Baby's first Christmas

Romily is blossoming by the day and we're very excited to be celebrating her first Christmas tomorrow. We've been out and about visiting friends and family in Victoria and she's been really good - still sleeping really well although we have completely taken her out of her routine.

Our families celebrate Christmas today and tomorrow, so we're spending this afternoon with my parents and brothers, my sister-in-law and my four nephews, and then heading off to my aunt and uncle's place tonight for our huge clan gathering - there will be more than 40 people there!!

Tomorrow we head to central Victoria to have Christmas lunch with my father-in-law. We are spending Christmas Day in Bendigo and my father-in-law will love having Romily in the house for another couple of days before we head down to Tasmania for two weeks.

Romily is enjoying having more people around and my parents think she's just lovely. She's been rolling around lots and laughing and smiling at people. This morning she learnt how to blow raspberries and she's just getting cuter by the day!

Although she won't really understand what all the fuss is about, she'll have presents to 'open' tonight and I can't wait to see the look on her face when she gets all that paper to roll in and chew on!

Feeding time at the Romily zoo

There’s a huge debate about feeding babies. If it’s not breastfeeding versus formula, it’s an argument about when solid foods should be introduced. It’s quite ironic that there called ‘solids’, as they’re anything but!

Fortunately for Romily and for me, breastfeeding worked out. We had a rocky start – thank goodness we had some very wonderful midwives who spent hours with us in hospital making sure both Romily and I knew what we were doing. After four days, we finally ‘got it’.

Fast forward four months and breastfeeding is still going really well. Romily knows what she’s doing and so do I. Lots of people give us advice on positioning, etc, but we’re comfortable and that’s all that matters (everyone’s an expert on breastfeeding!).

Romily is so comfortable, in fact, that she breaks off her feeding quite often to look up at me and smile. Then she buries her head back into my breast and drinks some more, before breaking off again to smile at me. It is just so cute that I can’t help but laugh, which makes her do it all the more.

We have a lovely relationship and I’m sure breastfeeding helps cement that bond. I feel very sorry for those women and their babies who want to breastfeed, but can’t. Of course, formula fed babies do very well, but I can’t help thinking they’re missing out on something special.

As for solids, some people start their babies on solid food at 3 or 4 months. World Health Organisation recommendations are to start at the 6-month mark. Romily still seems to be very happy with just breast milk at this stage, so we won’t be rushing to introduce solids.

Breastfeeding exclusively seems to suit us both – Romily has put on nearly 3 kilograms since her birth. We’re doing something right.

Rock and roll

Well my clever little munchkin proved me wrong this morning. She rolled from her back to her tummy for the first time! Of course it was while I wasn't looking - I was in the kitchen stacking the dishwasher and looked up over the bar and there she was on her mat on her tummy and elbows looking at her mirror. She looked very pleased with herself and was 'talking' up a storm!

Very cute and very clever is my little girl. But oh boy - I hope this doesn't mean she's going to be an early crawler. Our house is definitely not yet baby-proof!