Must. Save. Everything.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a pretty terrible memory (aside from work - I'm some sort of savant there). To be specific, my memory works in a very strange way - I have a pretty fantastic visual memory, but my memory of events is very, very poor. Often times it feels "Swiss-cheesed", like the leaper Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap.

"Oh boy."

Because I'll likely never have my brain/ mind studied by experts, I'll never fully understand how a permanent memory is made in my head. And now that Calvin's here, and everyone keeps telling me how quickly it goes by, how fast they grow, I feel almost desperate to remember it all. Every little moment. I know that's a huge reason why I dutifully (and happily!) fill out his baby book each month, why I have taken close to 2,000 pictures of him in just 4 1/2 months(!!), and why I have already put so many things into Cal's Baby Box™.

Baby Box™ in the background

In it are so many tiny pieces of clothing and outfits from when my baby was brand-new, that I haven't the heart to give away... Outfits he wore for those of his "firsts" that have already come and gone (First Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter, so far)... And special keepsakes like all the congratulatory cards we received when Calvin was born, his hospital blanket, hat, bracelet and crib card, and a tiny hand-crocheted blue hat that was in a welcome kit the hospital gave us.

Obviously I have no doubt that I'll continue to add to the Box as more of Calvin's firsts come along. I suppose I realize that I can't save everything, as much as I want to, and that the Box should be reserved for extra-special items and mementos, or else I'd have to rent a storage unit for all of the extra-large teal storage bins I'd fill.

But, I do it to remember. As much as I can. All of the photos I take, the outfits I save, I'll keep because I'm worried if I don't, I'll eventually forget. And all these moments and occasions I experience with this beautiful baby boy deserve to be cataloged, preserved, remembered. They're far, far too precious to me to let slip away.