Keeping Track of it All, Win Some $$, and More Advice!

Posted by Nicole on January 15th, 2009

Becoming a mom was one of the best moments of my life, but it has also been more tiring and challenging than I ever could imagine! Everyone tells you your life is never the same, but until you go through it, you just don’t “get it”. Of course, the fact your life is never the same is a good thing. I can’t imagine my life without my kids and I can *barely* remember what life was before I had them (okay maybe a little sometimes lol).

I have had many parents tell me they feel silly for obsessing so much or thinking or worrying too much about this or that, especially about sleep and schedules. And, I always tell them “You are not alone!”. Not only have *I* been there, but so many other parents are right where you are too RIGHT NOW.

One of the most challenging parts about being a mom is figuring out what my boys need, especially when they were babies and couldn’t talk (although even when they can talk it doesn’t mean they (or you) know what’s wrong either!). Is he crying or cranky because he’s hungry, tired, over-stimulated, cold, hot, or what? I also struggled so much with my son’s sleep that it became somewhat of an obsession. I had an Excel spreadsheet tracking his sleep and I’d make little notes about feedings, thinking that maybe what he was eating was affecting his sleep.

I am a very analytical person, so this is just what I do. I wanted to “see” how he was sleeping and see if I could figure out any patterns. What was I missing? What was his schedule? Why did he wake up last night? What happened yesterday? Did he “forget” to poop yesterday and that’s why his tummy might be bothering him? How could I gain more insight into my baby?

Well, Aruni Gunasagarem (she is amazing!) took it a few steps further than I did and recognized that she was not alone in wanting to gain insight into her baby. After I started this website, Aruni reached out to me and we got to know each other, and now I’m very pleased and excited to announce that I have now become the VP of Product Development for Babble Soft, her other “baby”. With Babble Soft’s online software, Baby Insights, it’s easy to do what I was trying to do with my little Excel spreadsheet. It helps you track schedules and keep track of feedings, etc. I wish this software existed years ago! (Not to mention how easy their baby books would have been with Baby Say Cheese!)

One of my first tasks at Babble Soft has been to bring a mobile web application on board and we have done just that! Now, using your iPhone (and soon your Blackberry or other cell phone), you can enter your baby’s information, even when you are out and about or your spouse can see what baby is up to from work and feel that much more a part of her day. It has been really exciting to be a part of Babble Soft and to help parents parent in the Web 2.0 world, where paper and pencil just doesn’t cut it anymore. Babble Soft also has a survey right now where you have a chance to win up to $450 in prizes, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Please stop by and fill out the quick survey and buy something nice for your sweetie.

One last thing is if you have enjoyed hearing me “talk” about baby sleep, you might enjoy hearing me talk about other topics, too! At Babble Soft, we just started a new blog where we will write articles with parenting tips and advice, and not just about sleep! Don’t miss any posts and sign up now for free updates!

Thank you for letting me share my news with you! I’m very excited!