A Lot Can Happen in a Week + Giveaway!

Silence. It's the first time I hear it in my house in over 10 days.

Hannah was off for Passover and her daddy so graciously took a stay-cation to help out with the kids and get some projects completed in the house.

While I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of it all I must say that this first 10 minutes of peace and quiet is quite nice!

So while it was a week jam packed with activities, visits with friends and family, a new toilet being installed in the powder room (such a handy husband)...I think the biggest accomplishment of the week came with Alex.

After a visit with his pediatrician, we decided to crack down on the sleeping. Formula is no longer in the equation as breast milk seems to be satiating enough for him. We've taken a modified Ferber approach. Basically, let him cry for a few minutes and then go in to pat him, hold him or put on music. Whatever works best to soothe him. The first few nights were rough (in terms of sleeplessness) but I think we've figured out the magic formula - placing my head next to his for a few seconds until he gets sleepy. Funnily enough, this is the same technique we used with Hannah. The real problem (or should I say backache) might occur when we have to drop his crib, but for now we are enjoying 5-6 hours of sleep.

At the same time, I was getting a bit worried about his eating. Lips clamped shut, he just wasn't interested. I tried feeding sacks and then headed to Plattsburgh to stock up on Plum Organicspouches that he can suck on himself. And then all of a sudden something clicked two days ago and I couldn't get the butternut squash in his mouth fast enough.

So now we have a little boy who is sleeping and eating...and everyone is happy!

In celebration I'm pleased to announce a giveaway thanks to the kind folks at Skip Hop. Up for grabs is their new Alphabet Zoo Unfolding Activity Book . It could be yours by becoming a follower of Midnight Mom and leaving a comment with your best piece of sleep advice for other moms to enjoy.

Contest ends Monday April 23rd.

Good luck!

Little Mavens

Hope you all had a great long weekend with lots of family and food!

Two more things that came across my inbox that I'd love to share.

Fashion District is holding its semi-annual warehouse sale on kids' clothing including brands like Tumble Dry, Imps & Elfs, Lee Cooper and more.

Ralph Lauren has just launched their latest kid' collection using their whimsical RL Gang videos. This time featuring the class of 2012, and tons of preppy fashions, this is one of the best marketing campaigns for kids I've seen in a long time.

Summer Travels

Even though it is only April, we've been thinking about our summer vacation for quite some time now. Sesame Place and the beach are likely on the agenda, with plenty of weekends spent in Vermont.

I always say that a vacation with kids is a trip, not a vacation. So when I heard about a new contest for a real adults-only vacation I thought I'd share it with you all.

Vermont's North East Kingdom is currently running a Facebook contest until April 30. Here's what you could win:

• A two night, midweek stay for two at Couture's B & B in Westfield (valid June - September 2012). Stay at a real working dairy farm, meet some cows & calves, and, of course, enjoy a hearty country breakfast featuring maple syrup made on site! Learn more about Couture's Bed & Breakfast at www.MapleSyrupVermont.com.

• A 3-course dinner for two at Tastings Food & Spirits, located in nearby Troy. A favorite among locals and visitors alike, Tastings features farm-to-table cuisine and a full bar. Learn more at www.TastingsinVT.com

• Two passes to the Pump House Indoor Water Park at Jay Peak, home of the only indoor aqualoop in the U.S. or Canada! Learn more at www.JayPeakResort.com

• Two 18-hole greens fees for Orleans Country Club, featuring beautiful fairways, amazing views, and a welcoming atmosphere. Learn more at www.OrleansCC.com.

Good luck! If you win, maybe you'll take me along :)

Spring Happenings

Some of you know that I write a weekly column for Sweetspot and Sweetmama, with weekly happenings in Montreal. I write the articles two weeks in advance so sometimes I only find out about events when its too late to include them. This week I stumbled upon tons of cool things happening in the city (mostly sales) that I wanted to share with you.

1. Grumman78 opening - Yes, Montreal's one and only food truck is now accessible to all. Grumman78's tacos have garnered foodie praise even though food trucks are not legal in our hot dog cart-less city. So instead of seeking out events where the truck will be making an appearance we can now head over to the Faubourg food court to indulge in these delicious soft shell tacos. The restaurant opens on Sunday April 1 and you can bet there will be huge lineups.

2. Marcelle Sample Sale - Don't forget to clean out your makeup along with the rest of your spring cleaning. We always seem to forget that makeup has a short lifespan. This local company is having a sale March 30-April 1 at their warehouse at 9200 Cote de Liesse. Visit their facebook page for an additional 15% off coupon.

3. Anzie Sample Sale - Jewelry thats sold at high end department stores for a fraction of the price? Yes, please! Save up to 75% off at this sale that's on until tomorrow at 5490 Royalmount, #200.

4. Petit Lem Warehouse Sale - Save on French children's fashions at this sale happening April 12-14 at 275 Stinson.

5. Beyond the Rack Warehouse Sale - This Montreal-based flash sale site is selling off excess goods from designers like Marc Jacobs, Gucci, BCBG and more. Can't wait to see what find of goodies will be on the shelves! April 12-15 at 361 Isabey

Happy shopping and eating!

Hello Sleep

We finally gave in.

Alex had his first taste of formula last week.

I had to do a real convincing job on the hubby but I think my rationale of "wouldn't you rather he try a little formula than having to listen to him cry out it?" worked wonders!

Night one's results weren't so amazing, but night two yielded two 5 hour sleep batches. Woohoo! The 11pm/12am bottle of 4oz of formula has been going strong all week and we've been getting 4 or 5 hour stretches which is a huge improvement over 2.5-3.

So I'm happy to be getting a bit more shut eye but know that there is plenty of room for improvement. And maybe with the introduction of peas today (cereals weren't getting a warm welcome) we can push it to 6 or 7 hours.

So from an ardent breast milk mom...if you're up all night giving formula a try isn't such a bad idea. It's one step in the right direction that may have just avoided a lot of crying for this family!

Binding Baby

We started Alex on rice cereal this weekend.

Although he is just a week and a half shy of the 6 month mark, he has been eyeing our food for a couple of weeks now and is more than able to sit in the high chair himself so we figured we'd give it a try.

Day one was 1 teaspoon of rice cereal which he lapped up and cried a bit when it was all done because he wanted more. Day two was 1 tablespoon which he couldn't quite finish.

I thought the feeding was going well until I realized that at 10pm last night he still hadn't pooped all day. At that point he had woken up after just 2 hours after a previous night that was full of crying and hourly wake ups.

And then I made the connection. The rice must have been constipating him, causing a tummy ache and numerous wake ups.

So we promptly gave him a bottle with some water in it.

Finally asleep at 11 he woke up again at 2 and 5 (pretty normal for us) and his diaper was full both times.

Mystery solved.

So we're taking the day off from cereal today. I'm contemplating trying oats tomorrow.

And here I slightly believed that old wives tale of solids helping sleep :)

Trees Please

I just spent Alex's nap time on doody duty. Yep, picking up the remains of our dog Winston that we seemed to have neglected all winter long. Yes, spring is coming.

And while my hands were full of not-so-nice smells, I looked on the bright side of things (such an optimist) and spotted Hannah's tree that we transplanted when we moved to our new home.

I wrote about the Quebec government's free trees for 0-1 year olds a few years ago here. And Hannah's maple reminded me that our new backyard could be even fuller with a tree for Alex.

If you've got an under 1 year old at home I encourage you to do the same. The deadline is April 15, 2012.