My baby turns 1 tomorrow.  I can’t even comprehend where this last year went.  I don’t know when she grew up… when she became a little girl and starting running around with her brothers.  I can’t believe I am packing  up the bottles, putting away all the infant things - swings, bouncy chairs, saucers, slings, and baby carriers.  When Parker turned 1, he got a bike.  Of course.  Yes, he was a little small for it, but he was all grown up, you know.  We were all ready for him to move on to the next stage… to see what he can accomplish.  

I’m not sure what happened with number 3.  She kind of just got here.  I’m glad to be done with bottles and all that stuff, but I’m not so anxious to turn that carseat around and say goodbye to my little baby.  

So, sorry Kate… you are still our little baby.  You may be one tomorrow… but you are still going to be our baby Kate.  We love you!  Thank you for making us smile. I will post a tribute to Kate with some of my favorite pics over the year in a separate post, but this post is about something else…

I started this when Parker first came home from the hospital.  The first picture was taken minutes after we got home from the hospital and were “introducing” him to his new room.  We had this giant teddy bear and Mike just set him down and I (of course) took a picture.  That’s when the idea of charting his monthly growth began.  The first picture of the series then is when they are just a couple days old… then monthly through the year.

These pictures are not great images, but they are such a great record.  It is one of the things I actually did and kept “even” with all three kids.  I tried to do the baby book… I tried to keep things somewhat the same and even, but I gave up LONG ago.

I have these series framed and displayed in the hall to their bedrooms.  Out of all of the BEAUTIFUL (biased, I know) images of my kids in the house, these tiny series are the ones that get the most comments.

If there is one piece of advice I would pass along to any new parent… do this!  Find a chair, a stuffed animal, a basket… something that can be consistent and give perspective.

Meet Parker.  He was my biggest baby.  8 lbs. 10 1/2 ounces.  And he has never stopped growing! He’s 4 1/2 now.

Meet Ryan.  7 lbs. 8 oz.  He quickly caught up to his brother at 1 month, and now has surpassed him by over an inch when Parker was this age.  He is just a couple inches shorter and a few pounds lighter.  He definitely can hold his own with his older brother.  He’s 2 1/2 now.

And, Kate.  I was so unprepared for a little itty bitty one.  Just 6 lbs. 2 oz.  Oh my… I can’t even remember if that is right!  Maybe it was just 6 lbs.  Anyhow… she was tiny.  And stayed tiny.  The boys had the largest growth in the first month - check out their heads!  She didn’t start filling out until 3 months.  She is finally getting some height to her, but still just such a little peanut.

Enjoy!

We are finally enjoying some cooler mornings, and I’m ready to spend the time outdoors shooting!  Here’s Maren and Mitchell’s first “real” outdoor experience… 2 full hours of rocks, grass, flowers, dirt, and water. It wasn’t all smiles (OK, so maybe it was for Maren - she is on her way to becoming a super-model), but we did get some fun shots.

I think this is  my fav of the day:

I love this one… “Hey, Mitch… check this out.”  ”Whatever, dude.”

“I get it.  It’s mom and she is making some pretty funny faces over there.  Camera lady, you are taking pictures of the wrong person!”