Tags: Mom of Boys New Baby Photography
When my sister’s girls were small, my mom was constantly taking photos of them. It was so excessive that we labeled her “Grama Flash”. It was comical at the time and I never understood why she did it. How many photos do you need of one child? Fast forward fifteen years to the arrival of Liev then Silas, and I totally get it. They grow up so stinking fast! I constantly feel that if I’m not paying close attention, and documenting their little lives, I’m going to miss something. I’ve become “Mama Flash”! I’m obsessed and feel the need to document each and every little thing that my boys do and experience. I even do it with the dog. I have photos of Sam from when he got his first doggy raincoat and photos of him wearing a graduation cap after he finished puppy obedience class. It’s nuts. My mom just laughs and gives me a very “all those years you made fun of me” look.
I’m even one of those annoying social media moms that posts photos of her kid’s first meals, first pair of jeans, first toenail clippings (ok maybe not that bad, but I’m close). I bet people have unfriended me on Facebook because it’s just TOO MUCH! But I don’t care…I can’t stop.
My mom also kept our belly button stumps and taped them inside our baby books…gross, right? Well, guess what I have saved in little ziplock bags in my medicine cabinet? I’ve officially become my mother. I knew it would happen eventually, I just thought I had more time. Oh well, what are you gonna do?
I know for sure I’m not the only mom out there with this addiction. Over the years, I’ve seen more and more milestone photos posted on Facebook and Instagram. At the start of every school year, for example, some of my “mom friends” post photos of their kids’ “first day of school”. And since the creation of ChatBooks this number has doubled. Several of my friends even blame ChatBooks for their new-found photo taking addiction. I can’t point fingers…I have my own collection of ChatBooks dedicated to the boys. I’m not here to judge!
You may not be over the top with your photo taking like me, and you may not feel the need to document every little thing, but I DO suggest this: take a monthly milestone photo of your child each month. I don’t go back and look through photos of Liev’s first foods, or his first tooth, but I do go back and look at his monthly photos. He changes so much from month to month. It’s astonishing how much, actually. I don’t always notice the changes because I see him every day. But every now and then I’ll pull out those monthly photos, lay them all out on the floor and just stare in amazement at all the changes. How his eyes changed colors, how his hair grew in and then re-grew in after his first haircut, and how he morphed from infant to mini Adrian in the span of three months. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also slightly sad because I look back at those first few months when he was sooooo small and then jump ahead to photos of him at two and see the proper little toddler he’s becoming. Regardless, I’m happy I did that.
Don’t be discouraged thinking they need to be staged and shot by a professional. I take all Liev and Silas’ photos with my smart phone. I would take a monthly photo of Liev with my smart phone then use one of the hundred apps out there to add art showing his age. With Silas, I found the most adorable little wooden blocks from Little Sapling Toys to use for his photos. I’ve seen stickers that you can stick or iron on to Onesies that show the month, and I’ve even seen people use a chalkboard spelling out their little one’s age for monthly photos. There are so many options these days. If you go on Pinterest and search “monthly baby photos” you’ll see a million and a half different options and ideas.
The really fun part for me was creating something to showcase an entire year of monthly photos. When Liev turned one I created a poster sized compilation of all his monthly photos for that first year. I have it hanging in the playroom and it’s one of my favorite pieces. Something to cherish forever.
However you decide to do it, just do it! You won’t regret having those images to look back on when your children are grown.
