And So It Goes…

Things are finally settling down here at home. We now have a routine. This is easier because John is finally feeling better. He's now eating after a full week of decreasing menu options. Rice, toast and bananas gave way to Alexey's baby biscuits and crackers. Finally, he was down to only drinking Gatorade and PowerAde for about three days. Doctors think he had food poisoning. John likely picked that up in Almaty, in a cafe (кафе) which was recommended to us. John had a few bites of undercooked chicken before he stopped eating it. There is a certain amount of irony here:

Alexey and Shiraz (our Beagle) have signed a non-aggression treaty. Shiraz tried to become Alexey’s mom one day when he was a bit too rambunctious for her taste. Shiraz circled him a couple of times, herding him. Then she sidled up behind him, opened her mouth as wide as she could, and was about to grab him by the back of the neck to carry him away. Fortunately, Dada intervened and had a few words of advice for Shiraz. Since then, there has been a bit more respect between Alexey and Shiraz.

Monika and Alexey went out for Thanksgiving dinner to Uncle Mats and Auntie Iza’s house while John and Shiraz kept each other company at home. It was a great chance for Alexey to meet cousins Paul and Emma as well as Uncle Mats. Babcia and Grandma were pleased to see Alexey again too, of course. He had some of Auntie Iza’s delicious potatoes, stuffing, and carrots to eat, along with a few spoonfuls of ice cream for dessert.  

This past week, Mama took Alexey to WalMart and The Children’s Place to stock up on clothing, and Dada took Alexey to Metro to pick up some food. Alexey acted like a veteran shopper, sometimes picking up carefully selected merchandise to weigh its merits and disadvantages.