Rough first full day

I should have known that it was too good to be true, but today truly has been a rough day (and it's only 5:40 p.m. here!). RP slept really well, but I didn't - every little sigh and turn had me checking on her to see if she was okay, so I slept for maybe an hour total. The doctor got here around 6:20ish this morning and she did really well with him - not a peep or cry during the exam, which was pretty cursory and the doctor was really good with her. She was also pretty good while I was meeting with the coordinator filling out what I HOPE is the final set of paperwork (horray!!!), although my Mom did say that she had a bit of a meltdown while I was out, but it was easily rectified with a brisk walk around the floor.

The rest of the day, however, was pretty rough. It must be SO scary for her to be uprooted from all she has ever known and thrown into a foreign place with strange people who don't speak the language, and she is struggling. She has had several meltdowns today which range from big "fake" crying jags (no tears, just a lot of noise) to full-fledged temper tantrums, especially when she doesn't get her way. She HATES being locked up in the room (and who could blame her) and she fared halfway decent in the hotel restaurant during lunch although at the end she pitched a fit and was ready to GO, even though my mom and I were not even close to being done eating, or paying the bill.

We're working on the tantrums and getting her to understand "nyet/no" but it breaks my heart to see her cry and breaks it even more when she needs to spend some "alone time" in her crib after a tantrum (she took me by the hand and led me to her crib and pointed "up" - now she is laying in there sucking her thumb, and looking utterly pitiful). :(

How do Moms do this, and more importantly - does it get easier???