Once you've told your inner circle of the most need-to-know people and you feel comfortable sharing your good news with... well, whoever will listen... you may be looking for some unique ways to display your new "mommy-to-be" status to the outside world.
- Do you have a MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, or other social networking page? If so, there are tons of websites offering graphics, tickers, and widgets that let others know you are expecting and even keep them updated on your progress. Here are a few of my faves:
Pregnancy Tickers- A pregnancy ticker is a cute, customizable, self-updating graphic that conveys information about your pregnancy - usually how far along you are, how long until your due date, and sometimes details about your growing baby (size, weight, etc.) as your pregnancy progresses. There is one at the top of my page (courtesy of BabyGaga). You can also find some cute tickers at WiddlyTinks, Ticker Factory, and LilyPie, to name a few. Google "pregnancy ticker" and I'm sure you'll find more.
Graphics- There are a TON of sites offering pregnancy-themed graphics and layouts for MySpace and other networking sites. Whether this is your first or your fifth, whether you're due in June or January, whether you're expecting twins or octuplets, there is a graphic out there for you. Doing a google search for "pregnant graphics" will yield a ton of results you can weed through. Another resource I used a lot was Photobucket. You have the ability to search all the public albums in Photobucket, so type in various pregnancy-related search terms ("pregnant", "pregnancy", "expecting", "baby", etc.) and you will find graphics that other people liked, and you can save them right to your album for use on your page.
Below are a few of the graphics I've used.
Widgets- A widget is a tool, of sorts. In a way, a ticker is a type of widget, in that it serves as sort of a countdown to your due date. A ticker, however is, generally speaking, a very simple widget. Most pregnancy widgets will serve the same basic purpose: they keep track of your pregnancy progress and the time that has elapsed and/or remains until your due date. Here is one from WidgetBox.com that not only counts the days until you're due, it also features a seemingly in-utero fetus whose development follows the development of your own growing baby. - You could keep it humorous with a funny maternity t-shirt letting people you're not just fat or warning them of the consequences of touching your belly. Since I'm a firm believer in looking for the comedy in every situation and never taking myself too seriously, this sort of thing is right up my alley. Check out some of these beauties:
Birth Control is for Sissies
Does this baby make me look pregnant?
All I wanted was a Backrub
I can lose the weight. You can't lose the ugly.
We're 50% sure it's a boy.
And there's even some for dad!
Pickles and Ice Cream Fetcher
I got her pregnant!
My wife is pregnant and this is my sympathy belly.
He Shoots. He Scores. - Similar to what you'd find in the t-shirt category, there are bumper stickers and decals if you feel compelled to share your news with other drivers or people in parking lots. Zazzle and CafePress both have pretty interesting selections.
- You can create your own baby website (usually for free, though you can often pay to receive "upgraded" features) on any number of sites that will allow you to post pictures, share stories and updates, post your registry, receive messages from visitors, etc. For example, with the standard free settings at TotSites.com, you can choose from over 50 design templates, you can upload photos and videos, keep a journal, create polls, give people access your gift registry, share fun facts about your pregnancy or your baby and invite guests to sign your guestbook. You have the option to upgrade to a Premium or Premium Plus account (for $4.95 and $5.95 a month, respectively) to increase your storage space and the number of photos you can upload, gain access to all the available templates, add music, and have an ad-free page.
- Did you know there are pregnancy announcement cards? I sure didn't! Have a look:
Fetal Greetings
Zoey's Attic
Baby Cachet
You may want to come up with your own creative ways to let the world know you're expecting (and if you have any, please feel free to share them)!
No comments:
Post a Comment