Smirnoff the Chinese baby

Enough of my legal difficulties. Here are some pictures from the last couple of days.

Yesterday afternoon we walked down the street (nothing is any further than "down the street" here) for the babies' medical examinations, which the US government requires. It was reassuring to have our children examined by a doctor for the first time. All are well. Here you can see Chloë screaming at the ENT exam as she has tambourines shaken at her ear and tongue depressors shoved in her mouth. 


This morning about half of the group went out for a sightseeing trip to Yun Tai Garden (a very pretty garden a bit like the Chicago Botanical or Kew), the Chen Shen Academy which is an old private residence converted to a museum, and finally, and somewhat bizarrely, a knife shop. Here is a family snap at the garden. 


A big pot at the garden with a silly woman standing next to it. 


Something or other is prohibited by this sign. I don't think I was doing it, but I can't be sure. 


Three wise babies: Emily, Chloë and Grace in the frowned-upon strollers. 


Last night was "girls' night out" for the mothers. They went for a foot massage at this interesting-looking establishment. 70 minutes of foot, neck, shoulder and back manipulation for 50 Yuan (US$6) was met with universal acclaim. I am going to try it tomorrow with a couple of the other brave boys. I'm glad they care about my spondyle: I've always left it to its own devices, whatever it is. 

// posted by John @ 10:35 PM