Many of you have asked whether we’re doing weekly baby photos of Teddy like we did for Clara during her first year. The answer is yes — and this time we put a slightly different spin on the project. Below are Teddy’s first two weekly shots.
Note: the number typeface is Sullivan and the “weeks” lettering uses the Big Mouth font.
We loved how Clara’s project turned out, so we kept the core idea for Teddy: baby + fabric + photoshopped age. That familiar framework makes the series feel cohesive while letting us tweak a few details to reflect Teddy’s personality.
Two meaningful changes guide Teddy’s weekly photos:
- Clothing: For Clara we often used a simple white onesie throughout the first year. While that created a clean canvas, I’ve always wanted to mix in more outfits. For Teddy we’re starting with a varied wardrobe from week one — little outfits, suspenders, and pieces that show more of his character right away.
- Scale: Clara’s onesie-only shots made it harder to perceive growth across the year because the frame remained visually similar. For Teddy we introduced a small wooden plaque to include in each image. It gives a consistent point of reference so the change in size is easier to see, and it provides a natural place to Photoshop the week number.
Teddy’s closet is already fuller than John’s (true story) thanks to hand-me-downs, thoughtful gifts, and some enthusiastic sale shopping. That makes it easy to select a fresh outfit every week. The suspenders in one of the photos were a souvenir my mom brought back from London — aren’t they adorable on a two-week-old?
Rather than using 52 different backdrops, we’ll cycle through roughly eight simple fabrics so the background complements the outfits without competing. Most of these fabrics and the wooden plaque came from JoAnn Fabrics, with the exception of the quilt I sewed for him.
We shot his first two images on the same daybed where many of Clara’s early photos were taken. The daybed is in her room and gets beautiful afternoon light, which makes it an ideal spot for natural, soft photos. Clara often wants to help — she coaches from the sidelines and occasionally jumps into a few frames — and John’s reflector/diffuser has been handy for evening out shadows.
On the broader topic of documenting growth, several readers asked about photos from my pregnancy. We didn’t share many bump pictures the first time around; instead we gathered them and later displayed them in a grid. We took the same approach this pregnancy: collecting images over time and arranging them into a finished collage at the end.
John actually designed the grid — he enjoys infographics — and suggested taking each portrait in front of the same backyard bush as the seasons changed. That way the background evolves along with the bump. Coincidentally, the bush burst into bloom almost exactly the day Teddy was born, so the final photo in the series was taken when he was just six days old.
One of my favorite photos from this pregnancy — the one with the blue trim — felt like a small Christmas miracle because Clara stood still long enough for a long exposure. That shot is especially meaningful because it captures a quiet, imperfect family moment.
How do you document pregnancy and newborn growth? Do you hire a photographer, cast your belly in plaster, or take a series of portraits in the same spot? Do you make weekly, biweekly, or monthly photos of your baby? When we started the project with Clara we weren’t sure we could keep it up for a whole year, but it became something we looked forward to every week. So far Teddy’s project is shaping up to be just as rewarding — and Clara’s cheerful coaching from the sidelines makes it even more fun. We might have to record one of her sessions for posterity.