Anything you wish you did while they were little?

My girls are finally past that new born phase and are suddenly amazingly adorable every day and suddenly I see that this is all going to pass me by too fast! I want to bottle up these moments, but I know they'll be gone so soon.


I try to take lots of pictures and I KNOW I'm not taking enough videos. Any specific advice on what I should be doing NOW to preserve these memories? I feel like it's all so fleeting and I don't know how to capture it... anything you wish you'd done, or anything you DID do and you are so glad you did?

Thank you!

 

I have started a separate journal for each baby. Every night after they go to sleep I try to remember what happened that day and I write it down (i.e. funny antics, new words, etc.) I also have a calendar on my refrigerator and I will record their accomplishments directly on the actual calendar date) This way when I (hopefully) have time to fill in their baby books, I can refer to the calendar.

 

I was just thinking the other day how I wish I would have taken the advice of putting a calendar over their changing table and writing something cute they did each day on it. I was very bad about writing stuff down and I think that would have been a quick way to preserve all those firsts.

 

I took tons of pictures of them individually and tons of them together. We also took lots of video (once they became a little more "animated") I also keep a separate journal for each one where I write down the milestones and cute things that they did.
The only thing I wish I would have done was pose them both next to the same stuffed animal every month that first year....they grow so quick!!

 

I agree with pp's and wish I had a caleder to write the firsts down.

P.S. This is the first time I see someone's name spelled the same way as mine. That's cool.

 

quote:
Originally posted by micheleinohio:
I was just thinking the other day how I wish I would have taken the advice of putting a calendar over their changing table and writing something cute they did each day on it. I was very bad about writing stuff down and I think that would have been a quick way to preserve all those firsts.


Me too!

One thing that I am glad that I did, was take a picture at the first of the month each month (they were born on the first). At the end of the year, it was fun to see how they progressed. I now have the pics in a large collage frame at the end of our hallway and the kids love to look at each picture!

 

I wish I had labeled the pictures better .. I have no idea who is who in any of the earlier pics.

 

I wish I had spent more time holding them while they slept. I was so desperate to have them fall asleep so I could put them down and get something done, but after about 5 months (at least for mine), they wouldn't fall asleep in my arms anymore. They are great sleepers and I am grateful, but I wish I could have some of those snuggly moments back.

 

ya, I am with the PP about snuggles. I was pretty determined to get them on a schedules and not to get dependent on ME rocking them to sleep. It worked, and they slept through the night at 4 months and they still have sleeping/eating schedules and take 2 naps a day.
I think in the early days I was more worried about getting them to sleep and them staying asleep, rather than cuddling. Mind you, I did not have very cuddly babies. Now, my dd will often ask to be wrapped up in a blanky and snuggled.
I hope that if I do have another child, I will take a bit more time with them and not be so impatient.
I try to give them lots of cuddles now, and I know they enjoy it.

 

write everything down.. label photos. you won't remember ALL the cute things they say. be sure you get photos of dad with the kids and yourself with the kids and family photos whenever possible. alot of my photos are of the kids themselves. I used a calendar for each of them, and added photos of the twins to each month of the calendar... if you have the chance to fly with them before they are walking, take the trip. Looking back over the first year, I have no regrets.

 

I say take more videos.I always put it off.Now I have large gaps of time in between and not enough videos.



Danielle

 

I ditto all the PP's. I wish I had not been so busy and tired so I could've enjoyed all those cute snuggly moments. You know, when they are sleeping all over you and it is soo cute and sweet but your mind is thinking about all the laundry, dishes, bill paying you could be doing. I hated that I could not just BE in the moment. I have learned to just let some things go and enjoy their childhood while I have it.

 

everyone, thank you for all these ideas.

 

I would say snuggle more with them. I was so tired that when they finally fell asleep I'd put them down almost right away. Definitely spend more time holding them..who cares if dinner's not ready or the house isn't clean?!?! Pretty soon they won't want you to hold them for long.

Another thing as PP have said...take LOTS of pictures and make sure that YOU'RE in them too. I hardly have any pics of me with the girls because I was always behind the camera.

Go out to dinner more often, looking back I wish we had done that. Now it's more of a hassle to go out. You have to find a place that serves quickly, serves what they'll eat, keep them entertained. At that age we would give them their bottle and maybe some fruit or veggie and they'd doze off while we were eating. DEFINITELY enjoying dining out now.

Great question, by the way!

 

I just wanted to ditto two things -- 1. Make sure there are some pictures with you in them, and 2. Label who is who as soon as you get the prints. I can still tell mine apart even from day 1 (they look nothing alike), but I know there will be a day when I can't.

My other suggestion is similar to the others, but FWIW -- I keep a leatherbound journal in the living room with a pen right there. When they have a "first" or a milestone or do something especially adorable, I jot it down RIGHT AWAY. I was much better about this in the early days (might have something to do with the fact that Amy now tries to grab the pen as soon as she sees me writing ), but I still try to do it once in a while.

 

This may sound silly, but I wish I would have had more "footprints" made up. You know, just putting ink on their feet and putting it on paper. They never did that for me at the hospital, and I only did it once when each set was about 3 months old.

 

I wish I had done growth charts. I have all the measurements from the doc in their baby books, so I guess I could go back and make them after the fact. But I was at a friend's house who has kids in college, and one door frame has all the markings from their growing up, and I just think that's the neatest thing.

 

I took a picture every month next to the same doll. It's amazing to see how much the doll shrunk.

I wish I had a baby book for each baby. Right now I have none. I have DH's that his Mom started and it's nice having that info (e.g., first tooth, etc.).

I also wish that we had taken them out more often and gotten them used to more people as now they are afraid when we go somewhere. They were fine around strangers for the first year or so.

Definitely enjoy each moment as I just cannot believe how quickly it's all gone by!