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The response to Luke’s web page was amazing. We heard from friends in the UK, Ireland, Canada,
USA, Australia, and New Zealand. The page
was passed around and seen by people we had lost touch with and relatives we didn’t
know we had! Everyone would check back
regularly to see new pictures and to read about his first smile, first steps and his new
friends.
One of the most common responses to Luke’s web page was “I wish I
had one!” Soon I was building web pages
for my friends’ children as birthday presents and birth announcements. I decided to take the plunge and start running a
business.
Just Watch Me Grow.com was born. I now build web sites for babies and kids
across Britain and even the USA. The pages
contain photos of the children, a countdown ticking the seconds away until their next
birthday and fun extras (like links to the Teletubbies web site and artwork the kids
themselves have made).
 The reactions were great!
Parents have fun showing off the pages to friends and colleagues. Proud grandparents can admire their grandchildren
no matter how many miles are between them. My
mum checked in on Luke’s site from a cyber-café in Sorrento when she was on holiday. My mother-in-law, Marion, is unable to travel due
to illness. She says, “Seeing Luke’s site on the web makes me feel included in
his events and developments, even though I can’t be there in person.”
The kids who are old enough to know about their pages love them, too. They get a real kick out of seeing themselves and
their friends online, and love displaying their artwork and favourite things too.
Georgia, aged four, is thrilled to see her drawings on “her
internet”. “My little sister looks
so cute on my internet, and the picture in my leotard is good ’cos now everyone knows
I can dance!” Georgia’s
grandmothers in Spain and North Wales can see what she and her younger sister are
interested in.
Getting a web-page from Just Watch Me Grow.com couldn’t be simpler. You
don’t need a scanner or a digital camera (or even a PC of your own!). Just send me
the photos you want to see online. A single
special occasion page costs £25. Or, if you want to send in new pictures regularly, a
page which includes twelve updates costs just £39. Your page stays on the web for a year.
 For me, the update pages
are the most fun – they can be like an online diary of what a child is up to that
month. In December a page might have a letter
to Father Christmas and a seasonal drawing; in summer it might be a photo album of the
child’s holidays.
With babies, the initial page can be a birth announcement, and the updates
can be all about the latest new development – smiles, crawling, first words. I love seeing the changes in each child.
Two years ago, when I gave up work to have Luke, I’d never have pictured
where it would lead. Now I have the best of both worlds – a wonderful little boy and
a business I love.
If you are interested in a web page by Just Watch Me Grow for a child
you know
email Jay at info@justwatchmegrow.com for more information.
* Copyright for all 3 images is Just Watch Me Grow.com
2001.
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When my son Luke was born, I wanted him
to grow up as a part of people’s lives, not just be a photograph in a Christmas card.
