My Go-To Gift for New & Expecting Moms

The Wonderful Things You Will Be
Written & Illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin
Age Level: 0-2 Years
Published August 25, 2015

Grab some tissues. You’re gonna have all the feels.

When I was eight months pregnant, I remember sitting in the rocking chair in my son's freshly decorated nursery and daydreaming about the sweet and snuggly little baby who would be there soon. The Wonderful Things You Will Be perfectly captures those feelings of awe and wonder that I had both at the end of my pregnancy and in those blissful newborn days when I was completely besotted with my little one. 

"When you were too small
To tell me hello,
I knew you were someone
I wanted to know."

I adore that the prose of this book is written in the form of a darling poem from parent to child. And the painted illustrations have a vintage quality that perfectly capture the preciousness and innocence of babyhood. The book has a lovely heirloom feel, and it's the kind of treasure that you carefully pack away once your child has outgrown it, saving it for future grandchildren. To that end, the author includes a beautiful "This Book Belongs to" page at the beginning. Lastly, if you need a companion gift for an older sibling, there is a memory game that utilizes the book's illustrations.  

I love gifting this book to new and expecting moms because I can picture them rocking in their nursery chairs, turning the pages, and thinking - like I did - that it says all the right things and hits all the right notes.