JULIET Strydom from Somerset East is the winner of this year’s Komani-Karoo Express Christmas baby competition.
When Juliet’s parents, Roslynne Strydom, who works as a management accountant, and Richard Strydom, who is a farm manager, had to decide on a name for their little girl, they thought Juliet was a strong, classical name.
“Her brother’s name is Maximus, Max for short, so we wanted a name that would complement his. Our inspiration also came from the Dire Straits song, ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Her second name is Giorgia which was our second choice, so we decided to give her two names,” said Roslynne.
She said she saw the Christmas baby competition in the Komani-Karoo Express paper and thought it would be nice to enter Juliet, which she described as an impulsive decision.
Roslynne said the chirpy seven-month-old loves playing with anything but her toys.
She does, however, love playing with things that make a sound, like paper. She also enjoys playing with her brother’s toys.
Roslynne further said Juliet’s older brother, Max (3), adores his little sister. “She is very entertained by his antics. She has made him cry once by pulling his hair. So, we expect, once she starts being more mobile, that she might be the feistier one,” said Roslynne.
Apart from when she is hungry, Juliet is always smiling and showing off her little pearly whites which has intrigued her curious personality since four teeth suddenly appeared in her mouth in a space of two months.
Born on May 12, Juliet will be celebrating her first Christmas next week with her parents, brother, grandparents, great grandmother and uncle in the West Coast.
They will be staying in the West Coast for two weeks and will be stopping over at Prince Albert, as well, which they are looking forward to.
To help keep cool during the hot January and February months, Juliet will be getting a small splash pool for Christmas which she will share with her brother. She will also be getting a wooden abacus and a toy telephone.
“Her face lights up when we talk on the phone and let her FaceTime,” said Roslynne.
Juliet, who started eating solids at five months, loves eating an avocado, banana and yoghurt combo.
Breast milk, however, remains on the top of her list of favourite foods.
“She will eat most things, but she is not quite yet interested in food cut into pieces – everything still has to be silky smooth,” said Roslynne.
The adorable baby easily cheers up when her daddy sings to her and she loves to be tickled.
Juliet can sleep through most nights but because she goes to bed early, she often wakes up at about 06:00.
Despite her parent’s efforts to get her to take a nap three times a day, Juliet does not like daytime sleeping as she prefers to be on the go during the day.
