If we went back in time to 26 years ago you’d most definitely find me with my two favorite dolls tucked under each arm. I loved my dolls (loved them!) and wanted nothing more than to be a mommy when I was older. I was also really into painting rocks with my nail polish, collecting Lip Smacker’s, and riding around the neighborhood with a radio bungee-corded to my bicycle, but those are stories for another time ;) What’s important about these memories is the things I enjoyed as a child are still things I enjoy as an adult: spending time on creative projects and lovin’ on my babies. How awesome to be able to experience this.
Since our little pumpkin, Natalie Rose, was born I’ve definitely got my arms busy with our two babies. Max was just 19 months old when she was born, and although he’s very smart (with a great personality) he’s definitely very young. Each day is a blessed day because I’m spending it with my little loves.
One of my favorite ways to capture the joy my babies bring me is to keep a baby book for each child. When Natalie was just one week old we gathered all our soft blankets and a Moses basket and snapped some photos of our daughter. She was so fresh from my womb and her legs wanted nothing more than to stay curled up, all cozy and compact in the basket. I love that we captured that in these photos.
One of our longtime sponsors, Pear Tree Greetings, helped us create her birth announcements to share with our family and friends. I know the years when our children are young will go by fast (…let’s not talk about that) so I’m glad to be preserving these years with something tangible for their baby books.
And I need to totally brag about something: this time I ordered our address pre-printed on the back of the envelopes, along with a few extra envelopes for mistakes. Because new moms are often foggy. And sometimes their penmanship is funny looking. Speaking from experience, of course.
And just for fun, here’s Maxwell’s birth announcement from March 2013:
Do you keep a baby book for your children? Project Life? How do you preserve the dozens of photos you take every day?
(Thanks to Pear Tree Greetings for sponsoring this post. All opinions and stories are uniquely mine.)
Maggie,she is just precious. There’s nothing I love more than seeing baby announcement pictures. Precious. I love the three you chose. We’ll be welcoming a grandson, Hollis, in a couple of weeks (or more if he has his sisters’ timing). I can’t wait to breathe in those baby smells.
I have all my photos or most of them on my computer. Sad.
There is NOTHING like the smell of a new baby. So great! I thought newborn Natalie smelled like strawberries, it was so crazy. It was the sweetest smell :)
I scrapbook, I’ve finished the ones with my bump pictures and pictures of them in the hospital. That’s as fast as one gotten. I have two sons they are 23.5 mom’s apart. My little one was born on October 17th! He was due the 28th.
I make Alphabitty Moment books for my kids and for Elsa’s second year I used a ‘You are loved’ theme. I’ve posted about them on my design site: http://www.yourblogtobook.blogspot.com as well as my regular blog. There was even a special tribute to a basket series using a basket just like yours that made it into Elsa’s baby book.
Love the design of your birth announcements!!!
Love it! You are so blessed!
Oh my goodness… you realize she’s an absolute doll, don’t you? And, considering that I have birthed four adorable babies myself, I think I am somewhat of an expert in this regard! lol She’s precious, Maggie!
Haha, thanks Liz! :)
So sweet I almost can’t stand it. :) It’s interesting, I totally see Maxwell in Natalie, but side by side in baby photos they look quite different… but I always think she looks like him. Good thinking on the envelopes with addresses pre-printed, so clever!
Enjoy these foggy, lovely, sleep-deprived, cuddle-filled days…
Even the little expressions she makes, when she is hungry or is sighing after waking up — totally the same expressions Maxwell used to make. It’s so fun!
Dear Jesus, Thank you for the sweet girl you chose to be MY daughter in law, and the mother of my very first two grandchildren!!! In this crazy mixed up world, I feel so blessed that you chose her for this family, it warms my heart to hear how you wanted to be a mommy more than anything as a little girl. ( I always felt the exact same way) I love my grown up babies more than the breath that is in me, and I am so grateful that my grand babies will grow up with that same love.