Record keeping

I lost my mom when I was only 23 years old.  She was such a good story teller and always remembered the details.  I find myself often wishing I could call her up and ask her to tell me about her pregnancy with me or when I lost my first tooth.  She did make me a baby book for my 16th birthday that has some details from my childhood.  I treasure this book. When I began having my own children I wanted to figure out a way to keep a record of their life for them.  Granted I want to be around until I am one hundred years old but even now I forget details and often go back to the records that I have kept over the years.  Here are a few ways I record memories for our children:

Scrapbooking/Blogging

I went pretty strong on my first two daughters photo scrap book.  By baby number four we had gotten our first digital camera and I wasn't very good at developing photos.  His baby scrap book is pretty small with just his first year of photos included there.  He is sure to let me know his book is a lot smaller than his other siblings.  But in my defense I began blogging shortly after he was born so in a lot of ways his life is even more recorded due to our family blog.  But still there is something about sitting down with a book in hand and looking through pages all of YOU.  So I do need to be sure to have some sort of book for each of them.  I may try to do a digital scrapbook for Zeddie.

Pregnancy/Health record 

I was given a little health keepsake book from my OB with my first baby.  It provides pages for you to record important medical information and thoughts during your pregnancy and then to record about the baby after he/she is born up until age six.  I liked this book so much that even though I left the state of Utah I continued to order them from the Utah Health Department for all my other babies.  I like going back and seeing my weight and how I was feeling during the different stages of my pregnancy.

First Year Calendars

I have been consistent in keeping a first year calendar for each of our children.  Each comes with stickers to place on special milestones and events like first smile, first step, first bottle, etc.  I even found a second year calendar and have continued using it for Zeddie.   I keep it on the wall in my room and seeing it there reminds me to jot down little things he does or milestones he reached that month.  I found my last two at Goodwill (one of my favorite places to shop) but they are from Current Catalog which is where I have gotten some of my others.

Journals

When Grace was one, a friend told me of the idea of keeping a journal for your children.  So when Grace's first year calendar ended I started recording special milestones and events in her journal.  I have continued to do this for each of my children.  Keeping up with five journals including my own is not an easy feat.  Another friend told me that she records an entry every year on her child's birthday.  This seemed to be a less daunting task and after each of my children's birthdays I pull out their journal and spend some time thinking about their life during the previous year.  I do try to record immediately big events like baptisms, accidents, or accomplishments so I don't forget the important details.

Record keeping is important to me and so I make time for it.  I am sure there are all sorts of ways to record your family memories.  Please share what you do to keep a record of your children's lives.