Since Jen just gave birth (like, less than a week ago), I figured it would be good for her to start thinking about what she might put aside as her little boy grows, for his special keepsakes.
Two of the best gifts we received when we were pregnant with our first son weren't purchased at a store (well, technically they were, 30+ years ago...) They were items that my mother-in-law had saved from my husband's childhood-- his favorite blanket and his baby book. A baby book chock full of useful and entertaining information!
I enjoyed reading through page after page of sleep habits, favorite friends, first foods, first steps and other first milestones. The book contained his birth announcement, birthday party invitations, and magazine clippings about local events from when he was little. It also contained damning information like, when he was potty training he was caught urinating on the radiator (ewwww!)
My Mom started a baby book for me when I was born, so I have a few notes from my first months, but she didn't really keep up with it. And as far as I know, she doesn't have any other keepsakes for me from when I was little. {Tear}
I'm a saver by nature, so I've always known that I wanted to keep a time capsule for my children, with memorabilia from throughout their life. I want them to be able to look through these precious items and ask to hear stories about important milestones in their life, and hopefully share some things with their children one day (nothing warms my heart more than seeing Brady sleeping with my husband's blankie!)
Choosing items for their capsules hasn't been easy. On one hand, I want to save absolutely everything of theirs, but on the other, I just don't have the space! And having a second boy further complicated things, because all of Brady's clothing, shoes, etc. are reusable. I decided a good rule of thumb is to try to collect no more than 3-5 items per year for their capsules, and to shoot for big-themed pieces or items that tell a unique story.
Here are a few things I've collected for the boys so far. Most of these are in Brady's capsule, but I plan to save the same things for Cole as well.
- Pregnancy journals
- Their (well documented) baby books
- Hats worn in the hospital
- Coming home outfits
- Tiny blue bear given as a newborn gift that says, "It's A Boy"
- Baptism outfits
- First pair of shoes
- First favorite book (Brady's is Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown)
- First baseball cap
- A piece of wall art from their nursery
- Lock of hair from first haircut
- Birthday party invitations
- Their Your Birthday Books
- Tickets from his first flight (and wings!), first baseball games, first train rides, etc.
- Photos from each visit with Easter Bunny and Santa
- Family Christmas card from each year
- A piece of paper that chronicle's their signature each year (starting this year with Brady now that he can write his name!)
- Sticky Bellies monthly stickers
Some items I anticipate adding them as they get older are:
- First pair of soccer cleats
- First baseball glove
- T-shirts from their first sports teams
- Blankies (when they outgrow them)
- Special stuffed animals (when they outgrow them)
- First lost tooth (or is that gross??)
- School photos
- Report cards
- Awards/ribbons/trophies from important competitions
So much for keeping the loot under control. It looks like I'm going to need bigger containers....
Have you been saving memorabilia from your little ones' lives? What other key items should we be saving? How did you decide where to draw the line in order to avoid being featured on an episode of Hoarders?!
