Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

journals tell family history

Anne Phyfe Palmer triptych of journals help parents tell their family story.

Capture a family’s history in 3 journals

This Life of Mine, This Family of Ours, My Baby's Book

There are baby books and there is “My Baby’s Book,” and the two are not the same. 

Seattle author Anne Phyfe Palmer, yoga pioneer and mom has created a beautiful and compelling journaling tryptic with the release of the latter earlier this year. 

Keepsake-oriented, “My Baby’s Book” is the third journal created by Palmer and published by Seattle-based Sasquatch books. It joins “This Life of Mine” published in 2019 and “This Family of Ours” in 2021 in providing ample space and prompts to explore one’s own life, the life of one’s family and a child’s first few years of life. 

By the time parents have completed this baby history, they’ll have a collection of photos and other memorabilia from pregnancy on that will bring them right back to the thrilling if challenging moments of early parenthood. Equally important, they’ll have a book of their personal reflections on those experiences, written memories, and shared stories from their child’s earliest years. It’s a wonderful and, at 144 pages, full picture of their child’s entry into the world to offer them down the road.  Like Palmer’s other two journals, “My Baby’s Book” is grounded in the bold colors and intricate work of papercut artist Sarah Trumbauer throughout.

This book alone would make a great baby shower gift. However, as someone whose own baby book and family history documents were thin and uninformative, I suggest using or giving the three books together to create a family history set. 

“This Life of Mine” journal inspires parents to record the unique details and stories of their own individual lives (You’ll want to get two so you can both fill one out). “This Family of Ours” looks at the family as a whole and captures the stories and details of all family members and their life together.

Order “My Baby Book” ($22.95), “This Life of Mine” ($19.95), and “This Family of Ours” ($19.95) from sasquatchbooks.com. Also available from other booksellers.

More at Seattle’s Child:

“KCLS’ Best Books of 2022”

Check out the Seattle’s Child Book Corner

About the Author

Cheryl Murfin

Cheryl Murfin is managing editor at Seattle's Child. She is also a certified doula, lactation educator for NestingInstinctsSeattle.com and a certified AWA writing workshop facilitator at Compasswriters.com.