Toothpicks Please

Pass the toothpicks...I need them to keep my eyes open today.

I thought sleep was back in style after the 7 hours I got two nights ago. But in the theme of mixing it up, last night started out with a 1-hour hysterical crying session and then wake up calls at 1am, 2:30am and 5am.

Trying to resist her need to suck to soothe means all the more tears. And my husband coming into the room inevitably asking "are you sure she's not hungry?" And my answer of the past month "No, she's not hungry...she went 7 hours the other night without eating..."

So I'm off to my sister's today to get her copy of the Ferber Method. With 5 months upon us I think the time has come. For me at least...

Thinking about calling our pediatrician to see if she is on board to convince the husband its not too early. I have high hopes for Ferber - early bedtimes, sleeping through the night, and the ability to fall asleep sans boob (at night and for naps).

Hope I'm not putting all of my eggs in one basket or I'll have to stock up on the toothpicks...

Expecting Style

My best friend is pregnant and the inspiration for this post. Just a few weeks into it and waistlines are getting tight.

Time to refresh her closet for the next nine months.

Pregnancy fashion is a bit of a dilemma. You don't want to spend a bundle dressing to accommodate said bundle growing inside, but you also don't want to wear the same thing everyday. My suggestion? Invest in a few key pieces that will last the length of the pregnancy and then fill in the blanks with fast fashion items.

The Basics:

A Bella Band - for the early stages of pregnancy when you can wear your favourite jeans with the button undone.

A great pair of maternity jeans - mine were from H&M but looking back I wish I had splurged on a pair of Citizens of Humanity.

Belly Leggings - $70 might sound steep for a pair of leggings but in the third trimester I wore these almost every other day. And they were great postpartum too.

A white and black tank top - Perfect to wear under regular tops to hide that growing bump.

A few tunics to mix and match with the leggings and jeans.

My favourite maternity shopping destinations:

In Montreal: H&M, Bloom Maternity, Mamma Mia Maternity

Online: Target, Isabella Oliver

August Ninth

August 9th is just two weeks away, but it is on my mind everyday. Friends of ours are getting married and I am working hard to have an enjoyable evening sans Bebe and with minimal phone calls from the grandparents.

You see, in the past, we would need to rush home from social functions to be greeted by a red-eyed, bawling Hannah. I would peel off my top in record speed and quickly soothe her with the boob.

Well, I am proud to say that she now will fall asleep without me and my mammary glands. Just the sound of a heartbeat and some back rubbing will do the trick (usually on the 2nd or 3rd attempt). I'm not yet ready for ferberizing and quite pleased with my accomplishment for the moment.

So my in-laws won't have a problem putting her to bed but now I need to work on my second mission. She's a night owl, only going to bed around 10pm. But since the wedding starts at 6:30, a nap is inevitable.

How can the boob-less grandparents get this little one to have some early evening shut eye?

A drive in the car or a walk in the park are options but I'd rather not rely on crooked sidewalks and city potholes.

Any other suggestions to make nap time a bit more relaxing?

Is this thing on?

It's been a few weeks since I've started this blog...and I want to know what you think!

All is quiet in my blog world. I know you are out there (thanks to Google Analytics) but how am I doing?

Sounds like a mud flap on the back of an 18 wheeler (how's my driving?), but with all seriousness I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In the Company of Moms

Play group.

A proper, uninterrupted lunch for me, and great socialization for Hannah.

But the best part is really to share, commiserate and learn from other moms. Is your baby on track, one step ahead of the pack or a little behind? They all have their strengths and weaknesses and each mom has her own experiences to share.

Some of you may be reading this now (so here is my shout out to you) - Wednesdays are simply our favourite day of the week.

Banff

So many mountains, such great views, the laid back west coast vibe. Hopefully Banff is a place we will be visiting again soon as a family.

The Fox Hotel was the perfect resting spot with a fireplace and that log cabin feel (except for the Chile's in the lobby). A day trip to Lake Louise with an ice cream cone on the grandiose lawn of the Fairmont Hotel. What a great way to end our first family vacation.

And we brought home the souvenirs to remember with a pair of handmade Padraig booties for Hannah from Duck, Duck, Moose and the discovery of The Rocky Mountain Soap Company and hopefully a solution to post-pregnancy stretch marks.

The laundry is done, fridge is stocked, bags unpacked...and I'm ready to plan the next voyage.

A Mom's Guide to Cow-town

So while my husband was in business meetings, Hannah and I roamed the streets (and malls) of Calgary. Coming from Montreal, I guess my expectations were set high to discover a large cosmopolitan city. Well, aside from the malls, its a rather small, non-stroller friendly city.

17th Avenue was cool but I didn't feel like making the trek up the stairs to numerous stairs with the stroller. My best find: A vegan restaurant called The Coup. A yummy (and breastfeeding friendly) spot. The Greek Goddess was our meal of choice.

Another Calgary hot spot, Kensington Avenue. My great finds there: Purr Petite for kids' clothing (A long sleeve Paul Frank onesie for only $10!) and the pear honey gelato at Fiasco Gelato.

But my favourite stop of the trip was really the Calgary Farmer's Market. Delicious food, a fun atmosphere and local wares.

So all this not to say that I had a miserable time. But I think Calgary is much more age appropriate for older kids. With visits to the Calgary Zoo and Discovery Centre, your days will be full. But with a 4 1/2 month old the options and ease are quite limited.

Luckily we had a beautiful room at Hotel Arts that made us feel like a million bucks - even if we couldn't find anywhere to spend that million bucks...

Home Sweet Home

I'm back!

The first family trip was a success. Hannah was an angel on the plane and had the flight attendants swooning over her in no time. I even got to watch two movies. I highly recommend Sunshine Cleaning.

A full recap of family-friendly Calgary and Banff is on its way.

Extra Baggage

Tomorrow we are leaving for our first vacation as a family. We went to our country house two weeks ago but this will be our first time stepping into a plane with baby.

What to pack?

We're headed to Calgary and Banff so the weather is a bit of a guessing game...from a bathing suit to a sweater, I think I've packed it all. Her suitcase is brimming with colour and since there won't be a washing machine in sight I have definitely over packed. Better to be safe than sorry.

Am I nervous about the plane ride? Of course! We figure it will either go incredibly well or terribly miserable. We can only hope for the best. Luckily, I've read a few good books with traveling pointers. Who would have ever thought of packing poop bags to store dirty diapers? Definitely not me. Thanks to Winston, our golden retriever, we have an amble supply of biodegradable poop bags (too bad the diapers aren't). And so what if they've got paw prints on them? Hopefully, they will put a smile on the faces of our flight attendants - and win them over for a smooth flight.

Favourite Things

Babies come with extra baggage. Though while I am proud to not be an owner of a Diaper Genie here is a list of my mommy must-haves:

Beco Baby Carrier – stylish, comfortable and perfect for dog walking

Bébé au Lait – my solution to nursing in public

Adiri bottles – boob-like to make an easy transition from breast to bottle

Bumble Bags Natalie Tote – waterproof, tons of pockets and a structured handled make it easy to pick up

Medela Freestyle Breast Pump – it sat in the box for two weeks as I contemplated the $400 price tag but it was the best investment ever. I once made fun of the photo of the woman on the box pumping hands-free, typing away. But I won’t lie – I’ve done it countless times (not now, don’t worry)

Bugaboo Frog – a step down from the pricey Cameleon but who really needs shock absorbers anyways? In bright orange, so light and easy to fold down.

H&M baby clothes – cheap, chic and cute

Trumpette socks – cause MaryJanes are just so much cuter. A hefty pricetag but currently on sale at Tickle Tickle

Method Baby Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets – keeping it au natural and love the scent of rice milk and mallow

Baby OxiClean – It can get out even the most indestructible stain

Baby Steals - 'Cause who doesn't love a good deal?

Baby Barcelona

Pink and Green.

Those are the colours of my daughter's nursery. Numerous shopping trips and web searches and I had finally created a picture perfect room. But it wasn't an easy task. My husband and I definitely logged some miles trying to find accent pieces that were just right. Sure we had the crib and change table but we were looking for unique accessories like a lamp, rug, pillows and more.

We eventually came to realize that there was a lack in the Montreal market for these kid friendly items (especially when you're not looking for the traditional baby pink and blue).

So in the car we went on road trips to Target, HomeSense in Boisbriand (where we found amazing deals on Nurseryworks and SkipHop items) and Clement Decor in St Dorothee.

I briefly contemplated starting a Montreal based retail business with modern nursery items but just another business plan to add to the ever growing pile stacking up in my mind.

Pink and Brown.

All that to say...we just received the ultimate in mod kid furniture in the form of a baby gift from our good friends. A baby Barcelona chair. Scaled down to miniature size this leather chair and ottoman now is the focal point of Hannah's nursery, all thanks to our design savvy entrepreneurs who own Pink & Brown and Luxe Rentals. What will they think of next?

I can only imagine...and hope it ends up in Hannah's room.

Through the Night

I forgot what a full night's sleep felt like. Just over seven hours last night. Hopefully it will continue (and I didn't just jinx it)

Nomenclature

What’s in a name?

From the moment I found out I was having a little girl I knew her name would be Hannah. I had loved the name for years, for numerous reasons (no not because it was a palindrome, which I only realized after she was born).

But when it came time to name this blog it wasn’t as simple a task. How could I make it personal to my experiences as a mom? I could name it Hannahsmom.com, EightThreeNine.com (her birth date), or a million other options. So why Midnight Mom?

Well, throughout my pregnancy I knew I had to value my sleep while it lasted. My 4am bathroom jaunts were preparing me for sleepless nights and early morning feedings. What I didn’t realize however was that my child-to-be would be a night owl. I figured most babies went to bed around 7 or 8pm but not my little girl. When the clock strikes midnight that’s when her eyelids begin to flutter and she gets into a bedtime state of mind. And while I’m all for waiting it out until the enchanted carriage turns back into a pumpkin and the fairy godmother is no longer of service, I never expected this to be my new bedtime schedule. I know in a matter of weeks she’ll be hitting the sack early but…

My first discovery as a new mom. One of many more to come. Discoveries that I hope to share with you.

A Year of Firsts

My first baby. My first year of being thirty. My first blog post.

The past few months have been full of firsts but none as pivotal as becoming a mom. Four months into it, I have far from mastered the art of mommy-hood. Rather I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by moms of all ages who have shared advice, tips and stories. Some solicited, even more unsolicited, but in the end, all the reason for the creation of this blog. In such a short amount of time, I have learned so much – so why not share my experiences, both good and bad, in the hopes of helping out some other moms? Whether it be in the form of advice, a smile, a laugh or a voice of commiseration, I hope to be an avid blogger (when I’m not feeding, burping, changing diapers and belting out Justin Roberts songs to soothe a fussy baby).

So on that note, let me be the first to welcome you to my blog, Midnight Mom.