When I had my first baby, I was able to keep his baby book up to date for at least the first few months.  But by the second child, every attempt at keeping a baby book current was thrown out the window! Since I wanted to remember all the little things my children did, I devised a quick way to save special memories.  I placed a shoebox in the baby’s room with a pad of sticky notes and a pen.  Any time my child did something funny, said a new word or just made me smile, I quickly jotted it down on the paper and put it in the box.  If I was in a different room, I would write it on a scratch piece of paper and put it in my pocket.  Then, the next time I was in the baby’s room, I would put it in the box.

I have found these old notes are even more fun than reading a baby book.  Sometimes when I’m feeling nostalgic, I will sit with a box and sort through the pile of mismatched pieces of paper, each holding a special memory.  “5/12/94 David said first word - Hitty! (Kitty!)”  or “Michael hugged the dog and said ‘Grandma!’” 

One day I will actually jot this information in the baby book.  Or not!  Because these simple cardboard boxes hold years of laughter, memories and fun.

What do we mean?  This advice goes back to my mother, and then her mother before.  Often when a baby goes to sleep, everyone tip-toes around the house trying to be quiet.  Then when the first knock comes at the door, no surprise - the baby starts screaming.

When my brother was born, grandma gave some excellent advice.  Vacuum when the baby sleeps!  Very sound advice, indeed.  But why?

From the moment my mother brought my brother home, she went about her day normally, whether he was awake or asleep.  As she tells it, she even vacuumed under his crib while he was sleeping.  He never woke when the doorbell rang or when the dog barked.  He was used to these daily noises and slept soundly at nap time.

Perhaps this was the beginning of what we call, “white nose.”  But to her, no matter what you called it, it still came down to being plain old sound advice.