When our second child was born, our clever friends bought our eldest boy a personalized book which told a story about him - just him - and nothing to do with the new baby. In a way, it was just what he needed. Something that was special and about him. Afterall, until our second son arrived, he was the center of our universe. So this clever gift gave him just the boost he needed to feel special.

We did also get a lovely “I’m a big brother” tshirt which he help to make with fabric pens and paints. All of these little efforts really helped to make him feel like he was part of this experience.

Our close friends were expecting their second baby at the same time - and they also did all these special things for their first child (same age as our first) and their experience wasn’t quite as smooth. Their daughter would sometimes pinch the baby. It didn’t last long - only a day or so. And to be honest, I was slightly horrified when I saw her try it. We all watched her like hawks and after about a week, she was past this. But apparently this can happen with the older sibling. Odd… but true…

If you have a story about your eldest child (when baby #2 arrived) post it here. It’s good to share the stories, solutions, ideas with each other. Like our friends, sometimes the response from the eldest child can be unexpected and it’s good to discuss ideas on how to respond to these reactions.

I just realized that I can create a google calendar online to track appointments and other developments for our baby - and share this withy hubby! It’s a great way to stay on top of appointments and progress in a collaborative setting.

The baby calendar I bought is really cute and has great little stickers to place along the way - tracking milestones etc. - but I feel like it’s only for me and not “us”.

Check it out on calendar.google.com - oh, and best of all, this pregnancy calendar is free!

We’ve seen many wall calendars for pregnant women and great pregnancy books which also illustrate fetal development. We think the online tools to monitor the stages of pregnancy are equally good - just not printed in printed form.

Pregnant women enjoy keeping track of their baby along with their husband or partner. It’s a great way to stay connected, excited, and informed on the healthy development of your baby.

We have seen a few of these online fetal development calendars and recommend you check our Buyers Guide - most of our recommended sites have these stages of pregnancy tools available on their home page.

Enjoy your pregnancy and keeping on top of each of the important stages.