Thursday, August 15, 2013

Rag & Bone Bindery Baby's First Book

I searched my butt off for the perfect baby book for Arlo. Everything in the stores was too traditional, too flimsy, too blah—so I had to scour the Internet for one that made me giddy. Totally found it.

Baby's First Book by Rag & Bone Bindery is the most gorgeous baby book I've ever laid eyes on. They offer several different cover options, but one in particular really spoke to me. Since it's (Stop reading, Danny.) $80 (Resume reading, Danny.) for a personalized one, I was slightly hesitant to buy it without being able to touch it and flip through it first—but I couldn't find another one that I liked even half as much as this one, so I bit the bullet.

Since each book is hand bound upon order, it took about a month for this sucker to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait.

I should have busted out the camera because my phone can't do this book justice.

As soon as I removed this book from its vellum overwrap, I was blown away by the quality. It just feels good to hold. The linen fabric, the shiny ribbon, the heavy paper stock. Just amazing. I'll never regret spending (Danny, stop reading.) $80 (Danny, resume reading.) on this thing because I'm confident it'll be around for generations.

Let's zoom in on that beauty, shall we?

More importantly, I really love the 23 pages of prompts—but I knew that before the book arrived because I contacted the company and asked them to provide me a table of contents. In a perfect world, this gorgeous book would be customizable. (For example, I really wanted a page called "Sharing the News" or something like that, where I could share information about the party we threw to share our news with our friends.) However, the backs of the pages are blank, so if I really feel like it, I can sneak in a few more details that are pertinent to our own story.

Anyway, I appreciate that all but a few prompts allow room for a relevant photo. Here's what's on each page:
  1. A Book About
  2. Before You Were Born (info on Mom and Dad, including places to put our own baby photos)
  3. Mom & Dad (how we met, how he proposed, etc.)
  4. Family Tree
  5. Expecting (date we learned you were on the way, Dad's first thoughts, Mom's first thoughts)
  6. Shower
  7. The Special Day! (when and where Mom went into labor, Dad's thoughts)
  8. Welcome (birth details)
  9. Naming (how we chose your name, other names we liked)
  10. Coming Home (vehicle we brought you home in, memories of first night, place for photos of nursery and house)
  11. Baby’s World (popular songs, movies, shows, etc.)
  12. Footprints
  13. Baby’s Mementos (This page is supposed to have a vellum envelope for hair clippings, etc., but mine was missing for some reason. I contacted the company last night, and I'm awaiting a response.)
  14. Birth Announcement
  15. Family Photos
  16. Friend Photos
  17. 1st Bath
  18. Baby’s Firsts (smile, laugh, solid food, sat up, waved; includes space for "other firsts")
  19. 1st Holiday
  20. 1st Year (a page to record height and weight throughout the year)
  21. 1st Birthday
  22. More Pictures
  23. More Thoughts
I like this page. It includes how we chose your name, its meaning, other names we liked, and nicknames we call you.

I suppose I should start filling this out before the details become hazy (okay, I don't actually think that's going to happen). Also, this is where I get really sad that my handwriting looks like a second-grade boy's. Waaah.

Anyway, go buy this book!

5 comments:

paisleybaby33 said...

LOVEEEE this!!!

Expecting the Unexpected! said...

LOVE this!

KMac said...

Love this! I have been looking for the perfect book too, and just ordered this one after reading this post. I can't believe I just spent so much on a baby book, but they are so beautiful, and I love the way they are organized. Thanks Amanda!

Amanda said...

KMac, it's worth every penny! You're gonna LOVE it. :)

Katy G. said...

Love this! I love how unique it is :)