This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about since before we were even actually pregnant. I know lots of parents create scrapbooks for baby once they arrive (all the milestones from [name]Baby[/name]'s First Year and all that) but I’m wondering if anyone does one for the pregnancy? If you did, was it just for your eyes or was it for your partner and/or child to see in the future too? Did you do a scrapbook or journal? What did you put into it? I’ve been really struggling, looking around trying to come up with what feels right, and then I came across this really cool journal today in [name]Barnes[/name] & [name]Noble[/name]. I absolutely love it because it asks questions and prompts you so I don’t have to think of what to write all by myself. So in case anyone else is interested, they also sell it at [name]Wal[/name] [name]Mart[/name] and you can view it online at Amazon at this link:
It’s definitely the best one I’ve found so far. But I’d love to hear what you are doing or have done for your own pregnancies? My brain is just too tired to be creative right now apparently!
With my daughter I made her a birth story photobook on Walgreens.com it’s kind of written like a story book. It starts with “before you were born mommy and daddy fell in love” and has two of our wedding pictures. Then it tells about how mommy was feeling sick so she took a test and we found out we’d soon be a family of 3. Then I have pictures of her ultrasounds and pregnancy pictures that tell how he grew and grew and as she grew so did our love for her. I did a section of places she went while in mom’s tummy with pictures of trips and special places we went while I was pregnant. Towards the end I tell the story of labor and her birth. Then I put in her newborn pictures and pictures of all the family who came to visit her on the hospital. I’ve read it to her (she’s 18 mos) and she seems to like it. She likes pointing at the people she knows like her grandparents and mama and dada. She gets really excited at the first picture of her and squeals “baby!” I’m also working on a photobook of her first year that goes month by month and shows all her firsts. I’m up to 11 months and I’m really happy with it so far but it has required a lot of time. However that might be because I’m so nit picky and keep editing all the pages and trying to find the perfect pictures and layouts and words. I looked at a bunch of baby books when I was pregnant and after she was born and none of them appealed to me so I just wrote down some of the things I knew I wanted in her book and made my own. [name]Hope[/name] that helps. Congrats on your pregnancy! I’m pregnant with #2 and also due in [name]December[/name]
@jasfarewell: that sounds so lovely what you did, I love it! Thanks for sharing! I know I’m definitely going to do a scrapbook once baby girl is here I’m just not quite sure what to put in a pregnancy scrapbook. The journal I have may be enough I guess.
I did a photobook of my pregnancy. It starts with a picture of the positive pregnancy test and includes things such as the sonogram pics, pictures of my husband painting the nursery, baby showers, putting together nursery furniture, etc. I also included a list of names we were considering and pictures of me taken in profile so that you can see the progression of my pregnant belly (the first was taken at 16 weeks and I took one every four weeks after, ending with 40 weeks). It ends with pictures of my daughter taken at the hospital after she was born. It’s very slim but it’s a nice memento to have around. I did the whole thing through Shutterfly and I think it only cost like, $20.
Now that my daughter’s here, I print out doubles of pictures that I take and put the second in a photo album for her. That way she’ll have a photo album of her childhood that she can take with her when she grows up and leaves home.
I made one for both my boys. I also am starting to make one for the one Im pregnant with right now. My boys really like looking at pictures of them when they were babies and when they were still in my belly. [name]Bridger[/name] even took it in for his kindergarten show and tell once. I think it works great. When [name]Avery[/name] was 1 years old he would shout, "baby" at every single picture. I think its a great idea!!!
I’m not particularly crafty or creative sadly so I just got a very pretty note book and wrote a diary entry once a week. I struggled with actually fulfilling my pledge but I have 2 beautiful books with stories, some good and some bad, and photos, ultrasounds and such, I’m still writing in them, although not every week but when Bugsy says something funny or [name]Jem[/name] hits a milestone I go crazy with my recounts! It may have been a bit of a struggle to keep up with but I’m so happy I wrote so much down, it is truly lovely to have such a great way to remember every kick and vomit! I know my mum made a diary for me and I still enjoy reading it.
We also took a photo of my belly each week, I know I’m a little insane, but I was just so interested in my changing body that I thought it would be a great idea so we could show our boys in the future. A friend put the photo’s on a disk and sped up the interchange so you can literally see my belly growing, I think it is so amazing!
The book you are thinking of getting is fabulous!!! It is just like my note books except so easy to work out, ahhh I think I might need to invest next time! Seriously though writing things down it totally great, it’s such a special time that you never want to forget a detail!
@pansy: that sounds so nice, I love your photobook idea! Definitely making me want to look into that possibility. I think I’m also struggling a bit because I’m feeling kind of late in the game at 21 Weeks… but I guess I could still re-create some of the earlier stuff! @liialovesnames: that is so cute that your son took his into his school! That is big incentive for me to get something together. And I have to admit, I’m always a little bit sad that my own parents didn’t bother with any of this stuff for me (I was the 3rd, there are barely even any photos). They have no idea about my first words or their pregnancy tests or any of that. So I really want to figure this out. @goldielocks: you hit the nail on the head when you said you’re not particularly crafty or creative. Sometimes I actually am - but right now, I got NOTHING. I dunno if it’s the “baby brain” everyone talks about or what but I have zero ideas flowing. And I have a lot of free time on my hands so it’s a real shame. I am very, very happy I found that particular journal because it’s making it so much easier for me with the prompts and questions - pretty much the hand-holding I need these days!
Thanks all of you for sharing, I love reading your stories and ideas!!!
I don’t scrapbook but I do memory books for my kids from when I found out I was pg onwards. My eldest is almost 7 and I still update his with things he’s done, so include their firsts like words, walking and other milestones. I include photos, their hospital bands, and other souvenirs of things we’ve done. They love to go through their books and suggest new pictures to put in.
[name]Haven[/name]'t started one for this baby (due in 6 weeks) but have been keeping things to put in and writing entries in my regular journal.
I am not a crafty type. I’ve written down milestones here and there, kind of little journal entries about what she’s like at each age when I think to do it, maybe skipping months or sometimes multiple updates per month, but I haven’t even collected them up into one book! [name_f]One[/name_f] day I’ll organize it all together, but I have enough projects at the moment. I think that if you like doing it go for it, but I am just not a pinterest mommy and I’m OK with that! At the same time, it goes by so fast and you forget a lot more than you’d think, so it is a nice idea. I like doing it journal style instead of prompts, I figure that way it’s more personalized.
I had a pregnancy journal for my daughter that I loved - it sounds similar to the one you found! There was a lot of fill-in-the-blanks, spots for pictures from each trimester and ultrasounds, etc. I felt so accomplished when she was born and I finished it up!!! I keep it on her bookshelf in her room, so she can look at it someday.
I bought “The Belly Book” this time because it was the best one I could find in the book store. It has a page for each week where you put your “belly picture” from the week and then a few lines to jot notes on. There are some pages with questions and spots to put ultrasound pictures, etc, but it’s not quite as good as the one I had the first time around. I also took weekly pictures last time and put them all in an album, but I probably won’t do that this time since they will all be in “The Belly Book”!
I started another, separate scrapbook for my daughter while I was pregnant with her but I haven’t touched it since before she was born (she’s almost 18 months old). [name_m]Just[/name_m] been [name_m]WAY[/name_m] too busy chasing her around + working fulltime! I did write in her baby book a lot, and still add things when she reaches new milestones. My husband and I both have little journals for her too - I write specifically to her in mine (started it the week before she was born and still write at least monthly), but he mostly jots down things for himself, like special moments he doesn’t want to forget, etc. He’s never showed it to me and I don’t know if he plans to ever show it to her, but I will give her mine (there are 2 already) when she’s older, if she wants them!
@kenzing10: ooh, I love the idea of the baby books that you and your husband each write in separately! I would love to get my hubby to do something like that but he’s SO busy with work - and when’s he’s actually home, he’s generally exhausted - that I’m not sure it would ever actually happen. But I will def be buying a baby book once we’re closer to baby Girl’s arrival and I hope I stay on top of updating it. I know I personally would love to have been given something like that from my parents so hopefully my kids will like it too. Thanks for sharing!
I blog… I actually started my blog for the sole purpose of keeping our families in the loop. not that any of them ever read it.
i’ve had diaries since I was 9 yrs old. So a blog seemed like a natural choice. My children will be able to see their lives unfold. And even the more detailed stuff like how [name_f]Mimi[/name_f] got sick when [name_m]Weston[/name_m] was little. And how we lost a baby. And how happy we all were when we found out about our twins. It’s sort of timeless, though sometimes I wonder if we shouldn’t print it out… [name_m]Just[/name_m] in [name_m]Case[/name_m].
When [name_m]Weston[/name_m] was little - like 3 months old, I made a Photobook for him from Shutterfly. It told our love story, and went all the way through until he joined us. I’ve done 3 or so more books since, just picturing our lives since we don’t print the millions of digital pictures we take.
