Adventures in Drool: Stop and smell the roses

Happy Monday droolers!

Well, we have survived Memorial Day, Independence Day and so far, we have survived this dry, heat wave that has been plaguing the Cape Region.

With all the business that comes with summer, it is important to stop and smell the roses, both literally and figuratively.

This summer has been flying by, and a mommy's brain can go into overdrive with all the scheduling, planning and execution of adventures and play dates.

I feel you. Between working two jobs, daycare, weekend adventures, trips to see family, family members visiting us here - I have been spinning since the end of May!

Now is the time to focus on those little moments. Cherish each one and really hold onto the memory of your kids now. Remember, there are only 960 Saturdays from birth to the age of 18! That doesn't seem like very many Saturdays, so if you waste just a few, you will really be missing out.

I am always reminding myself to take mental pictures of Droolface. I want to remember each moment in time.

Cherish the moments

Here is one idea that many of my friends have done since the birth of their children. But, you could start it now and create a very neat keepsake for your child.

Starting from birth take a monthly picture of your baby. Some that I have seen put the baby in an outfit bearing the number of the month or year. And, have the child in the same location - one of my friends does it in the child's crib.

So at each month, the picture shows how big the child has gotten. You could do this up to a year and then do it every 6 months or even every year at that point.

Then you could print all these pictures and organize them into a book or poster to show your child how he has grown. If you are feeling really motivated, when you turn it into a book you could add information like, "You learned to crawl this month," or "You first rolled over this month."

Even if you don't use the little notes, it is good to keep a journal or baby book on all the new things your little one is doing. It can help remind you later that your teenager didn't always say "no."

Another way to track the journey is a height chart. We had one of these when I was growing up and I now have one for Droolface. You can make these just by drawing a line on a door frame, but they are also available for sale. We got one that is shaped like a giraffe and sticks to the wall. Since we thought we would eventually move, we wanted something that was removable. Check out wall decals on Amazon.com, or another online retailer.

I recently heard (from my mom) about another cute way to chronicle your baby's early years. She suggested using a bed sheet or white paper to mark baby's hand print each year.

Most people get baby's hands and feet inked at birth, but what a great idea to track how that little hand grows over the years.

Using fun colors of paint and a white bed sheet or white paper, help your baby ink one of his hands and place it as evenly as possible on the sheet. Using a permanent marker, write the child's name and age under the print. Alternate colors over the years and by the time he's 10 you will really notice the changes. And, it can be a fun decoration for his room.

I am planning on starting this project now that Droolface is one. But, I think I will use pillowcases, so that it isn't all on one large sheet. Then I can always stitch the pillowcases together to make a larger sheet.

How do you chronicle your baby's early years? Send ideas to rachel@capegazette.com.

Have a great week droolers!