My mom kept our baby books on her dresser when we were little. My brother, who’s three years my senior, had a book that was meticulously filled out from every cute baby first to
each of his pearly whites, as they came in. The basics of my book were filled out, plus my hospital arm bands and newspaper clippings. The rest of the pages had scattered information and far fewer pictures. By the time my little sister arrived, mom said goodbye to the baby book and chronicled her milestones with a baby’s first year calendar.
I remember looking through them and wondering how my brother rated the full shebang while my sis and I had far less information tracked and recorded. From my childish point of view, it wasn’t fair.
Now that I’m the mother of three, I feel embarrassed by my selfish confusion and hope I didn’t make too big of a stink about it to my poor, worn-out mom. It took a little personal experience to realize, she was doing the best she could to keep up. Truth be told, she did a much better job then, than I’m doing now. Sorry, mom. Sorry, boys.
Keeping up with a baby book can be really difficult, especially when you’re on your second or fifth child. After chasing a toddler or two all day and then being up all night with a colicky infant, baby bookkeeping doesn’t rank very high on your list of priorities. There are alternatives though.
Blogging. Writing a blog may seem like even more of a commitment, but it doesn’t have to be a daily chore. Once a week, when you have a little quiet time (if there is such a thing), do a weekly wrap-up of what’s going on with your branch of the family tree. If you don’t feel comfortable having this information out where just anyone may see it, you can choose a private setting where you have to invite readers and individually grant them permission to see your site.
Vlogging. A vlog is like a blog, except it’s a visual recording. It’s a lot faster to say what’s going on then writing it down. The great thing is, there are so many ways to record things (cell phones, digital cameras and camcorders), that you can literally add an entry from anywhere and just upload it later.
Journaling. If you’ve always been the type to keep a diary or journal, you can just jot an entry when inspiration hits you. It’s just as easy to tape or paste in clippings and pictures to a journal as it is to a baby book.
Calendar. There are tons of first year calendars available, or you can pick a random one that speaks to you. It really doesn’t matter. With the limited space a calendar provides, you won’t feel pressured to write a long-winded essay about baby’s first smile. Most baby calendars come with matching stickers to make record keeping even easier.
The importance of a baby book isn’t necessarily accurately remembering the exact date your precious little wonder got his first molar. It’s a keepsake of some of the best days of your life. Those baby days go by way too quickly, and having some record, no matter what method you choose, will be treasured by both you and your child forever.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/genbug/4262539339
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