AH BOO DOO

Today, we woke up at 4:00am  (Do you see a common trend throughout our trip?)  Katie and I have decided that this entire trip, we've been in a constant state of tired and hungry.  I'd love to know how much weight we've lost.  I've started wearing a belt with my jeans, because they're falling off.  Of course it could be because they haven't been dried in a Dryer Machine.  

Zac continues to do great.  We've decided he must be feeling a little more comfortable with us, because he's becoming more open to express what he wants. ( This is a good thing, right?)

We've actually been able to pick up on a few of his common phrases.  The most common one is "Ah Boo Doo".  We've been told that this means "I want it".  He says this one a lot.  Yea, he's a 2 year old.  Two other words he has taught us is Sabaka (Dog) and Dome (House).  He seems to have a few other consistent phrases, but we're still trying to translate those.

Anyway, we ate breakfast and watched the beautiful sunrise from our 15th floor apartment on New Arbat street.  (See exhibit A)

It should be noted that we absolutely LOVE our apartment.  Definately one of the best choices that we've made on this trip.  We're in a great location, the price is right and we've got 4 times as much space as a hotel room.  It should also be noted that I don't normally eat breakfast in a white dress shirt.  The truth is that I slept in that shirt because the couch did not have any extra blankets.  I simply put on socks, jeans and that shirt and I kept nice and cozy warm.  (It's like camping... sort of)

Once we were dressed and moving around we decided to go on an adventure walk.  We found ourselves walking down Old Arbat Street.  (2 blocks from New Arbat Street) 

Zac was having a pretty good time.  For the most part he hung out in the carrier as we strolled along the street.  We were thrilled to find a Startbucks and were even more thrilled to see that it was open.  Right when we walked in, there was a display of stuffed animals.  Zac ran up to it and started taking the animals and throwing them all on the floor.  We told him to "please stop".  He continued to throw stuffed animals everywhere and I decided to give him a "time in".  I had the joy of watching his first real temper tantrum.   AAAHHH BBOOO DDOOOO!!! The good part was that although he was really upset, he was not completely out of control.  I held him and told him various affectionate phrases in Russian.  He calmed down within 3 or 4 minutes and then he seemed to be OK again.  (See exhibit B)

We finished our drinks and continued to stroll down Arbat Street.  Zac was a little more opinionated this time and expressed that he wanted to walk.  We had a few "arguments" about holding his hand.  I was a little nervous about him bolting into the street, so I really wanted to hold his hand - He didn't seem to agree.  We've discovered that when Zac doesn't get his way, he plops down on the ground and sits.  (A tactic called a "sit-in", made popular during the 1970's protest era)  So we had a few short "sit-in's" but nothing too major.  

All in all, we had a nice stroll.  We even caught a few cute pictures of our experience.  (See exhibit C)