our apartment - stacks and stacks of eggs of all sorts, sizes and colors. The owner speaks English so that was a nice bonus and at least we'll know if we're getting chicken eggs or...not chicken. M's also found a grocery store that stocks a lot of Turkish products and - good news - pasta. So D won't starve after all. It sounds like the basics (milk, bread, veggies and fruit) are available, but M thinks we'll be eating out a lot anyway. My entries may end up sounding like a mini-restaurant review for Kosovo, although nothing like our friends the Pauleys who are on their way to producing a comprehensive guide to eating in Louisville. (Hi Tony & Kim!)

I imagine this week will go pretty quickly and next Saturday's post will be from Pristina, Kosovo.