My son Justus turned 1 in March. While celebrating his birthday I realized that the previous 12 months was the fastest year of my life. It literally seemed to flash by in an instant. I bet I’m not the only mom that feels this way?!?! From what I hear, every year will get faster and faster. In order to remember the fastest year of my life I documented as much as I could in a few different ways.
Check out some of my ideas… it’s never too late to get started!
Weekly & Monthly Photos I took a picture each week and an additional picture each month, sometimes I was taking them days or weeks late, but I had great intentions! I’m sure we have all seen similar pictures on FaceBook or Pinterest. Here’s what I did! I took each picture with JJ in a diaper, on the same blanket, with a stuffed bear, and documented the week number with a small chalkboard (weeks) or unique number (months). At the end of the year I used all of these pictures for a birthday party poster and photo book. Check out those projects below!
Birthday Party Poster I made a big poster that hung at Justus’ birthday party. Now the poster is hanging in our stairwell and we talk to Justus about how he has grown over the year, what his milestones were, and how much he has changed. He loves looking at pictures of himself!
Photo Book At the end of the year I wanted to display all of the weekly and monthly photos easily so I made a photo book. Each layout of the book represents one month. The left page is weekly pictures of the corresponding monthly picture on the right page. The book is simple without any writing but clearly tells the story of his first year of life.
- Helpful Hints
- Make the picture taking fun by focusing on enjoying the moment and not stressing about the “perfect” picture
- Include the week/month number in the picture so you don’t have to try to remember when you took it!
- Use unique numbers
- Wait until Shutterfly (or a similar company) has a coupon for a fee photo-book!
- Take candid shots possibly using more props to show favorite toys or milestones
- Make a short video each month right after taking pictures
- Work on the photo book over time instead of rushing at the end of the year
Other fun projects to remember the first year and beyond…
Traditional Baby Book (Ongoing) Exactly that, a very traditional baby book. I am not a traditional person but this is a great structure that shouldn’t be messed with! This book captures everything including pregnancy milestones, baby showers, the birth story, a list of firsts, and monthly updates. It also continues for 18 years.
- Helpful Hints
- Decide on a book during pregnancy so you can begin filling it in as soon as possible
- Have the book with you at the hospital for feet/hand prints
- Have a designated time each month to work on filling out the book. If you get behind you may get very overwhelmed!
First Year Calendar (Corresponds with the Baby Book) I liked having a calendar in Justus’ room where I could keep track of all that happened. At the end of each month I answered the questions on the top page which helped document that particular period. The calendar I used also came with stickers to track milestones.
Traditional Photo Albums (Ongoing) (Corresponds with the Baby Book) The most common coupon from Shutterfly is for free prints, so why not use that coupon every time?!?! Over the past year, when I got a free prints coupon I ordered my favorite recent pictures, added them to the book, and I was done! As the year went on I built a traditional photo album and had extra pictures to send to family!
Happy Birthday Guest Book (Ongoing) At Justus’ birthday party I displayed this book, just like a guest book. All of the guests signed the page I had marked for his first birthday. There are enough pages in this book to have a designated layout for each birthday party from birth to 18. This book is kept in his room, with all of his other books, and we often look at the messages from friends!
Your Birthday Book (Ongoing) This book is like a condensed baby book but you only have to remember to fill it out once a year! It has a page for each birthday up to 18, a lot of fun layouts, space for time capsule keepsakes, child interviews, and pockets for pictures. (I have had this book for months but have yet to fill it out!)
One Line a Day! I bought this book when I was pregnant and started writing on January 1st. This book has space for five years; a short and simple message every day! Sometimes I write about what we did that day. Other times I write about my hopes and dreams for the future, my prayers for his life, or a particular milestone memory. Helpful Hint: Sometimes I sit down to fill in this book and I’m weeks behind. In order to help myself, I make small notes on your phone where I have an ongoing lists of memories I want to remember. That way, when I fill in my book I have something to reference.
It may seem like all I did for a year was take pictures and fill out books but it was easy and fun. I tried to stick to designated times to work on each project and made the process joyful. And I am so glad that I took the time to document the first year and start some projects that will continue through the next few years.
The most important thing is to find something that works for you and your family and make it fun!
