Not much going on today

(See Friday’s update below)

Terri and I have been trying to catch up on our rest, which has been hard to do. The boys are thrown off their baby house routine so it has been a challenge to give them a sense of normalcy. This can be really hard when you take them out of the baby house to a new apartment, then a few days later put them on a plane to another apartment. It has definitely been a challenge but probably more so than being at home. We hope.

Today was fairly low profile. We stayed in this morning trying to get the boys through their routine. At lunchtime we were taken to a traditional Russian restaurant. The building resembled something out of a Lincoln Logs set, but the food was good. There were big wooden carved bears out front that looked more cute than imposing.

Everything we ordered was traditional Russian and even the staff was dressed in traditional costume. They brought out the huge basket of white and black bread—central to any Russian meal. It was served with a spread that was made of fish and while it may not sound good, it reminded Terri of deviled ham. They also served us a Russian fruit drink that tastes almost like cranberry juice. It is apparently the by-product of jelly making—they take the syrup that is left over and add boiling water until it is thinned, then it is chilled and ready to serve. Terri ordered pelmeni which are mincemeat dumplings served with sour cream. I had the prawns with sauce and rice. It was very good.

Liam and Aidan put away a huge bowl of kasha (cereal) and other items they picked off our plates and then finished with curds. Liam especially had a monster appetite. He is so funny, he has this goofy smile that you can’t help but laugh at. He does this all through dinner. I am assuming he likes the change from his baby house diet. Aidan is going to be our little more difficult. He is starting to test boundaries, throws the occasional fit and is a real picky eater (at this time). We had assumed that having been in the baby house he would eat anything put in front of him but he mostly wants breads, cereals and starchy foods—we’re going to have to find creative ways to add protein and some fat.

After lunch we went to a few stores to look for some more t-shirts for the boys—the clothes we brought are getting dirty again and we haven't figured out the washing machine in the apartment. We may be back to hand washing like in Ust. We ended up getting some shirts at the Green Bazaar that were very cheap and with colorful characters on them, At one store we saw some really scary looking mannequins—They were just creepy. And of course, we finished up buying more diapers and moist wipes. After finding these necessities we came back to the apartment to let the boys reluctantly nap and then spend an evening together.