Some things never change. Babies fascinate their parents by growing, developing, and learning new incredible things, and those amazed parents feel the need to find some way to document these fabulous achievements. The one thing that does change is how these milestones are recorded. Technology and creative minds fuel new ways to do this. We at Milestones & Miracles embrace and encourage the fact that each of these milestones is a miracle, so we thought it would be fun to take a look at how the timeless tradition of recording milestones has changed and share some new ways of storing memories.

Here’s a picture of a baby book that looked similar to mine. A 1976 gem that lovingly records my birth stats (weight, height etc), has a little envelope for my first cut lock of hair, a directory of who visited me and the gifts they brought, and some general notes on my first words (dada, then helicopter-I know, weird), favorite games (chase daddy around the chair), and of course the ages when I first sat up, rolled, slept through the night, and took those cherished first steps. There was even a spot for my mother to glue in by birth announcement reading “Fay & Greg welcome their own Miss America.”  Wow, I totally did not live up to that proclamation.

By the time, we joyfully welcomed our daughters into the world, things had changed and parents, particularly mothers, not only needed to record those important stats but we needed to do it organically, creatively, and artistically. Hello Scrapbook industry, my name is Nicole, where would you like me to leave all my money?  I spent countless hours, writing their information on scrap paper, only to rewrite it (in fancier script, with fancier pens, on fancier paper) later on. Here’s a portion of that painstaking labor of love. (note to daughters who may read this one day: if you don’t appreciate and cherish this, act like you do!)

My children are older now, and I feel like there is a trend to simplify these days. Have I mentioned how much I love this trend? After searching on Pinterest & Etsy, I found more simple, more creative ways to maintain memories, leaving more time to actually ENJOY and PLAY with that sweet one meeting those milestones.  Here’s a few.

I love the idea of using index cards and post cards and a recycled berry carton to jot simple memories from the same date on successive years.

Found at: http://www.designsponge.com/2010/12/diy-project-vintage-postcard-calendar-journal.html

Freelance graphic designers make digitally recording these darling details simple and adorable. You simply purchase the template design and enter your own details. Some allow for printing, others into publishing into memories books.

Found at: http://tiffkeetch.bigcartel.com/product/milestone-templates

Another great one found at: https://pinterest.com/pin/135952482471555290/

My favorites are unconventional. Like this sweet wooden block set that you can write dates and milestones on.

Found at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/99902776/baby-keepsake-box-baby-book-alternative?ref=sr_gallery_29&ga_search_query=baby+book&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_min=0&ga_max=0&ga_search_type=all

A cherished item in our home is a quilt lovingly made as a wedding shower gift out of t-shirts of mine and my husbands. I am saving my daughters’ tees to have one made (no I am not a Martha Stewart) for them, but this would be a great idea to try with all of those sweet receiving blankets and sleepers that are hard to part with.

Here in our house, I’ve traded in the craft scissors and glue dots for the most part for more time with my favorite gals. I still plan on making a homeade Faith book for church activities, but once a year, I compile all our photos into a huge digital family book that I spice up with my own words recalling my thoughts and feelings.   It was a hard transition for me, but my children enjoy this book as much as the ones I spent much more time on.  I usually work on it in December during holiday break and it’s a wonderful way to reflect on our year.

I’ve leaned on Pinterest for this awesome idea for storing school memories in a plastic file box (one folder per school year) complete with a free printable sticker and place for a school photo.  Easy peasy AND it makes me limit what I am saving!

Found this at: https://pinterest.com/pin/55802482852718134/

The WAY we keep track of our children’s growth and development may change, but children will continue to amaze us with their miraculous milestones.  Want help understanding detailed milestones by age and area of infant and toddler development? We have a creative and easy way to simplify your life for you! 1-2-3 Just Play With Me links development with creative play for ages 0-3 in a beautiful card set. Listed as 1 of 8 baby products that will make your life easier by Today’s Parent Blog, parents as well as Early Head Start professionals are using this exciting product as a way to learn about the joys of development & play! Click on our home page for more details!

How do you creatively track the miracle of your child’s development? Please share with us!

Someone liked looking at her memory book tonight — maybe it was worth that work!