Settling In

Teething can be fun

Toddler in flight

Spakoynay Nochi! (Good Night!)









We are gettling settled into our daily routine with Emma. Each time we visit she gets busier and busier. We are getting quite a workout doing baby-ups and giving airplane rides. Emma likes her toys, and her toy bag (in fact, you'll see a picture of her sitting and playing inside the toy bag). It is heartening to see more and more of her personality as we get to know her, and to see her getting more comfortable with us.

Once our visit was finished, we confirmed with our driver that the building with the blue domes we saw the other day is indeed a museum, and we ventured in. Unfortunately we were met by a guard who chastised us in Russian. When he figured out we were Americanskis, he rolled his eyes, took us outside and pointed to the sign that showed seven little circles. The second circle was red (see photo). After giving our brains a few moments to process this, we got it - closed on the second day of the week - Tuesday! After saying "Oh Da!" to the guard we trekked onward. Today's pictures include one of the kind of heeled boots the women wear while walking on the ice through town. There is also one of the higher-end shopping area where we saw a Tiffany's store (we did not venture in there).

Tonite we had dinner with our American friends from NY. We had pork at a nice restaurant that had some parts of the menu in both Russian and English. Afterward, our driver informed us that "pork is not real Kazakh food," and told us the name of a dish we must try, but neither Jim nor I can remember what it's called.

Thanks again to all of you for your love, prayers and support.