I knew before Sully was born that my time with him could be used creatively and that I wanted to document our days. There is an Instagram account run by a mom who dressed up her daughter while she napped, and before I had Sully, I loved that idea. Immediately after he was born, I knew the risk of waking him up for a picture was not worth it for me. My friend also gave me an adorable book of ways to dress your baby up, but again, those babies were napping. Tired mama=no waking of the baby. At the time of his one month “birthday,” Halloween was approaching, and I had been excitedly waiting my entire life to dress our family in a themed costume! Aha! We’ll “two bird, one stone” it and make a costume and a monthly picture for Sully. An inside joke when Sully was first born led to us dressing him up as a hamburger, my husband being a chef, and I was a diner patron. After having a hard time finding the right newborn-sized costume, I decided to just make it! And from there, our monthly picture idea began!
For our monthly pictures, I include three things every time: a meaningful (to us) theme, the month spelled out on a letterboard, and a quote or lyric related to our theme. Having a basic formula helps guide my ideas. Sometimes the quote comes first, sometimes the theme. Knowing that I can draw inspiration from several areas keeps my mind open and coming up with dress up possibilities.
I get asked often how I do my pictures, so I’ve rounded up a few tips and tricks that work for me!
Don’t overthink it!
Use whatever is special or funny to your family! There’s no pressure to do it right or wrong because there is no way to mess it up! Our themes ranged from “The Ants Go Marching” to Bob Ross to a construction worker: there is an entire world of inspiration at your disposal!
Makes sure it’s sustainable!
I made sure to choose something I knew that I would be able to do each month, regardless of my schedule. Cutting out felt and hot glueing wasn’t hard for me, so I knew I could do it, even in a time crunch. You can make your own decorations, buy them, use a premade sticker, or make your own sign. Whatever works for your family is beautiful!
Start early!
It takes the fun out of making the pictures in times where I am rushed to get my items gathered. I keep a basket in Sully’s room where I will grab and stash items throughout the month to have ready on picture day.
Use what you have!
After his first picture, I bought felt in each color and have only had to purchase a few new sheets once or twice. Using my hot glue gun and miscellaneous items in my craft closet and around the house, I add to the picture where it needs filling in.
Use favorite toys to get a smile!
I don’t put too much pressure on myself or Sully to get the “perfect” expression for his pictures, but I do try to make him laugh. I turn the music on my phone or use a favorite toy above my camera to make him smile.
Choose a neutral background!
Sully’s cream rug in his room is the perfect size and shape to be a blank canvas for our pictures.
Choose a bright spot!
Sully’s room gets a ton of natural sunlight, so I open up the curtains and blinds and take his pictures when it is sunny.
Choose a happy time of day!
Our afternoon moods are more unpredictable, so I try to get Sully’s pictures taken when he’s in the best mood right after breakfast. It doesn’t always work out that way with timing, but I get more smiles when he’s happier.
I worked so hard for these pictures, so I couldn’t let them live in my phone. I use Chatbooks, so each weekly picture and monthly picture goes into new digital book titled “Best Year Ever!” Now that he is a year old, I am getting it printed to go on our coffee table. I also used his monthly pictures as a decoration piece for his first birthday party.
