Yesterday was QÄ«ngmÃng Jié (清明节) here in China, better known in English circles as “Tomb Sweeping Day”, and while I have no tombs to sweep in Suzhou, it was nice to use the holiday as an excuse to slack off for most of the day and not feel guilty about it. With the baby coming in just a few weeks, I’ve been assuring early-onset arthritis with the number of hours I’ve been working. Taking a bit of time to unwind was nice.
Maggie, Button and I spent most of the afternoon with our good friends, and about 1.3 billion others, down at the nearby lake. Between our big dog and their beautiful baby with big bright blue eyes, we grabbed a bit of attention — somewhat of a rarity in the expat-saturated neighbourhood we live in.
Aside from a nice stroll outside yesterday, I also finally got around to taking some pregnancy photos of Maggie. We’ve been talking about doing them for ages, but it always seemed to slip deeper down the “todo” list. However, about to hit week #35, the pressure to get it done or risk never having them gave us the kick in the pants we needed.
Having ventured out a few times now to check out our local maternity- and baby-goods buying options, I’ve seen no shortage of studios offering to take the photos for us. And while I’m sure they would have done a much better job than myself, the thinness of my wallet wouldn’t allow it. That said, I’m pretty happy with what we managed to take. As is Maggie, the proof being that she’s letting me share them 🙂
