These tips are to help you record information and save memorabilia simply. When the baby or babies are big enough and don't require much of your time, you will have everything you need to put their album's together without searching for it.
1. Most important: Take time to enjoy your little one ('s). They grow too fast. Savor every moment and give them so much cuddling and loving as they can stand.
2. Use the black/white photo-labeling pencil to write on the back of ALL of your prints--who, what, where, and when. This is very important if your photos are separated and you don't get to the albums until later. Don't rely on your memory for dates or even names. You will be too busy to notice much detail. Write other information on the calendar to help jog your memory.
3. Keep photos in envelopes or pint size plastic bags and store in a shoebox. You may want to separate the prints and store them in the appropriate shoebox. (One for each baby, one for your family album and the other can give away to parents and grandparents.)
4 Use a large manila envelope to keep important documents and memorabilia...birth certificates, hospital bracelets, ultrasound pictures, baptismal certificate, announcements, hospital bill, professional photo receipts, etc. Also, large photographs can be stored in here for a short time. I can show you how to make a pocket page to keep other memorabilia that you don't need to display in the album.
5. Keep a calendar (either one for each child or one for both); keep it by your rocking chair. Write down their feeding schedules, when they were born, when they were brought home, all of their firsts (smiles, giggles, outings, who visited, first tooth, first steps...ect.). In the empty boxes record your thoughts and feelings to help jog your memory then you can record it in the baby's album later on.
6. Use a notebook to write down your memories (preferably while you are still in the hospital) of labor, pregnancy, thoughts and feeling when you found out you were pregnant and when you first saw your baby.
7. Have visitors sign the "Visitor" page in each album and write their first impressions of the baby (babies) or a note to them. Use the pink or blue pigma pen to do this. Don't use a regular pen; the ink will not last over the years.
8. For more than one baby, take 2 sets of pictures of your subject (the babies, visitors, places). That way when you get doubles you'll have 4 sets of prints! One for each child, one for you and the other to give away.
9. Take pictures of your baby each month starting as a newborn till the one-year birthday. I'll help you do the "Watch Me Grow" page. When you take your picture your distance should not be too close or too far away. Some where in the middle will work well.
Memorabilia
This are items that you want to store in your album that holds sentimental or historical significance.
These items include:
-Copy of the Live Birth Certificate to include Baby’s footprints.
-Hospital bracelets: the mom’s, dad’s and both of the baby’s. (You don’t have to have all of them for this album…but one will do and the other’s split up in a family album, children’s album or a heritage album).
-Baby Announcement
-Shower Invitation
-Small Decorations from the Shower
-Baptism Certificate
-Baptism Invitation
-24-month calendar to document the baby's milestones such as, first doctor's appointment, first birthday, sleeping through the night, etc.
-Copy of you and your baby's OB records. Signing a release form gets you all the information about you and the baby including baby's heart beats and Doctor's comments about the progress of the pregnancy.
-Ultrasound Pictures
-Flowers and gifts that were given at the hospital or the baby shower
-The OB/GYN and the Pediatrics Doctor
-Any nurses that helped during the OB visits and delivery
-Visitors holding the baby at the hospital or when returned home or at shower.
-Pictures of the baby every 4 weeks for the first year to do a “Watch Me Grow” page.
-Parents with the baby (If you are the one taking the most pictures, be deliberate about getting pictures of yourself in them too. Mother/Daughter/Son(s), Father/Daughter/Son(s) pictures are great for Heritage Albums)
-Siblings with the baby
-Grandparents and Great Grandparents (Generational Pictures can be taken with Aunts, Uncles, Siblings, too. A generation picture shows relatives that are 20 or so years apart from the baby. These make great Heritage Pictures especially when they are printed out in black/white or sepia tone).
Use any holiday or family get-together to take photos. Especially family that live a great distance from where you live.
-Don’t forget the pets, home, vehicles that were owned during the time the baby was born. Especially take photos of the baby’s room.
When cropping photos don’t cut out all the background of your home and landmarks.
These are tips to help you not to forget to do while your baby is young. I'll help you put together a precious album that you and your baby (or babies) will treasure for a lifetime. Give me a call when you are ready. This will get you started on your collection of memorbillia and pictures. I will have more on scrapbooking and documentation of pictures that you don't have.
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