Pregnancy Scrapbooking

[Earl Kelly]

A great way to capture what you were feeling when pregnant is to
create a scrapbook! Scrapbooks are a great way to channel all of
your emotions and memories in a way that is both fun, but also
produces a book that you can cherish forever. This article will
offer some tips and tricks to help you kick-start your pregnancy
scrapbook!
Consider using journaling to capture all of the emotions you were
feeling. For those who haven't journaled in the past, journaling
is simply a way of writing down all of your emotions and
feelings. For example, write when and where you were when you
found out you were pregnant. Then begin to build upon this by
capturing what you were thinking once you heard the news. You may
also want to include the reactions of people once you told
them. Other possible journaling topics include baby names you
were considering, pregnancy symptoms, food cravings, or anything else
on your mind!
Some photos you can use in the scrapbook include mom and dad the day
they found out, belly shots at regular intervals (make sure they are
taken from the side!), maternity wardrobe, decorating the nursery, and
assembling the nursery. In addition, consider including a picture
of the positive pregnancy test, ultrasound pictures, and pictures from
baby showers. One note: ultrasound pictures are notorious for
deteriorating much more rapidly than photos. Consider scanning
them into your computer, and then using the print in the
scrapbook. Fun lay-out ideas that have worked in the past include
"Sneak Preview", "Under Construction", "Baby on Board", and "Coming
Soon".
Other possible lay-outs involve poetry, songs or
memorabilia. Great songs include Rascal Flatt's "My Wish", Leann
Womack, "I Hope You Dance", or Elton John's "Blessed". Get
creative in what memorabilia you use in your lay-outs. Past lay-
outs have included appointment cards to the doctor, baby shower
invitations and/or cards, and wallpaper from the nursery. You may
want to include calendar pages, to record special dates. For
example, the day you found out you were pregnant, doctors appointments
(you can note mom's weight gain, the baby's heart rate,
etc). Remember the most important part is to make the scrapbook
from the heart!
Materials you will need to begin your scrapbook include an album (if
you are doing a pregnancy album separate from the baby album, you may
consider using a smaller album, such as a 6"x6" or an 8"x"8 album),
adhesive, paper, pens and markers, and stickers. If you are
stumped as to where you should begin, I suggest using a scrapbooking
kit. They will come with all of the materials you need to kick-
start your scrapbooking adventure!
The most important part of this process is to keep it personal, and
use the experience to get excited about the upcoming addition to your
family!