This year, I was pregnant with my first child. For anyone who has been pregnant before, you know that basically- it is 9 months of torture, which makes you obsessive. For some, they are obsessed with the nursery. Some are obsessed with naming the child. Some are obsessed with obtaining every possible gadget and doo-dad for the little one.

I, was obsessed with ALL of it!

With my obsession came documentation. I wanted to document every piece of this experience, the pregnancy, the birth, the baby. Being a wedding photographer, documentation is so important to me- really, it is everything I stand for. So choosing the perfect baby book was imperative.

On my search for this "perfect" baby book- I found cute options that weren't practical, or worse- practical options that weren't cute. Most baby books are stitch-bound, so it is impossible to add to them or customize them much.

WELL- weeks after finding a baby book that would 'work for us', Emily Ley did it again...(if you have ever owned a Simplied Planner, you know what I am talking about) she released a baby book that really had everything I was looking for!

- Visually appealing: beautiful, clean design, gold foil on the front and back cover as well as the color coded page tabs, modern but timeless, unisex- so can be bought as a baby gift, or before the gender is determined-- and of course it matches the chair in my nursery PERFECTLY.

-Practical: the format is a standard size 3-ring binder, so the pages can be rearranged. I love this, because most baby books' order isn't always the way that things happen for your baby. Such as- first haircut page is usually around a year, my baby's first haircut happened at 9 weeks... with this format, you can put everything in the exact order it happened for your little one. You can also add more pages and it is SIMPLE since you can use a 3-hole punch to add whatever you'd like. So practical. I love keeping everything for my son, but I am a busy mama...so the 3- ring simplifies everything so you can add it to your book right away.

- High Quality: I guess this can also double dip into the visual appeal- but the pages are thick but not cumbersome and the printing and gold foil is perfection. It is lightweight- yet durable. And the cover has a lamination that can be easily wiped... just in case tiny, sticky fingers might find their way on their heirloom.

When it comes down to it, no child is alike and I think mama EL knows that as much as the rest of us! Her design has so much personality, but so much room to add your own personality and the personality of your little one! The pages included go up to YEAR 5! But with the 3-ring format, you can pack that puppy full of all sorts of "firsts" and photos.

Bravo again Emily Ley. Bravo.