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We aren’t fully unpacked yet, but we MADE IT through the move! We thought it would NEVER end! Originally, we were supposed to move August 1st, but we weren’t ready. We ended up hitting the road with MOST of our stuff on the 6th. Before we hit the road, we were sure something would go wrong. We prepared for the worse. Why? Because nothing is ever easy when we do things. We must always leap hurdles and fall into manholes to get from point A to B.

August 6th: We made it on time to get our keys. Our landlord was really nice. She stayed after office hours so we could move in. She gave us a welcome bag of swag (something we are definitely NOT used to); a roll of toilet paper, a roll of paper towels, a set of cutting knives, a stationary set for the fridge, and books with business listings. Flip Flop Mamma stopped by with her husband and adorable kids bearing pasta and fresh baked bread! Daddy was too tired to even think about lifting anything so we planned to move everything in the next day. We stayed with his mother for the night.

August 7th: We had the hardest time trying to get out of his mother’s house to finally move in (life with an adorable new baby). Jayden was throwing all kinds of fits. He’s teething, perfect timing! It was a mess. The kids next door helped bring stuff in. It was sweet of them. They are a bit on the nosey side, hopefully that will pass.

The move was very stressful, but we got through it. We will NOT be moving any time soon unless we absolutely HAVE to or if we stumble upon a fortune. As stated before, we prepared for the worse, but nothing too terrible happened. We ended up having to pay extra for the UHAUL because we kept it an extra day and went over the mileage. Then there was the time when we tried to put more gas in it and our PayPal debit had been frozen. We had to leave our mattress (we’re currently sleeping on an air bed), tv armoire, and mini fridge because they wouldn’t fit. Coming back for the stuff was beyond OUT of the question since we are 6 hours away. We’re also out of 4 dinner plates, but these things are a walk in the park compared to drama in the past.

But with the bad comes the good. Mommy has some awesome mommies to hang out with now that we no longer live in the middle of nowhere. She can’t wait to meet (Ashlee) them (Steph) and the other mommies who she doesn’t know of yet who may have blogs as well! She is nervous as she will be the youngest in the bunch, so she will be like a kitty getting used to a new home.

In other news, we think we owe Sarah Buki, Victoria Lynch, Kelli, Naomi, Kimberly V., and Meg some prizes since they are the winners of the Seeing The Everyday: Finding Poetry In The Prosaic Giveaway! A subscription of Seeing The Everyday magazine (4 magazines total) and an Orville Redenbacher popcorn sample kit with bowl will go to Sarah Buki and Victoria Lynch. Two packs of popcorn samples with coupons will go to Kelli, Naomi, Kimberly V., and Meg! Congratulations ladies! And thanks to all who entered the giveaway! Everyone gave some really great answers! Be sure to add Seeing The Everyday to your list of reads!

There will be more guest posts, reviews, giveaways, and of course updates on Jayden ahead. Guest posts will be spaced out as we want them to receive a fair showtime. If we told you that your guest post was scheduled to go up on a certain date and it didn’t, that’s why.

Thanks to our friends who sent us emails, tweets, comments, and texts during the move! Oh, and we’re on Utterz so now we can record and post Jayden’s infant babble faster than using a video camera!

Typically what do you do to alert people of your new address (besides filing at the post office)? Make phone calls, leave bread crumbs, send Moving Announcements, mass emails, or smoke signals?

For a chance to win a $50 Tiny Prints gift card, leave a coherent comment answering the question above. For extra entries, subscribe to our feed (worth 1 extra entry) or blog about the giveaway (worth 1 extra entry). Make sure you leave a comment letting us know if you’ve completed any extra entries. This giveaway will end August 20th 2008 at 7PM CST. Residents of the U.S. and international countries are welcome to enter!

Feel free to use the text below when blogging the giveaway!
<img style="border:#000000 1px solid;padding:2px" src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/sheeniebabie/tinyprintsgiftcertificatemommydaddy.jpg" alt="tiny prints gift card mommydaddyblog.com" align="left" title="We Made It Through The Move! mommydaddyblog.com" />The authors of <a href="http://mommydaddyblog.com" target="_blank">Mommy Daddy Blog</a> have just moved into a new place! To celebrate, they are giving away a $50 gift certificate to <a href="http://tinyprints.com" target="_blank">Tiny Prints</a>! This giveaway will end <b>August 20th 2008 at 7PM CST</b>. Residents of the U.S. and international countries are welcome to enter!

Check out our other current giveaways:
$25 PTA/BGCA VideoStore Gift Card (ends August 17th 20th 2008 @ 7PM CST)
Help Your Child Sleep, a Detailed Guide (ends August 18th 2008 @ 7PM CST)

And here are some other giveaways around the blogosphere:
Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier and Beco Toy Carrier (ends September 30, 2008 @ 12AM)

Win any two products (excluding Clip Caddies) from
Oopsie Dazie (EST, on Friday, August 22nd)

Now hopefully we can get back into the groove of things and get back to our regularly scheduled broadcast!

There are two bloggy events going on to help increase blog traffic. Some really great prizes can be won at both events! So without further ado, here they are!

Blog Around The World - This is a directory dedicated to listing blogs by state. There’s only like 1 blog listed in each state, so get while the getting’s good! There will be a drawing for a $50 gift card to Target and Macy’s!

Blog The Recession - The purpose of this event is to help increase blog page views. So this means no reading blogs through your rss feedreader unless you’re going to click over and poke around a bit! There’s a bunch of prizes up for grabs, Land’s End backpacks, a 3-in-1 Graco carseat, and a $50 Amazon gift card to name a few.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is trying to draft a law that would put small, independent cosmetics and personal care manufacturers out of business by forcing them to pay outrageous registration fees (up to $12,000 per year) and comply with burdensome paperwork. A lot of these small businesses help keep their owners at home with their children. Big cosmetic companies like Carol’s Daughter and Burt’s Bees started out small and would not have survived had this legislation existed when they first started. So this legislation will basically hinder potentially successful businesses. Please take the time out to sign the petition to help support businesses like j.blossom and co, Shea Radiance, Bee Simple, and Wild Woozle Soap Company.

Within your baby’s first 2 years, several things can disrupt his sleep, making him sleep-deprived and possibly cranky, and all the while also making you a tired parent. Sleep deprivation has been linked to obesity, depression, and other health concerns. And, adequate sleep for our children is also very important for their development and behavior/mood. Here is a list of common disruptions and what you can do about them.

Teething

Babies can begin to teethe as early as just a few months old, but it might take awhile before the actual tooth even appears. Some babies won’t skip a beat when they get teeth, while others will feel every single one. It is best for both your sakes to continue to get as much sleep as you can even during the height of a tooth popping through.

It is best to develop a (rough) “plan” you decide ahead of time on how you will handle teething episodes. If you have a great sleeper who only has sleep problems during teething, this is an easy plan to make. Simply make him comfortable as much as possible and give him extra comfort. He will go back to sleeping well after the tooth pops through.

However, if you have a challenging sleeper even on the best days, this won’t be your best plan as teething can spiral into weeks and months of poor sleep. Your plan may need to be more detailed such as you give him a teething tablet (or Tylenol or Motrin or Orajel with pediatrician approval) at bedtime and re-dose through the night if he needs it, staying with him for 30 minutes for it to kick in, and then putting him back to bed promptly for him to sleep the rest of the night. You would not want to have a plan to stay with him for hours because that can lead to marathon nights even after teeth pop through!

Read more about how to handle teething and your baby’s sleep.

Milestones

It’s so exciting when your baby starts to roll over, crawl, or stand! We cheer them on and they become movers and shakers. It’s so fun! Until…it’s 3am and she won’t sleep! It is very difficult for their brains to shut off and continue to sleep well when there is so much to do! But, sleep is essential for proper development and so you still need to encourage optimum sleep even during this exciting (for both of you) time.

The key here is you need to set limits. Kids thrive on limits! They all must have them. They can’t play in the street. They can’t have a cookie before dinner (most of the time). They can’t stick a fork in an outlet. And…they can’t play with mommy at 3 a.m. just because she is up because she is excited about crawling. She needs her sleep and you need yours to be an effective parent. Some parents do find they are in a darkened room trying hard not to play with their baby, but she isn’t going back to sleep. Even you being there is enough to set the expectation that you will do that every night. You may want to re-think that one.

Traveling

It is common to hear of parents who have children sleeping well before a vacation and when they come back, all of a sudden, their baby no longer sleeps well. Keep in mind that vacations are usually very active (most people need to rest after vacation!) and most likely he didn’t sleep the best on vacation or even if he did, with all of the activity, it may have not been enough. It’s also common to create new habits while on vacation because many of us need to do what works when in a “foreign” place.

The first thing to try to get back to normal is to put him to bed extra early for several days. The #1 problem after vacation is usually that he is overtired and needs extra rest. After that, see my paragraph above about setting limits.

Whether it’s teething, a milestone, or traveling, make sure you prioritize your baby’s sleep. They are depending on us to do that for them. Their primary needs are to eat, pee/poop, interact with us and sleep. You would not deprive them of the first 3, so I challenge you not to deprive them of the 4th, either.

Enter for a chance to win a free copy of our e-Book, Help Your Child Sleep, a Detailed Guide by leaving a comment letting me know how this guide would benefit your household! You may also be interested in our free guide titled 5 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night. This giveaway will end on August 18th 2008 at 7PM CST. U.S. and international residents may enter!

Nicole Johnson is the owner of Pick Nick’s Brain - picknicksbrain.com - specializing in sleep products and consulting services for children. Nicole is a wife, mother of two, Full-time work-at-home IT consultant and now, an entrepreneur. She attended UC Berkeley where she received her B.A. in Computer Science and received her MBA from Ohio State University after the birth of her first son. She received her Master’s in Sleep Deprivation when her first son did not sleep and made it her mission to help other parents help their children learn healthy sleep habits, too.