August 21
Meeting with Caleb continues to be the highlight of our day. Today he started off a little fussy as he was hungry and his bottle came about 30 minutes later than normal. When we did get the bottle he got mad because the size of the nipple was too small for him to get the rice cereal out of. Once we finally got a larger nipple and he filled his belly, life was good again. He was able to crawl across the mattress three times. I found that if we have my Vera Bradley knapsack at the end of the mattress he will crawl across it in no time. He loves the bright colors (thanks Aunt Laurie). We took our usual walk outside and he was able to stay awake for the entire duration. He was much more interested in looking around and I think he is starting to realize the difference between outside and inside. Today we tried a new trick to leave, pack all our stuff up while we are still holding him, and as soon as the translator comes in to get us, we put him in his crib and we leave right away. It worked today at least, no crying or screaming.
Other than our visit with Caleb and phone calls from both sets of parents, all in all nothing else to report. Therefore, I thought I would take a minute to describe our accommodations. We are currently staying in Zhekle Batyr Hotel. It is a nice hotel that overlooks a large lake on the edge of town. The rooms are suites and very spacious. We have a sitting area, table, TV and large bedroom with nice closets and dressers. The bathroom has a stand up shower with hot water, most of the time. Our kitchen consists of a mini refrigerator and an electric tea kettle we purchased here to heat up water. I am very particular about hotel rooms and I must say this room is very clean. The cleaning service comes each day when we are visiting Caleb; they really do a good job. There is a breakfast bar daily that is included in the price of the room, it is nice. There is usually quite a spread, including flans, toast, boiled eggs, fried eggs, hot cereal (like cream of wheat), fruit and other assorted items. Some days there are little fish that look like sardines. Ethan and I always enjoy our breakfast and of course our Nescafe instant coffee. There is usually hot juice and milk from some animal (horse or cow, who knows). The hotel also has a bar, pool tables and a pool and sauna that is indoors and rental by the hour. There is also a spa here that has inexpensive massages that I have taken advantage of a couple of times. So, all in all, these are very nice accommodations. We feel very safe. Our only grip is the restaurant/party hall. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday there is a party that goes into the wee hours of the night. We have found these to be typically weddings. There is always a DJ and disco/techno music, both are very loud. Our room unfortunately right across from this party hall, so therefore we feel as if we are a part of every party. Now, at least we know their schedule, at about 2 am the party moves to the hallway outside of our room, then shortly thereafter to the street right outside our window. That is when the cars start to honk their horns and the laughter escalates. Finally about 4 am things quiet down. The good thing is that Ethan and I know what to expect. Therefore, we know to sleep with our radio on static, turned up loud and then about midnight to shut the windows. It is all good, it is about preparation and lowering your expectation on the weekends, if we know we are not going to sleep in silence, we are not disappointed.
Have a great Monday everyone!