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You plan then plan more and finally baby arrives. Suddenly, your life is in fast forward mode and you are doing your best to stay awake and to cherish every moment with your newborn. From ultrasound pictures to baby shower cards, birth announcements, pediatrician visit charts and digital prints it's amazing how anyone could organize these items in order to review them in the years to come.

Ideally you would want to use these items to create scrapbooks and memory books or art and display them in your home or in baby's nursery. However, once baby arrives, it can be challenging to find opportunities to sit and to design a well thought out book or creative piece.

Given the circumstances of your life, start thinking outside of the box for ways to capture and document your child's development and to effectively save mementos. Before you begin, purchase a plastic storage container for your items. Store the container in your baby's closet or in a designated space so you can continue to add items and ensure that everything can be found in one place. You can also purchase envelopes and folders to label and store inside the bin so you can separate items by activity or by age.

A simple alternative to hard copy scrapbooks and memory books is on-line photo sharing. You can create an album for family and friends by downloading your photos to an on-line vendor such as Snapfish. If you want prints, order your favorites and save them in a labeled envelope to work with during the next half of the year when your child is on a more regular schedule. If you want to keep your photos on your local drive, consider purchasing an inexpensive and user friendly scrapbook software package. You can find these packages at Target or at on-line retailers.

A terrific way to celebrate your child's first birthday is to host a scrapbook party in honor of your child. Pull out your bin and have each person select an envelope or folder to use for a scrapbook. You can supply the tools and your friends and relatives can help you design some special pieces for your child in lieu of store bought presents. Since your child won't participate in the scrapbook party, treat her or him to a family lunch or dinner at a kid-friendly restaurant with a few friends and your immediate family.

If you are still searching for time and energy to complete a scrapbook or art project with your child's special items, consider enrolling in a scrapbook class or art class that will allow you to use your own pieces to create keepsakes. Not only will you finish your projects, but you will have an opportunity to spend some well deserved mom time outside of your house.