Adoptive moms often want the perfect baby book for their child; one that explains the whole adoption experience, the emotions, and the details. Too often it becomes overwhelming and something that is put off until there is "time." A fast adoption scrapbook album is needed so the child can enjoy reading his or her story from when they are a toddler.

While you are waiting to adopt a child it seems the day will never arrive when the phone will ring with news of "You're having a baby!" Starting your adoption scrapbook album while still in the waiting phase can help can be a comfort. It will remind you that the day really will arrive when you will be a parent. Plus, it's a great way to learn how to journal what is important to you. Once the child arrives, you may be more likely to take the time to journal about events and emotions.

Don't get overwhelmed with the idea of an adoption album. One of the best places to begin is with a long list of topics about your adoption experience. These kinds of lists can be found on a variety of web sites, including my own, which has over 150 topics.

Consider purchasing a pre-made adoption album. You can buy a hard-cover book at your favorite bookstore, or even hire a freelance scrapbooker to do a pre-designed book for you. One of the best is the Adoption Scrapbook Album which is twenty pages of overlays, where you get to choose five that specifically fits your child's experience. They make your book look like it was designed by a professional, but with the price tag of doing it yourself.

Go buy your stickers and other embellishments. Though few mention adoption, you can find a lot of stickers that mention family, baby milestones, love, and life events. These can be helpful to fill in spaces and add some style.

Have some fun with your digital camera and take a bunch of photos of the day-to-day stuff. Spilled Cheerios all over the living room floor and the huge pile of laundry will give you interesting journaling topics. The more creative photographs you take, the more you'll enjoy journaling. And years later you'll be glad you wrote about and photographed the uneventful stuff as well as the vacations. Your child will have a great time reading about it too.

Be creative, but don't get obsessive about it. Don't go join "cropping parties" unless you want a new social group. Buy a nice paper cutter, stick with straight edges on your photos (no circles will save hours), matte photos using solid-color card stock and buy the patterned paper in bulk (craft stores have "slabs.").

Write it down now. It's a good idea to get the adoption scrapbook album done sooner rather than later so your toddler can look at it, at least start keeping notes as you go so you will have lots of journaling ideas to choose from. Purchase a small notepad to carry around in the diaper bag so you have it handy when you want to write down something that happened or just record your thoughts.

My son turns five-years-old this month. I remember the first year of his life when I got so tired of strangers approaching me to say, "It goes so fast." But now I am one of those people, smiling at little babies and telling new moms, "Cherish this time. It goes so fast." Adoption is such an incredible experience. It's easy to believe that you will remember every emotion you beheld when you looked into your sweet one's eyes. But let's get real! Our brains can only hold so much. And our children do grow up so quickly. Record those treasured memories now before you forget.