Facts to Document
Weight at birth
Length at birth
Color of eyes
Color of hair
Doctor’s name
Time of birth
How long you were in labor
First smile
First time they rolled over
First time they crawled
First time they sat up
First steps
First bath
Favorite songs
Favorite bedtime stories
Favorite toys
Gifts received
Price of gas, houses, cars, etc at date of birth
Family Tree

Things to Write About
What does their name mean?
Were they named after anyone?
How long did you stay in the hospital?
Who was present at the hospital?
What did they eat?
Did they sleep through the night?
How did they react around people?
Did they cry often?
What entertained them as babies?
What was their first “outing” like?
How old were they the first time they had a babysitter?
Where did they sleep?
Did they suck their thumb?
Did they use a pacifier?

Photos to Take
Document growth by taking monthly photos of your baby next to a large stuffed animal
Photos of their nursery
Photo of the house you live in
Photos with mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, and other family members
Sleeping baby photos
Bath photos
Photos with favorite toys
Photos each day of their first month
Any “firsts” you can capture
Happy and not-so-happy moments
Black and white photos
Facial expressions
WELCOME BABY PRINTABLESLooking for a way to start off a scrapbook for your baby? Print a Welcome Baby Treasured Keepsakes for Newborns!
 

About the Author
Andrea Steed is the author and creator of Scrap Tutor, a web site and CD-ROM that teaches you how to create scrapbooks and how to perform many popular techniques used in scrapbooking. For more information, visit www.scraptutor.com.

Unlike other pregnancy memories making methods such as casting or writing, a photo journal saves you from having to travel and spend extra money by eliminating the need to visit the sculptor’s studio or run out to buy more paper and pens (or ink for the printer). A photo journal is one of the easiest and furthermore exciting ways to keep a record of your pregnancy, especially if you’re using a digital camera to document your progress. You can instantly view the photos and also have the benefit of sharing them just as quickly with family and friends via the internet.

How often you’d like to take pictures of your body is completely up to you. We suggest starting with the sonogram as the jumping board and then tracking the expansion of your belly as you see significant changes occurring – usually week-by-week. Each new picture will also reflect the growth of the miracle inside and can be a great bonding experience for you and your baby before he or she even enters the world.Â
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Imagine the joy later on when you sit down with your child and explain to them how you carried them inside your belly while you look at the pictures together and show them the stages of their growth and development during that incredible time the two of you spent as one.

A few ideas for taking creative photos of your body’s progress is to have someone take a picture as you place your hands together – finger tip to finger tip – creating a heart shape over your belly. You can even use washable soap crayons to write the date of the photo or draw an arrow on your belly to show just where your baby’s foot, arm, etc is pressing against the inside of your stomach. Now that’s really something your child will get a kick out of when they see it later!

There’s also an abundance of creative ways to create a keepsake of those precious pregnancy photos memories. Think about starting either a digital or hard copy scrapbook or photo album and incorporating any thoughts or special feelings you’re experiencing on the pages during the days that you snap your photos as well. You can even write a loving letter to your little one that they’ll have to cherish and share with you as times goes on.

The last picture can be the photo taken at the hospital on the day your baby is born. You could also choose to continue on with the journal making it a life-long photographic record that grows with your child and becomes something that your family will treasure for the rest of your lives and can be handed down through the generations.