{tilly tuesdays: volume one}

Every Tuesday for forty-eight weeks, each week since she was born, I've been taking a portrait of Tilly.

And creating a little handmade book for this year of Tuesdays couldn't have been easier. (So easy, I couldn't possibly bore you with photos of the process -- i.e. blank paper. Instead, you get a peek at Tilly's book of Tuesdays!)

Materials: 13 sheets of white cardstock, a sheet of patterned scrapbook paper, 52 photographs, a glue stick (or however you like to stick in photographs), a hole punch, string and a black pen.

Isn't it the best feeling when you already own all the supplies?

Each sheet of cardstock was simply folded in half, and then punched with the hole punch about 3" from each edge.

The pages were numbered by week, the photos were glued in on the centre of each page (and cropped slightly if they happened to be landscape).

The finished pages were stacked together and placed on top of the sheet of scrapbook paper. I drew around the pages, creating a cover which was about 1/4" wider than the card on every side, and then cut out the cover. Using the holes in the card as a guide, I marked where to make holes in the cover, and then punched them both.

String was threaded through the holes, starting outside the cover and going through to the middle, then up to the top hole and through back to the outside. I put the string through twice, and tied a knot so that it sat in the middle of the book. (But outside, on the spine, would work, too)

At the bottom of some pages, I marked special things that happened that day. For example, on week thirty-six, Tilly tried her first IKEA meatball. A major milestone in our family.

It's been a great way to see how she's changed over the year, and a wonderful way to display those "everyday" photos -- the ones that aren't always astounding quality (ahem, iPhone effects), aren't always of special events, aren't particularly memorable moments, but sum up daily life at that age.

The one thing that many of the photos have in common is Tilly's expression -- an expression I now recognise as a concentrated, determined effort to get her hands on the camera!

Yes, I'll need to work on getting a few more smiles in the future!

Today, Tuesday, is forty-eight weeks. What a shock it was to see a mere four blank pages left in this year!

Fifteen Weeks

It's becoming clear that Tilly has opinions. And that she's not afraid to voice them. Whether she's insisting that she be able to stand up, calling out for her favourite rattle, protesting that she has to go to bed so early, or telling me off for not putting her to bed earlier, Tilly knows what she wants and won't settle for any less.

Tilly has never been a fall-asleep-in-public kind of baby. If we're out, she's wide-eyed, and hardly blinks for fear of missing something. So, it was quite a shock when, returning from a walk a couple of days ago, I leant down to kiss her cheek and felt her startle awake. Her little sun-hat had slipped down over her eyes, unbeknownst to us, and happily snug in her carrier, warmed by the setting sun, Tilly had dozed off!

Ever since she was born, I've been on the look-out for birthmarks. Both my Mum and I have similar ones on our right legs, and so I have half-expected/hoped for Tilly to have one there too. After a trip last week to the pediatric ophthalmologist (say that five times fast), we discovered that Tilly does have a birthmark... on her eyeball! A little freckle right at the bottom that I hope she'll be proud of. (And, if you're wondering what Tilly's opinions are on eye exams, she is not a fan.)

Mobile, yet? Not quite. Her little legs don't quite reach the floor while she's in her walker, but Justin loves to quietly put her in it, hide behind the corner, and push her into the kitchen, so that it looks as if she's toddled in on her own!

Three Months

Tilly, our little mountain climber, seems to be less interested in moving laterally than in moving vertically. She wants to go upwards, always; whether she's practicing crawling or walking, she enjoys it much more at a 45 degree angle. She wants to go over things, she likes a challenge.

Tilly, our little explorer, wants to see where she's going. Our front carrier, which had previously been an excellent way to upset her, is just about her favourite thing now that she can face forwards. She now enjoys romantic walks at sunset, going to the supermarket, and watching clothes being put in the washing machine.

Tilly, our little bear, loves her pyjamas. Thank goodness for the new autumn chill. Every time we see her lounging in her pjs, we can't wait for Christmas morning. Especially after a friend passed down some reindeer-print jammies!

Tilly, our little three-month-old, is always in a state of change. Every few days, recently, there is something new. In the last few weeks, she's learnt to babble and hold a conversation of noises. She's learnt to stick her fist in her mouth. She's started laughing -- a simple "hehhhh!" at first, and now, sometimes, more of a "hehh hehh!" She's started to notice her toys... Mr. Plastic Singing Froggie and Mr. Duckie Rattle in particular. She's slept properly, wonderfully, through the night three times in a row and counting.