The First Year of Life - Month by Month

My dear friend, Kristie, took photos of her girls each month during their first year of life with the same stuffed animal. I loved this idea when I first saw it, but had already missed the boat with my older girls. Fast forward several years and I knew this was something I wanted to do once my baby girl arrived. When my husband came home from work with a GIANT teddy bear just a few days after Emily was born (it was a gift from his co-workers), I knew it was the perfect stuffed animal for the monthly photo! These photos were pretty simple. No fancy backdrop. I just placed the teddy bear near our front window to make the most of the natural light. I used a chalkboard (from Etsy) to record each new month. As Emily grew she became more and more interested in the chalkboard and would try and rub off the chalk (like month 8). Using a chalk paint pen was the perfect option - can't be rubbed off unless you use water! These photos are not all technically perfect by any means, but I absolutely love the story they tell of her fist year of growth...from 7.6 lbs and 19 inches to 21 lbs and 29.5 inches. So much amazing growth this first year!

Thank you Kristie for the inspiration!