Start and maintain a baby book

It’s fun to see the baby book start to develop. I need to get some pictures printed to add to it. My husband took a look through it and pointed out that I should include the stories – not just the facts. So I’m going to go through and add some “colour.”

Being a mom is so much fun. I’m going back to work in six weeks and I really want to make sure I do all I can to make this time count. I sense another list coming on!

Six and a half inches and 11 pounds. That’s how much my baby has grown in five short months! We’ve gone from preemie clothes to nine month clothes. No wonder I’m so cautious about buying anything that has a size restriction.

It’s been so much fun. We’ve gone to the library for baby storytime, to the aquarium and out for countless lunch dates and coffee dates. Every day we take the dog for a walk by the ocean and smell the fresh air.

He’s drooling which means teeth should be coming soon. He holds his head up and can stand with assistance. He laughs and giggles and flirts. He’s got a jumperoo that he LOVES. Next month we’ll slowly start solid foods as well as swim classes.

I can’t help but notice there are only three months left of my leave and that makes me sort of sad. But it’s not like I’m giving the baby away, my husband will stay with him for four months and then… well and then we’ll have to figure something out!

I think they did a huge disservice to us in high school. When they talked about babies the warnings were dire: you’ll never get to sleep through the night, you will lose your figure, the baby will ruin any chance at achieving anything. But now, I look back and wish I had done this 10 years ago. I sleep through the night, I haven’t gained much weight and I don’t feel like my life is over, I feel like it has just begun.

Baby has hit the four month mark. He’s doing so great and growing so well. I love updating his baby book and seeing how much he has changed since we brought him home from the hospital. I started the baby book as a keepsake for him and worried it would feel like a chore to keep updating. Instead, I look forward to writing things down and even with it only partially updated, I look back at what we’ve written and smile.

I have noticed that if I don’t update right away I forget when exactly things happened so if you are thinking of keeping a baby book, remember to update regularly!

So I updated it for two months. I’m shocked that he’s already doubled his birth weight! In the inside cover I traced his hand, I figure it would be neat to watch them grow.

So I’ve got a better book and filled in the basics (date of birth, weight, hair colour etc). The question is how honest I want to be. For example my first reaction when he was born was to burst into tears because he wasn’t crying and I was worried something was wrong. The book asks mom and dad to fill in their first words, mine were, “Oh god, he isn’t breathing. Chris, he isn’t breathing.” Not terribly romantic.

I bought one but it has a price tag stuck permanently to its cover. It also has a lot of pages but not a lot of those “neat” bits of information that make a baby book fun.

I was in the store with my crying baby when I bought it so I think I’ll forgive myself for getting the wrong one and exchange it today. It’s odd to buy something that won’t become valuable for another 10 years or so…