Keeping the Memories

There are so many moments in this new journey of motherhood that I wish I could store up forever and ever. I want to remember her first little smiles, the way she curls up on me when she’s sleepy, her little peach fuzz hair, even the incessant bouncing on our exercise ball to get her to fall asleep. I know these moments are so fleeting and I don’t want to look back and forget all the little things about Naomi’s babyhood.

During my pregnancy, I pinned and plotted so many cute ideas for recording memories. There were giant, involved craft projects in the making -- scrapbook ideas to capture every blasted shrivel of information I could process about this little being of ours. But then the reality of new motherhood set in. And now, I rejoice at the opportunity to take a long shower, drink my whole cup of coffee in one sitting without reheating 2 or 10 times, or heck, put on a “real” outfit before 4pm. The basics of every day life swallow up much more time than before and soon those well-intentioned scrapbook and memory keeping ideas fade into the distant, fantastical wonderland that can only be fashioned in one’s previous life.

Rachel from Printed Ink Designs totally gets it. Moms rarely have the time (or energy) to record their baby memories with big, elaborate craft projects. She just recently put out her brand new joyful beginnings journal and let me tell you, it’s really the perfect solution.

I am absolutely in love with the beautiful, hand-painted hard cover, the perfect little spot to write in Naomi’s name, and the page after page of simple, usable spaces to jot down quick memories, a short prayer, and the stats from the doctor about how big she’s already getting.

My favorite part of this journal is the milestone section, one page for each month, where you can write in their favorite foods, their little habits, notes, and the big milestones (you better believe our first successful airplane ride was marked in their immediately!) I’ve always said that moms should have a girl scout-like vest with badges earned for their kid’s big moments – sleeping through the night, nursing in the car, first time your kid rocket launches poop on the wall (just me?), and the time you survived an entire day’s worth of traveling with your 2 month old. Let’s be honest…a kid’s first birthday party is so not for the kid. It’s a celebration for the parents that they managed to keep another human alive and healthy for a whole 365 days. But basically, what I’m saying, is that this journal is totally my girl scout vest.

I keep it on my desk or tucked in our diaper bag and yes, I do find the 5 minutes every few days to jot down something I want to remember 10, 20, 30 years down the road. It’s so realistic for the new mom life and I am really thankful to have it for Naomi as a keepsake of her babyhood. You don’t get these days back, right?

As a simple, meaningful motherhood flag-waver, I would totally buy this for any baby shower. It’s one of those super practical memory keepers that fits the pace of new parenthood and, well, it’s pretty to look at. We have the pink floral one for Naomi but Rachel also makes a blue and white striped one, if that strikes your fancy. You can find this gem in the Printed Ink Designs Shop, and follow along on social media here and here. Thank you Rachel for sending one our way!