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The first year of a child's life consists of so many changes and special
events and a baby album is the perfect place to record them all with both photos
and journaling. Journaling is especially important in this type of album,
but with all the diaper changing, feeding, and entertaining, who has the time?
You'd be surprised at how far a little time and a little advanced planning
can go. There are several things that you can do before the baby is even
born. Let's face it, there are a few months in there where you've done all
you can do to prepare for the baby's arrival, and it seems like it's going to be
forever before the blessed event occurs.
Things You Can Do While You're Waiting
Create a Parents' Page
On this page include a picture of both of the baby's parents, and
information about each of you including the following information:
 | Your full names |
| Your ages |
| Your occupations |
| Your hobbies |
| Your favorites (books, TV shows, music, etc.) |
| Your feelings about become a parent |
| Anything else you think might be interested for your child to know about
you at the time you became their parent |
Write a Letter to Your Child
Now is a great time to write a letter to your child about your feelings,
hopes, and dreams for them. Tell them why you wanted to have a child or
what you look forward to doing with them. Let them know how much they were
loved even before they were born.
Create a Page With Your Ultrasound Pictures
Having a first ultrasound is a very exciting time for many parents. If
you have ultrasound pictures taken, you may want to create a special page to
remember this event. With your pictures include some of the following
information:
| When was the ultrasound done? Where? |
| Was the sex of the baby determined? |
| Did you want to know the sex of the baby? Why or why not? |
| If you found out the sex of the baby, did you tell anyone else? |
| How did you feel after the ultrasound was complete? |
Once your child is born...
Write about the labor and delivery
You don't have to include all the gory details, but you could include the
following:
| How did you know it was time? |
| Who was with you when you realized it was time? |
| Were you ready or were there some last minute things to do before going to
the hospital? |
| How long was your labor? |
| What did you do to pass the time in the early stages of the labor? |
| Who was with you while you were going through the labor and delivery? |
| What happened immediately following the baby's birth? |
| Who does the baby look like? |
| Who were the baby's first visitors? |
| How is the baby's sleeping pattern like? |
Other things to include
| What was the baby's eye color, weight and length at birth? |
| What funny faces and/or noises does he make? |
| What was his first outfit? |
| What time was he born? |
| When did everyone come home from the hospital? Was anyone waiting at
home for you? |
Include All-About-Me Pages
Periodically throughout your child's first year, include pages that tell all
about them at their particular age. This is a great way to incorporate
"orphan" pictures, or those pictures where there aren't enough of a
certain event to compose a whole layout. Include the child's age, things
they are doing at this stage in their development, their favorites, etc.
 First Words
Around 18 months of age is usually a good time to do a "first
words" page. Here you can include all the words your child is saying,
using pictures and stickers to illustrate.
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