Dear Diary,

 

The day before Caitlynn’s second birthday, I made a stepping stone with an imprint of my toddler’s toes. Why? Well, last week, I met my sorority sister and her two daughters at the zoo. I was in my friend’s wedding, attended her baby shower and played with her children when they vacationed to the Cayman Islands years ago. I haven’t seen one of my favorite families in several years, so when I saw the girls grow into young women before my eyes, it was a reminder of how time does indeed fly as an adult. I’m not looking forward to Caitlynn going through puberty, but I know she can’t stay a kid forever–even if I kick, scream and cry. As she turned two, I wanted to create a keepsake of her officially becoming a toddler.  Despite what Baby Center says, I didn’t call her a tot until her second birthday!   Here’s how you can commemorate your child at any age. Trust me, I am not a DIY kind of mom, so this is a very simple project using ingredients you already have in your home.

 

 

 

 

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

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