Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Guest Post: Thoughts on Baby Books

I put together a baby book for my firstborn. I wanted something that would make tangible the earliest moments of her existence. Thank you iPhoto for making this so easy. I started the book with scripture, a portion of Psalm 139 that reads like a children's story. It's extremely similar to the story of the runaway bunny who tries to run away from his mother's love but cannot. I wonder if Margaret Wise Brown's book was inspired by this psalm or if it speaks to the universality of mankind's longing for God's inescapable love.

O where can I go from your spirit,
or where can I flee from your face?
If I climb the heavens, you are there.
If I lie in the grave, you are there.
If I take the wings of the dawn and dwell at the sea's furthest end,
Even there your hand would lead me, your right hand would hold me fast.
If I say: "Let the darkness hide me and the light around me be night,"
Even darkness is not dark for you
and the night is as clear as the day.
For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother's womb
I thank you for the wonder of my being
      for the wonders of all your creation.

The pages include:
  • A wedding photo (seemed like a good place to start)
  • The wedding vow about lovingly accepting children from God
  • A pregnant belly photo
  • An ultrasound photo
  • A paragraph on how we chose her name
  • A paragraph about her birth
  • Newborn photos from a few minutes after birth
  • Newborn photos from a few days after birth
  • A keepsake birth certificate
  • Baptism photos and a portion of the baptismal prayer
  • Photos with family and scripture about family
  • Baby feet

I'm hoping to read the book to our firstborn, 16 months now, to help her understand that she's been special and loved from the first moments of her existence and, secondarily, to help her understand what will happen when her little sister is born. I'd also like it to be something she can read and enjoy as she grows older. Any other suggestions? What would you put in a baby book? Any other scripture passages that would be good for the littlest's baby book?
God Bless,
Meghan

2 comments:

Mandi Richards said...

I'm going to bookmark this post so I can come back to it when I'm ready to make a baby book for my little one! What wonderful ideas! And I love the inclusion of scripture and prayer (I'm ashamed to admit I would have never thought to include those on my own).

Mandi Richards said...

Betsy, thank you so much for your comment on my Quick Takes. Someone mentioned to me about a year ago that there was a link between some vaccines and aborted fetuses, but I wasn't sure where to start looking up the information - it doesn't seem to be very easy to find. I will definitely check out that link!