A Christmas to Remember.

I am not at all religious. Not even in the slightest. And yet, as a child, I grew up celebrating Christmas day each year. I mean we would go all out in our silly, over-the-top decoration of the living room (thankfully for my dad, not the entire house), the preparation and indulgence of the massive turkey dinner, with all of the trimmings that nobody really wanted and to top it off; the unnecessary expenditure on gifts. Still, we would all force the festivities down a right treat, in the end. I remember the event being somewhat fantastical as a kid, but as I have grown older, some of that charm and novel shine has simply lost its razzle-dazzle for me.

Tis the Season: For the sheer delight of our children.

The season often gets me thinking of the sheer lengths we will go to, for a simple smile... just so we can see the elation on our children’s faces; it really is magnificent. I remember my poor, wonderful mother would pre-cook the turkey the night before - a task that would go well into the early hours of the morning; it was no easy feat. On Christmas day, at eight o'clock in the morning she’d make her way through the freezing cold house just to spend the next two hours peeling and trimming potatoes along with the dreaded sprouts for a brood of four excitable children and an annually grouchy husband. The rest of the morning was spent prepping the sauce and veggie, cleaning and warming the house, washing-up, tending to an obligatory cut or burn and ultimately, conjuring up a spectacular, but humble little feast. She does this pretty much solo every year with some of the kids eventually chipping in as we got older. This is my nostalgic attachment to the Christmas Yuletide – my mother’s remarkable efforts.

Now that I am a mother myself, with three beautiful children, I too, find myself dancing to the all too familiar beat of the Christmas ritual; and a great performance it must be if I can create a few ecstatic smiles and wonderful memories with my own loved ones.

So, in dedicating this year’s annual cooking marathon to my amazing mother’s lifelong efforts; have a warm, merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Happy Holidays.

An Amazing Milestone... Reached.

I am marking today, with a post, by celebrating my beautiful boys seventh month in the world. Looking back on the day we brought him home from the hospital, I simply cannot believe how far he has come and how well he has grown. But I guess, somewhat more importantly, what I am really amazed by is the fact that he has thrived so brilliantly on breastmilk alone. So what this post truly honours, in essence, is my wonderful journey of exclusively breastfeeding my baby boy.

As clichéd as it may sound, Drayven really has had the best start to life and seeing him thrive every day is such a pleasure to behold. I have not seen a happier baby and I do believe that, while partly this is due to his cordial nature; breastfeeding has been an absolutely fundamental factor in his happiness and his experience of life to date. Dray is the smiliest little thing I have ever seen; he never stops smiling and this beautiful journey could not have played out more perfectly.

Despite all of the long sleepless nights of feeding, the fatigue, fighting off symptoms of mastitis and the sheer lack of energy to function on any given day of the week, I would not change a single thing. I wholeheartedly committed myself to this task and the rewards have proven exceptionally bountiful. I have made memories worth treasuring and have sealed a bond between us, which breastfeeding has only enhanced. Knowledge and experience is a wondrous thing.

Exclusivity: So proud to be able to look back at the  first two weeks after birth and see how far we have both come on this beautiful journey.

Exclusively breastfeeding at seven months. It was difficult getting here, but what a joy it has been; it almost seems easy now. What an achievement!

A special thank you must be made to my darling husband, Kade, for all your kind, loving words of support. Also, to our two beautiful daughters, Eden and Lydia, for all your precious help with changing diapers and making Dray laugh so heartily.

I love my incredible family.

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