(Sean's Post)
Today was just another one of those "Groundhog" days. There are a few changes to help us know that it's not still yesterday, though. We think that someone at the city heating department fell asleep at work last night. When we woke up it was much colder in our apartment (about 8 degrees cooler to be precise). We moved the small space heater that was in our bedroom into the living room to help out during the day.

I walked to a different baby store today. This one is actually much closer than the one we had been going to. It's just about a block up the same street that our apartment is on. During the walking trip I realized why the apartment is so much colder: the temps are below zero and there is a strong wind out of the north. I wore my longjohns and my fleece liner for the coat. I was still cold on the way to the store. I quickly bought the diapers that we need and started to race home. I brought a large, black plastic bag with me to help conceal the diapers during the walk home. We want to keep a low profile, you know. I went straight back to the apartment, dropped them off, and then turned around to go to the Viola market for water and cookies. When I rounded the corner to face the wind again, it had picked up. Halfway to the Viola market I experienced a brain-freeze. You know, the kind that you get from drinking a Slurpee too fast. Only there was no way to stop it. My sinus cavities were frozen and my brain was cooling. I went into high gear to get into the Viola and warm back up. I decided that I wanted a beer after that walk (for tonight, of course). I bought the one that had been calling me the whole time - the Derbes Strong. It's 7.5% alcohol. I tried it right before dinner, and I do NOT recommend it - too bitter. I only drank about a fifth of it before pouring it down the sink. I'll stick to the Siberian Crown or the one I call Fajita #3 from here on out.

Now for James news. We worked on him being able to sit on his own today. He did okay. He still mostly tripods but he'll sit up for a few seconds on his own. He did the best when I had my arms for him to stabilize himself with. He'll get the hang of it soon. Last night, Maureen found that James loves raspberries (not the fruit, but the kind you make with your mouth). This morning, we noticed that he was trying to give us raspberries. He didn't know how to blow at the same time so he was really just sticking his tongue out at us and wiggling it around. It was pretty funny. I was getting even, though, and did it back to him. He has been a little crankier today. He will only nap for 30 minutes at a time, when he used to nap for usually 45 minutes to an hour. We speculate it's his teeth again (actually gums) bothering him. We've fed him more than ever today, so he's not hungry. Hopefully he'll sleep well tonight.

We are making plans to travel to the Lake Boryavoi region to do some exploring. We plan on taking video and pictures to show James when he gets older. It is supposed to be very beautiful, even in the wintertime. We are going with the Kurtz's and Diane who arrived here in Kokshetau the day after we went to court (James' girlfriend's Mama). Be on the lookout for some pictures of that excursion when we get all of the schedules in synch and the weather gets warmer; perhaps we'll go on Wednesday.

Thank goodness for Maureen's nose. While I was making dinner she noticed a burning smell in the living room and alerted me. I went to investigate, and it turns out the outlet that we had the TV, DVD player, and space heater plugged into (via power strip) had the smell of burning plastic coming out of it. I got closer and listened and heard arcing, as well. I quickly unplugged the power strip from that outlet and looked around the room to find a different one. I found another one hidden behind the sofa; thank goodness there was no arcing coming from that outlet. So, I plugged the power strip into that outlet, but removed the space heater and just took it back into the bedroom. Didn't want to take any chances overloading that circuit, as the wiring in these apartment buildings are very old. For dinner tonight we had a frozen pizza Maureen got at the pick-up store a few days ago. It had blue cheese on it, so it was interesting. Since we can't really control the heat in the oven the bottom of it ended up getting burned. We're trying to finish out the food and drinks in the refrigerator before we leave on Friday, so Maureen made herself a large glass of her cherry juice and vodka cocktail. I have a feeling that we'll end the day with some "House" and get then some sleep.

Goodnight, everyone! Paka and love to all!