D-Day

Today was the first evidence that it actually rains in Kazakhstan. The break in the heat was a pleasant surprise. We finally found an occasion to wear some of the many long sleeved shirts we brought (in order to prove our complete ignorance of the climate in the region). Of course, we couldn't go outside at all, which meant the kids were bouncing off the walls within 15 minutes.

Blythe and Alina made beaded necklaces for most of the time, and Kostin was back to playing with the Connect-4 set; not playing the game, but just tickled pink to fill the board with chips. We also spoke with Kostin's care giver today. She described him as easy going and quick to laugh, which we already knew. She also said that he's a good eater, and probably should be fed less, which we also already had figured out. We were told that he is very bright and quick to learn. In addition, he goes right out when his head hits the pillow and sleeps well. It's going to be a high-stakes sleepathon between Kostin and Asher, the 14 hour sleep baby. Who will prove to be the most ideal son? Stay tuned. We also got independent confirmation that Kostin tells everyone who will listen (in addition to those who won't) how much he loves his daddy. Seth felt like a million bucks.

Another of Alina's caregivers (Mama Yuba) came today as well. We learned that Alina, like her brother, is a very good eater (which we had not guessed, but okay) and that she loves music. She has a much easier time falling asleep if someone sings to her. She may change her mind when she hears Blythe sing, but we'll give it a try. We actually all serenaded her with the chorus to "Brown Eyed Girl" yesterday and she requested an encore today. We later bought some CD's of Kazakh kid's songs and fairy tales, so we'll have some help at home. Alina ran out in the middle of playing to put on her ballerina dress (very pretty) which we suspect is for an upcoming play. She apparently doesn't like the dress we bought for her because it doesn't have sleeves, and we're glad she's not too shy to tell us these things.

Kostin (as you may have noticed) has been wearing the same clothes since Monday. Embarrasing, but we thought you should know that we are not recycling pictures. This is partly our fault, however, as we got his size wrong when we went shopping on the first day. We have it on good authority that he has bathed this week, so that's reassuring. We saw him in his undies yesterday getting ready for his "spa treatment" as they call bath day here. We suspect this wouldn't pass for a spa treatment in Blythe's book, but it's good to know he is no stranger to bathing. Kostin is a good sport, though. He didn't put up too much fuss when Lauren's daughter Tasha (or Tanishka) held him down to put on lipstick. Guess he's just so secure in his masculinity that it doesn't bother him.

After seeing the kids, we headed off to do some shopping and then had lunch at the Kazakh version of IHOP. We had thought "international" was a bogus claim, but we were proven wrong. These are not your ordinary pancakes, however. They did have options with chocolate or whipped cream, but Blythe chose the chicken and tomato option (hold the mayo) while Seth went for the steak and onion variety (hold the mayo, extra grease). The desserts were very good, however. The mineral water tasted like brine, but all-in-all a good meal. We'll probably head back there again at some point.