Dim Sum Mum - Tess' Little Pieces:

despite the knowledge that the wee three can't take a aeroplane ride for at least one year (germs on plane, inadequate oxygen), it is important to me that they have canadian passports for the day when they do enter their parents' beautiful native country.

so today, while sebastian slept off an exciting morning at children's church, magnificent charles, sister pam, father blake (you already know him from blog: more precious than silver) and i took the babies into the renault and headed to central district, where the official sized/etc passport photos are taken.

you would think with one more adult than child that this would be an easy endeavor. not so.

there was a near fistfight over who would take stroller command. magnificent charles belted the girls in, and as i moved behind the stroller, my father cut in front of me (how hong kong, he's jumping the queue already) and informed me that he would captain the double stroller. i headed over to the jeep stroller where jasper was contemplating how long it had been since he had been fed, but pam was there.

it's not easy pushing a stroller in hong kong.

we don't care. we came here to push.

i thought you came here to feed.

that too. we have given at least 13 bottles since our arrival 36 hours ago. we deserve stroller command.

fair enough.

so get this, charles and i held hands. sebastian wasn't linking us aka: chelsea clinton...it was just the two of us! walking and holding hands!

once that heady sensation had faded we were needed to get the strollers on to escalators, up stairs, and over small passageways.

sundays in hong kong, certain districts are teaming with lovely philipinas, who traditionally gather together on sundays, their day off. imagine the impact the girls sitting together in the double stroller and jasper made on these brave women.

dad smiled and explained no, they weren't twins, they were triplets, and smiles got even broader. theirs, ours, and even the babies on occasion. walking was slow going, the streets were busy and we got stopped occasionally. i liked watching my dad take in all the glory. it is amazing how happy i can be, watching my dad singing to, or taking credit for the babies or sebastian.

a few wrong turns, escalators and stairs later, we arrived to the photo place. all we had to do was get the babies to look at the camera, and we were done.

the babies did not want to look at the camera.

magnificent charles jingled keys, the shop assistant jibbered, mummy cajoled. the babies looked to the side and down and covered their mouths with their hands.

eventually, the pictures were taken. the shots represent the personalities rather well.

we re-traced our steps and strolled back to the car.

it was a really good afternoon.