This week's tip comes in the form of a layout! It is actually one that I did a couple years ago but thought it might be helpful to rehash it here! :)

While I was waiting for my daughter's adoption to complete, which is before I knew what a "lifebook" was, I did an album that had a two-page layout for each month of my wait. On the left side, I would put the monthly photo updates that we received and on the right side would be 95% journaling, with an itinerary (or calendar)-like view for the dates within the month and the details of the important events within the adoption that happened during that month.

The journaling next to these monthly updates was really done moreso from my vantage point and therefore doesn't quite make lifebook material, but if I had known more about the concept of a lifebook, I could have easily used the same photos, etc. and just changed the text to be more from the viewpoint of my daughter.

For any of you interested, I have a sample of one of my two-page layouts to share. I have scanned it in a little small so it won't take long to load -- it will be fuzzy, but you should be able to get the idea. The left page is pictures of my daughter Maria taken during the month of September 2000 with a disposable camera that we sent to her foster mother. On the right hand side is a series of dates and events all within September 2000 that describes the progress in her case and what I did to pass the time while waiting. It lists a date first, in capital letters and bolded, followed by the description. This repeats for each date and event within the month.

I hope this helps someone and I plan to share more layouts in the future. Stay tuned!