Remember when.......

I have been so inspired to write lately and simply because I found my baby books on my two oldest children. These two books are getting on in years now…one is like nearly 21 years old and the other is over 18 years old. How great it is to look back on these memories and remember times forgotten? - and all because you’ve logged it somewhere.

The first hair cut, first tooth – the first time your child went to the ‘Big Toilet’…these are all fantastic memories, and ones that I am about to pass down to my children. Luke and his fiancé are expecting their first baby in a few months and they have this journal to look back on Luke’s development along with their own child – how great is that!?!

These moments in life are short lived. Keeping a baby book of your child’s first few years is not just a hobby – its not just a journal, it is you own little gift for later on in life. It turns out being the best book of advice you could hope for too.

I was, like so many other parents, given a baby book for both of my children when they were born. I wrote in them and documented all that I could. I kept hair, teeth, hand and foot prints – I wrote about the colic, the sleepless nights – the nappies, the oh so many nappies and I wrote about the first time they said ‘Mum’.

When my children look at their books you can see the smile escape their faces.  They read the words of a young mum who created this world of total love for them and appreciate each entry made about their first few years of life, the ones which they do not remember.  As you watch on and compare, 21 years later, the hand print taken when he/she was only 2 days old, you yourself appreciate the time you took in writing in this book – all the things that you may not remember if you hadn’t spent this time doing so.

I have seen a few other parents’ baby books and not everyone finds that time to write in it and I have to say, I feel so sorry for them…as it doesn’t take that much time to do and it is such a worthy thing to write about. You may not use it at the time, you may not think its worth noting…but these babies do not stay babies for long and when they are ready to leave home, well…this is the time that you really want to look back and remember.

I have kept scrapbooks of my children too. Their very first kindy and school painting – macaroni necklaces and mothers day cards….they are all in there and its great to sit back and go through them now they are adults.

Don’t for one minute think that you will remember every moment in your child’s life, don’t expect to remember all the important things – the first date they said, ‘mum’ or ‘I love you’ because there are so many of these moments it’s just not possible to do. What is possible however, is keeping a journal/baby book to list these momentous occasions – I promise you, you won’t regret it…

Keep these moments and treasure them…it makes such a wonderful gift for when the time is right!

Cheers

Lavinia