Nicole Johnson is also known as PickNicksBrain . Nicole says that her username represents exactly what she does. She lets people “pick her brain” and ask her questions on the subject of baby sleep (and other things if they really want to).

Nicole blogs on Pick Nick's Brain about baby sleep and helps parents get more sleep for their baby or toddler and for themselves. Sleep deprivation is so hard on families and she believes that parents are more effective when they aren’t exhausted. Most importantly, babies are happier and learn better when they are well-rested, too.

*Now for the Make Believe Part*

What did you always want to be when you grew up as a kid? Why?

When I was a kid I always wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved animals (still do) and wanted to help them in any time of need and make them healthy. Mostly, I didn’t become a vet only because I also did not want to see them die if I couldn’t save them. L As real as it is and very “circle of life”, I just didn’t want to face that so many times in my life. Funny, I never even considered a doctor. Ha! But, I guess I still found a way to “help” people, even though I’m not a doctor.

What is your favorite fairy tale and why?

My favorite fairy tale is Cinderella. It shows that many times other people will try to bring you down and treat you badly, but if you stay true to yourself, your goodness will still shine through for other good people to see it. It shows you if you work hard, your dreams can and will come true, even though at the moment, you might not be in the best of situations. Cinderella shows us that no matter how evil others are to you, you should always remain true to yourself and be a good person.

It is the night of the big ball. The one you are destined to marry is among the crowd, so you’ve dressed your best. Describe your outfit.

My outfit is a tasteful long black dress that is sexy, but not slutty. LOL It shows off my shoulders and back. The dress is calf-length and shows all my curves. My shoes are a heel length where I won’t fall over, but strappy to be sexy with the dress.

Your life has been selected to be featured in an upcoming fairy tale style movie. What is the title and premise?

Now featuring “The Little Boy and His Cars” – There is a 3 year old boy who just loves his toy Cars. He can tell you the names of many of them and loves those from the movie Cars® even more. He loves to re-enact the movie using all the toy cars he has and won’t let you forget lines. He will ask his mommy to tell a few stories at bedtime and they all result in the same story about the movie, over and over again. One day his mother slips into a deep sleep from telling the story too many times. One might call it a coma. The little boy is sad, mostly because he misses his mommy telling him the Cars® story.

One day the little boy realizes that his mommy is sleeping because her brain grew tired of telling the Cars story and decides to sit next to her on the bed where she is sleeping and read her one of her books, at least pretend to. As he is “reading” to her, she begins to awaken and when she opens her eyes, he says “I wuv you, mommy.” and she says “I wuv you, too, sweetie.”. And, they both lived happily ever after, taking turns telling each other the stories they loved so much.

You need to be rescued. Where are you and what is going on around you? Describe the scene as your hero approaches.

It’s midnight, dark and gloomy outside. The rainfall is heavy on the roof and windows, with thunder booming in the background. I get a shiver and feel a presence around me. It’s some kind of spirit from the other side beckoning me. I get this irresistible urge to open the big silver door before me. It’s cold, very cold as I open it and I get another shiver. I maneuver into the door, tentatively. I think to myself “I should have put a jacket on, first.” Slowly, but surely, my stomach begins to hurt. It’s getting bigger! What’s growing inside me?! Nooo! Help me! Someone help me! Just then, my hero bursts into the room and pulls me out from behind the big silver door into the warmth of his arms...he saved me once again from the definite death by chocolate I was facing eating that gallon of Chocolate ice cream with Peanut Butter and brownie mixed in from Cold Stone Creamery. Mmmm...