Baby’s First Year Memories

I’m in full party mode right now.  Catch me buried deep in pom poms, party favors, and all the orange and black basketballs you can imagine!  Colton turns one on June 14th and his party is coming up in just a couple weeks.  Eek!  I feel like I have so much to do before his big day gets here. Even though I’m loving finalizing all the cute details and prepping all my to do lists, I’m having those nostalgic moments of my second baby becoming a one year old…already.  How guys??

So with him turning this milestone age, I wanted to share all the different ways I’ve collected those sweet memories of my two little babes throughout their first years.  I know I’ll be so thankful I did these and hopefully the boys will one day, too!

Hospital Memories

From pregnancy to when you bring your babe home, you have so many sweet little pieces that could so easily get lost in the shuffle.  On one of my many Ikea “nesting” runs, I stumbled across these sweet little glass canisters in the kitchen section (because why wouldn’t I be in the kitchen section while looking for baby things!? :)) These Korken Glass Canisters are just $3.99 from Ikea and fit allll of the pieces in the picture above.  So as I would get sonogram photos, hospital tags, the hospital outfit, certificates, and sweet little hat, I would put them inside the jar, close the airtight lid, and know it will be kept safe, dry, and clean for years to come!

Newspapers for their First Days

The day Jackson was born, our very own Kansas City Royals won their Division (and went on to win the World Series!!).  My hubs went out and nabbed the newspaper the next day and put together this great framed piece with the day’s headlines for Jackson.  How great of a day when the Royals win their Division AND the Pope comes to the United States!  What a beautiful day!  We knew we wanted to do the same for Colton, so we had my brother save some papers from my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA that was full of the Stanley Cup Championship parade!  Boys were both born on some wonderful sports days!!

Calendars

I purchased some cute calendars from Target like this or this and some Flair pens in all different colors before each of the kids were born.  From the day they were born, I added each little moment into their calendars.  A quick note was so simple to do and not much thought or pressure involved.  I love the idea of the “Line of the Day” books but I just knew I was setting myself up for failure.  I’m not one that could do that each and everyday…and especially with multiple kids.  A calendar note after it happens is sooo much less pressure!

Right before the first birthday, I snapped pictures of the month, uploaded on Shutterfly and create a simple hardcover book to document the first year.  S-I-M-P-L-E!

Baby Height Chart

 

I gave a peek at Colton’s Height Chart in his Nursery Reveal post not long ago.  I am so blessed to have an aunt that is so extremely talented, and even more generous.  After each of the boys were born, she created these gorgeous height charts to match their nursery colors.  Every doctor’s appointment, I jot down their new height and weight and display it right there on their walls.  Both boys already love having these pieces in their rooms!

Footprints

I nabbed an 11″ x 14″ blank canvas from Amazon and painted it quickly with a nursery color for each of the boys and then a contrasting color for their feet.  I painted their foot at 1 month, 6 months, and then again at 1 year.  I love this easy memory because little baby toes may be my very favorite part.  I have pictures of those sweet toes, but to have those little dots on canvas is forever right there.  Makes me smile each time I look at them! 🙂

Monthly Pictures…And What to Do With Them!

I did take a monthly picture for Jackson and Colton with their milestone stickers on each of their “monthly birthdays.” Okay, maybe I should say “more or less their monthly birthdays.” 🙂  After their eleven month pictures, I have family pictures scheduled for their one year photos.  Best to leave those ones to the professionals!  After I get them all back, I headed to Shutterfly to make a 16×20″ collage print with 13 photos.  One for each month (including newborns) and then their one year in the center.  Frame those babies and you have a sweet photo of just how much they grew!  Cue the tears!

I love simple because there is enough pressure on us as moms to always be the best, the most creative, and the most on top of just being a mom.  Give yourself a little break and stick with simple pieces that not just document your baby’s first year, but do it in an easy, cute way that will last for years to come!

What are your ways that you save those precious memories of your babe’s first year?  Share all those great ideas!!

4