December 10

Olesya was a little more sleepy and cranky than she has been for a while. At one point when she was really screaming, one of the caregivers came out and said a bunch of stuff in Russian to Aida. Aida later told us that she was saying it was normal for her to be crying and that we shouldn't worry. She also said that normally Olesya is such a good girl. I think they thought it was funny that she was behaving that way with us. I was glad that they weren't accusing us of doing something wrong anyway.
It is clear and cold today in Taraz. Because they make absolutely no attempt at snow removal, the sidewalks are now packed with slick and uneven ice which is extremely slick and dangerous. I can only assume that the liability standards of the States do not apply here.
We just wanted to let Olesya's grandpa know that she is very fascinated with the plants in the visiting room. She likes to look at them and we told her that when she gets home her dyedushka will show her many more plants and flowers.
To all of my teacher friends, "Happy last week of school." To the Sheas, "Happy moving." and to everyone else, soak up as much Christmas spirit as you can because I am really missing it.