Anyone else keep a kind of journal/diary of their children?

[dinny]

Interested as a friend of mine was really surprised I did - I only update it every so often, ie./ if something funny has happened, with a funny quote or if a momentous event has occured (ie. chicken pox )

tell me I'm not alone - can't believe I am.

My daughter has a blog and she is only 6.5 months old! I'm really interested in the whole area of children's books and reading, so decided to keep a record of how she develops in this area. The blog address is in my profile; check it out and leave a book recommedation if you want, I'd love someone other than family to look at it!

another blogger here... started it when she was 1, and now doing some retrospective posts. only family and friends get to see, and we also have a bit to record her bilingual language development.

I do a daily diary for all our little ones as well as a memory box and photo album.

I work on the principle that they won't remember any of their firsts, ie smile, sleep through the night etc and these make that info available to them and their new families.

Our local authority encourages us to do this and we call it "Life Story" work.

If I could go back in time I'd definately start this with my own DC's.

My three have baby record books that cover from 1 through to 5. Still trying to fill in dd2's and 3 to keep it up to date.

Think I will start writing that journal to them all with stories of what they did when they were little.

dd1's kindy did a journal/profile that they compiled over the year of events and happenings . We also were given a cd rom with all the pics that were taken with dd1 in over the year at kindy.

I do a quarterly newsletter to send out to friends although I have fallen behind recently - it includes things that are going on in the world, big events, music and sports news; Things we have been up to -holidays, parties, trips etc. and developments such as new words, behaviours, likes and dislikes as. About 2 or 3 photos thrown in as well. Many of our friends live abroad so this is a way of keeping them up to date with DDs world - she is 2 in June - not sure how long I will keep this up considering I have already fallen behind

Diary which I write 2-3 times a week. Newspaper the day the children were born, locks of their hair, teeth, other bits and pieces, some clothes. Tons of photos and borrow a video camera 3-4 times a year. It's quite a lot of work doing all this but my parents have very little from when I was a child and besides I enjoy it as well.

Oh yes and a few drawings too - I take digital photos of these as well if they are really good.

Cote how would I go about setting up a blog, I really like the sound of that. As I live abroad it would be a great way for friends and families to watch the children growing up!

I wish I had, then I might remember when someone on here asks about how to get them to sleep, eat, use a potty.... I feel that now they are 19 & 17 I ought to be able to pass on a little of my experience - and I can't because I've forgotten it.
Although I must say that when I read stuff on here I do start having flashbacks 'Oh, yes I remember one of them doing that!' Can't usually remember if it was DS or DD though.....

Cotedazur, your dd's gorgeous! what language is the blog in ?

this is lovely, i so wish that i had started this before i really do, so i am going to do it. Buy a nice book and a nice pen and just keep a dairy type thing, maybe i will note down the milestones i can remember on a sort of ish basis, DD is nearly two, im quite excited at the prospect, not sure about the warts and all, im quite a neurotic person so all my major worries are usually over something trivial.

McDreamy - I don't know anything about website design, it all comes ready. Go to Blogger, choose a layout and a name, and the rest is as easy as making a post here. It really is a great way for the family to stay in touch. And they can make comments on each post.

piz - That is Turkish, minus a couple of letters that I don't have on my qwerty keyboard

Here's my daughter's blog, for those who read French.
blog

My dh thinks I am mad, but I have a diary for my 6 month old ds, which I write in every day, have done since he was 6 weeks old. I'd like to keep it going for as long as I can, but guess the frequency which I write in it will reduce. The real reason is that realistically he's probably the only child I will have (I'm 37 and having had a handicapped brother, nervous of risks for older mums), and I want to be able to remember as much as possible. With sleep deprivation my memory is shot, so without a book it would all be a blur, and it would be sad not to be able to remember the details of the happiest time of my life.

hmmm, inspired to get nice new journals now - the ones I have are not worthy, lol. any suggestions where please?

Not read through the whole of the thread, but I also try to write down stuff that my kids do and say. Three year old asked me if Mozart wrote the Sound of Music soundtrack!
Last Christmas, I bought my five year old a diary, and she's written in it every day this year so far. It is so cute, and I don't correct her spelling unless she asks. Recently she wrote "I went to Isaac Nutans house, and we did sum siyons".

I have a baby book for each of mine recording "firsts" with baby pix etc. DS2's is more detailed than the others because I was on mat leave longer with him!

I also do a little note on their birthdays each year of what they are doing/like/eat/play with etc which I stuff in the back of the baby book.

I also write a diary which I have done since DS1 was a day old - it is my diary but it's mainly about them and records anything we have done together and special things they said or did.

squarehead my older 2 (7&5) both have diaries this year too. How cute is that note from yr DD - mine wrote today that she liked "pass the parcle" at a party.

No. Lovely idea, wish i did!! Cant keep my own diary let alone one for anyone else though!

I wrote in dd's yesterday, actually - we were on the Tube and she asked "Are we in Hell yet, Mummy?" She thinks it goes to Hell as it's underground (slight obsession with Heaven/Hell sparked by starting Sunday School)

Piz - "les babanes", j'adore

I read with interest the bilinguisme posts. DD has three languages around her - English, French, and Turkish. She says several words in all three languages, but most of them start with the letter "b" - baba (daddy in Turkish, Bob (le bricoleur), bubble, etc. Did your DD start with such a letter fetish?

Good luck with the "gros bidon"

Clary - My DD liked going ot Isacc Newton's house. She went on a 'school trip' with the local home education group, but I didn't go myself as there was no room in the friend's car for me! I think she would recommend it though. She was quite inspired by the visit, and decided that she wanted to discover something new herself. After a bit of head-scratching, she announced that she was born too late - there is nothing left to discover.

Merci cotedazur
I don't recall her having fetish sounds when she started talking. I know that labials (like b, m, p) are more difficult to pronounce so they come later. That's why she was able to say 'daddy' long before 'maman', which was making me

Ive kept diaries from my pregnancies, even a labour diary! then we have baby books which ive filled in and taken pictures at various stages along with pictures of drawings/artwork etc. Then theres baby footprints, 1st shoes, fav outfit, the buggy advertistment out of a magazine(thought it may be a laugh in 20 yrs time) In their baby books every few weeks/months I write a bit about what funny things they do or say and what their personality is like. As DD didnt sleep I even kept a sleeping log, a bit extreme but it came in handy when I had DS as I used to compare him. We then have stacks of photos and video footage, birthday cards and so on.

I love looking through photos and have kept stuff from my childhood which is nice to look back on so I hope that by doing this DD and DS will get some enjoyment out of it in years to come.