One thing we knew for sure when we were expecting Miss O was that we wanted her to grow up knowing her family. Trouble is, most of her family lives in other states, making it hard to have regular get-togethers. Photos are the next best thing, so we came up with a cute way to display pictures of our family – near and far – so Miss O would at least recognize them when we were able to see them.
For me this project was incredibly healing. When my daughter was born 8 weeks early, going home without her was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Putting together this family tree and setting up her room was one way for me to focus on the positive – that my baby would come home eventually. It was a way for me to do something for her when I felt completely impotent. To this day it has a great sentimental value.
Here’s how I added this special touch to my baby’s room.
I found an adorable white tree decal on Etsy. You can also find them on Amazon – not as wide a selection, but cheaper.
My next stop was, of course, the Dollar Tree. I found a bunch of cute round and square 3 x 3 frames – just big enough to see, but not too big for the space – for $.50 each. We have a big family, so we needed 13. Our tree included us, Miss O’s grandparents, and great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and their families.
The hardest part was getting the pictures. I recommend asking your family for digital photos so you can resize if needed. Also, we wanted them to be black and white, so I was able to adjust the digital files in Picasa.
Each night before bed we say goodnight to the family. Miss O has met everyone and knows them all by name. When we share good news about a family member she goes right to their picture and says, “Good job!”
It’s one of my favorite parts of our house, not just because it’s pretty, but because it helps bring our wide-spread family a little closer together.
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