Baby Announcement

UPDATE: See our Baby's Birth Announcements >> Here.

Guess who gets to start reusing their cloth diaper stash this summer!

That's right--this girl!

We are so excited to be adding a baby boy to our family! I was completely ready to reuse our blue and green stash on a girl--but even more perfect that we're having another boy.

This means that I will also be adding new content to Prefolds Love that has been on my list for a while. (Night time diapering or cloth on-the-go, anyone?) I stalled out because a 3-year-old cloth diaper model just looks a little out of place :) I hope to fill in some gaps to make this a more complete site covering as much of the prefolds-covers cloth diaper process as I can.

I also will be using this space to share a little more about preparing for baby in general--minimalist new baby checklist, thoughts on preparing for birth, and such. Many of us start the cloth diaper research while those beans are still cookin', so those topics are likely to be relevant and helpful to some.

Anyway, this is my hello as I re-enter and refresh this site.

Hope to see more of you!

And, because I don't like adding content here unless it is applicable to others, here are some thoughts on creating your own special pregnancy announcement.

Creating a Unique-to-You Baby Announcement

Okay, so we've all seen the same ol' pregnancy announcement trends, haven't we? Shoes, and the them-plus-her-equals-5, and big brother/sister-to-be, and the onesies, and the family-growing-by-two-feet, and have I mentioned the shoes? We all want to be unique with our announcement or at least a little bit original so our announcement is personal to us and doesn't look like a total knock-off of someone else's idea.

Here are a few ideas on doing just that...

1 // worry less about being one-of-a-kind

Here's the deal, it's highly likely your idea has been done before. By someone somewhere. What's even more important, is that it doesn't matter. Because you're not putting their announcement in your permanent memory box or family photo album, you're putting your announcement there. So don't worry so much about being one-of-a-kind according to Pinterest or the great world-wide web.

And what's so wrong with following a popular trend anyway? Who cares if everyone else is announcing their pregnancies with a pair of adorable miniature shoes. If that's an idea you like, then do it! I already mentioned your announcement is the one you'll hang onto and cherish. So don't let an idea you love get away just because it's popular right now.

Just focus on making your announcement specific to you, and I'm guessing years from now that is what you'll remember and that is what will make it special.

2 // make it creatively yours

You don't have to directly follow the popular trends already floating around. In a nutshell, a pregnancy announcement gets the idea that a) there is a fetus growing, and/or b) there will soon be a baby added to the family. The ideas really are limitless on how you can do this.

When you find an idea you love, find those small details that make it uniquely you. The location the photos are taken could mean something special (location of your outdoor wedding?), or the style of the shoes (are you big fans of chucks?), or the big brother/sister outfit(s) (anyone else have a pirate and a princess?), or the miniature object you show (a trike if you're bicyclers or miniature jersey if you're sports fans?), or the food you say is in the oven (any pizza lovers?).

Those are the details that will capture your family's uniqueness.

3 // keep it simple

Who says you have to do a big announcement photo shoot anyway?! I really try as much as possible to keep our photos condensed to what is essential so that years down the road our memories are easy and fun to look through and not overwhelming. So, when it comes to pregnancy announcements, we keep it simple. Really simple. With our second it was a matter of posting "Heard baby's heartbeat!" and with our third--a picture of the ultrasound hanging on the kids' art wall.

Because I certainly want to document this--but early on I just want to get the news out. The documenting will come later with a few shots of baby growing in my tummy, and even more later when that cute thing shows his face.

So, try not to stress too much about it. Get a picture or two of your excitement however you wish to document that. Then just enjoy that baby growing inside, because soon enough those sleepless nights will be a little less than exciting ;)

Some of my favorite announcement ideas:
belly anatomy
reading for baby
hearts over belly + bump ahead
chalk bump // chalk crib
onesie initials // onesie heart
them plus her equals 5
bike crew
matching shoes

>>>

also read:
our baby's birth announcements

first trimester | second trimester | third trimester

cloth diapering checklist