Second labor of love... my pregnancy journal/scrapbook

"Whether your pregnancy was meticulously planned, medically coaxed, or happened by surprise, one thing is certain – your life will never be the same."
-Catherine Jones

In the last year, I've not only been growing a baby, but also a second labor of love. Starting in the early morning hours of a Saturday in May 2014, I curled beneath the sheets in the light of my phone to record my excitement of seeing two lines on a pregnancy test. For the next nine months I jotted down my notes, memories, and feelings about my journey to motherhood in an Evernote document. And, for the last couple of weeks I have brought those words to life in a most treasured scrapbook album, "Expecting Baby B..."

I had a bold and graphic 3-ring binder from Target and a variety of Bo Bunny page protectors waiting in the wings for the perfect project. Using that as my framework, I first designed the album in Adobe InDesign... the words from my journal illustrated by photos and ephemera from along the way.

Last year's One Little Word was "authentic," and I gave myself permission to feel all of the feelings. The entries in my journal include it all: the excitement, the joy, the fear, the surreal. While it is ultimately the story of me and my journey, someday when Silas reads it, I hope he feels the love that we had for him since the very beginning.

A pack of three coordinating file folders became section dividers for the three trimesters.

I used a combination of full-size (8.5"x11") page protectors and smaller (8"x9") page protectors, depending on the length of the stories. The 3"x4" pockets were perfect for iPhone photos, including screenshots of text messages as shown above.

I included swatches of the fabrics along with the receipt from our trip to Mary Jo's to tell the the story of how the nursery came together.

I slipped the ultrasound photos into the pockets and even saved the "It's a Boy" flag that we stuck in our doughnut to celebrate.

The album is told chronologically for the most part. I included reports from each doctor's visit and interspersed letters written to Baby B throughout.

I also saved brochures and important paperwork from doctor's visits.

We were so grateful for all of the thoughtful gifts from friends and family, and the slips of paper in the pockets above can be removed and unfolded to see the entire gift list.

I concluded the journal with my three-page birth story and a few of Silas' first photos.

But, of course the journey has just begun... I hope to continue Silas' story in a similar baby book/book about his first year.