Christmas booboos

Booboos is how Michela calls my breasts. She knows the words breast and booby but prefers booboos, which is one of the first words she uttered to ask for a drink (perhaps because she couldn't say the words breast or boobie?).

When I was a child, I used the word 'boo' to indicate drink. I was bottlefed, so no breast link there, although it's curious as I grew up in Italy while my daughter is growing up in England and knows very little Italian (despite good intentions, the 'bilingual project' has failed miserably).

Last week we went to a Christmas Carol Service for the staff of the University of Cambridge and realised that there is a breastfeeding carol.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

The words of this carol are from a poem by Christina Rossetti called In The Bleak Midwinter (read more about by clicking here). Michela was asleep during the service, so she didn't catch the reference. She loves hearing about baby Jesus as it is a baby with two loving parents, which is easy to relate to, although her birth didn't involve an ox, donkey nor any sheep. As all toddlers, Michela is fascinated by animals and she loves looking at illustrations where the baby Jesus is surrounded by all sort of animals, one book even includes a family of chickens.

I'm signing off with a charity initiative involving a stunning calendar, which, like the glamorous painting by Tamara de Lempicka shown above, displays beautiful breastfeeding mums. I have mentioned the calendar before, it's in aid of Rugby Breastfeeding Cafe, which is run by volunteers. See a slideshow of the pics by clicking here.


Happy Xmas to you all....