Recording Memories

Pinterest makes me feel guilty that I have not made a baby book.

Pinterest also inspires me to make a baby book.

Pretty sure I’m not doing this any time soon.

I had every intention of crafting a fabulous record of my child’s babyhood. I was the second child and complained (far too much) about there being no pictures of me as a baby.

Inspired by the time-lapse style photos on various blogs, I took weekly photos of my daughter on the same bench when she was very small.

Baby on a bench-Mom photographer fail!

 

 

The bench part was a big mistake. I read to make sure to use a location they couldn’t roll off, but the idea of her being mobile seemed so far away at the time. I quickly switched to monthly photos on a chair.

At month 8, these photos required assistance from my husband. She would try to crawl off the chair or stand up. But with my husband’s assistance, I got great shots of her looking adorably at her Daddy. The best photos were not the ones taken of the specific chair pose. Like so many photos, these memories live in my laptop, and I cannot help but feeling like I have failed somehow. They should be in a book.

The big chair pose was fun, but required assistance. I did really get to know my camera in those early months.

Instead of keeping a journal, I have a running list of (what I figured were) milestones in my iPhone notes. But how and when should I start this project? Choosing the format to print, share, and save these photos is very daunting. There are so many options. My theory was to compile this information in some baby book format at my leisure. I don’t have leisure time though. (My kid doesn’t nap.)

The best photos are unplanned. 

 My mother recently completed and gave me my baby book. She is retired and now has leisure time. I greatly appreciated this compilation of my childhood and I enjoy that it was completed upon my mother becoming a grandmother.

 I feel like my daughter will not appreciate such information until she is well into adulthood.  Any project completed beforehand would simple be for me. I prefer to not live in the past. I don’t want to be bothering her with what she was like “as a baby” while she is still in the process of growing up.  So if I happen to complete this project, I’m not sure I will share it with her until I become a grandmother.

 My mother claims that she had a fill-in-the-blank type book. She thought all of the questions and topics were stupid.  So she pulled out the pages of what she thought was relevant and included them in the scrapbook she recently gave me. This is basically the first page of the book. It also includes school projects and programs that she tossed in a box for the future. Now as a mother myself, I can appreciate that she was simply too busy to wax poetic in a baby book.  Sure, she was busy working a super full time job.  She was also busy playing with us, building a solid family foundation, cooking daily family dinners, and working to make sure we had every opportunity in life. Making memories takes far more time and effort than recording them. 

 There were no smartphones in my childhood. Treasured moments of childhood would have been nearly impossible to record in photos. But we have dear old family pictures. Since the passing of grandparents, I am now the keeper of many old family photos. I often wonder if my grandchildren will have anything like this. It is hard to fathom passing down my hard drive or an Instagram account.

 I am prioritizing making the memories.

 If I come up with time and a way to record or share these memories, it is a great bonus.  Kudos to those who have discovered this!

However, for all the busy Moms out there, don’t worry about the baby book.  Make the memories. 

How are you preserving family photos for future generations?

Fall gardening begins!

It is time to re-do our decorative planters for Fall. I didn't go crazy, just added a splash of color. I try to keep up with the garden on the sidewalk in order to reinforce that someone cares and lives here (since we live and garden in a city.)

I love the color of cabbage and use regular cabbage, which is far cheaper than ornamental cabbage.

This ledge was once used for standing by a mother picking up from school. I moved this heavy pot to the ledge the next day.

 

 

 

Urban gardening tip:

Place heavy pots in areas where you don’t want someone to sit or stand.

If pots are kept updated with flowers, they are less likely to be used as trashcans.

Day lilies are fascinating to a young toddler!

I learned giving a toddler dead pieces of day lilies (which I really ought to be pulling out) serves as a good time occupier. Also these act as play swords, but are softer than sticks so I don’t worry about safety.

As usual, any toys I brought into the stroller were ignored. Pots and plant markers are a hit. I keep  plant markers under a rock on the patio and bust them out when I need to get her attention. I regularly wear my child, but lately she gets uncomfortable when I bend over while she is worn on my back. So our trusty Bumbleride Indie made the afternoon of gardening possible.

My gardening is intentional and simply cannot be time consuming. I work quickly.

Gardening used to be a more relaxing hobby.  Now it is rewarding, but not always relaxing. I love watching things grow, growing our own food, and the decorative aspect. However, with a toddler in tow, I cannot devote time to a perfectly planting and weeded flower bed.

I just get it done. 

This is the bare minimum of my fall planting and decorating. 

As the seasons change, how do you decorate outside?

Be Kind. (and reactions to our urban garden.)

Our urban home has received many garden compliments this year.  The best way to make this homeowner’s day is to compliment the garden. We live in a (small) city so our cheery garden, cloth diapers line drying, and willingness to chat with strangers is often a surprise.

People of all types stop to look at our flowers and are interested in the strawberry patch and watermelons (growing across from a bus stop.) I enjoy observing reactions to our unexpected garden when the passersby are not aware of my presence. (Please note that when in a city, people inside can probably hear what you are saying as you walk on the sidewalk!) Other than our one incident with a girl picking my flowers, strangers have been kind and appreciative of the garden.

I am pleasantly surprised by reactions and kindness towards our urban garden.

I often feel a sense of community is missing from today’s modern lifestyle.  I grew up in the South, where greeting strangers is commonplace.  When I started walking with my daughter I made a conscious effort to observe and be apart of our neighborhood.  I also decided to purposefully say hello to every person we passed on our walk. I want my daughter to be kind and welcoming.  The only way to embark such qualities is to model them myself.

Today is 9-11 and one aspect I keep remembering about that earth shattering time 13 years ago was the kindness displayed in the aftermath. Everyone felt vulnerable. Pettiness was brushed aside and folks started to say hello to one another. Strangers helped strangers. Everyone was affected by the tragedy and it seemed (to me) that everyone remembered that you never know what life has dealt the person next to you.

One of my biggest surprises of motherhood was how being out and about with a baby seemed to bring a smile to strangers. Even tough looking high school students smile at her. Babies, like our country post 9-11, are vulnerable. That defenselessness seems to attract graciousness.

I challenge everyone to say hello to at least 5 people tomorrow. 

Don’t get frustrated if their reactions are curt. Some will surprise you. You never know what kind of a day someone is having. A kind smile may be just what they need. 

It is easy to get caught up in our own world, but there is a big world around you.

As I say to my daughter, be kind.

The world needs more kindness.