Michael turned 10 months old today! We had good morning and afternoon visits today. A majority of the time was spent outdoors for both visits. Michael hit a new milestone today - he stood up in his crib by himself! He was a little wobbly once he stood up, but learned to use the crib for support. He got better at it by the afternoon when I put him in his crib for his afternoon nap and started gnawing at the crib rail. Also, another family with our agency arrived in Karaganda today for their second trip. We are very happy for them, as they completed court four weeks ago and are now back to finish up here so they can pick up their son and fly to Almaty tomorrow before heading back home to Alabama.
Just when I think we've found a favorite lunch spot, we get introduced to a new one that we like! Today, Juliya showed us an "open air" cafe on the second floor of City Mall called Sharlotka, which is the Russian word for an apple cake or tart. I put "open air" in quotes since it's really an indoor mall, but the cafe is in an open area on the second floor. We had a very good lunch, and we also ordered dessert and coffee. So, here is another place that we'll probably visit again.
James continues to be a great big brother. Today he tried to hug Michael several times (I think Michael was feeling a little smothered, though). He still has not shown any kind of jealousy towards Michael and is still working on "being gentle." Anyone who knows James knows that although he is a very sweet boy, he is also very rough-and-tumble, especially around Daddy. I have to say that although James has had his moments during this trip (but what preschooler doesn't act out every once in a while), he has been an excellent trooper. In fact, out of the three of us he's the one who's made the quickest adjustment to being here out here. In general, he's just a really happy kid. While he's at the apartment he plays with his Legos, the few trains and toy cars and a couple of toy airplanes he brought from home and lets his imagination go wild. His teachers at school usually have the kids do some worksheets over the summer so they don't forget what they've learned over the past school year, so James has also been working on those while we're here. We also brought some puzzles and travel games - we've had a couple of heated games of Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders already. He also has his DVDs which he's only asked to watch every once in a while since we got here. The Kaplans gave James some Silly Putty the other day, and it's been fun to see him create things out of that and incorporate them into his stories when he plays. He was also so good while I was sick, especially when Sean was visiting Michael, and tried to help me and make me feel better. He really is my big boy.
On a side note, it's been interesting to watch the World Cup from here. Of course, we cannot understand the Russian commentary, but it's interesting, nevertheless. Also, we hope everyone at home in Texas is well. It doesn't look like the eye of soon-to-be Hurricane Alex will hit home, but it's on the dirty side of the storm, which could still be pretty bad depending on how far those outer bands reach.
Hope you enjoy today's pictures!
Thanks for stopping by! Paka paka and love to all!
