Your Child's
Name
"A name chosen with love, meaning, and intention"
"From the moment we first saw your face, our world was never the same. This is your story — every moment, every milestone, every memory — written just for you." — Mom & Dad
Before You Arrived
The months of anticipation, preparation, and love that came before your first breath.
Share the story of how you discovered you were expecting. Where were you? How did you feel? What did you say to each other? This is where your child's story truly begins — not at birth, but at the moment they were first known.
Every coat of paint, every piece of furniture assembled, every tiny outfit folded and placed in a drawer — all done in anticipation of you. Describe the nursery, the theme, the colors, the little details chosen just for your child.
Friends and family gathered before you arrived to celebrate the life about to begin. Share who came, what made it special, and what you remember most. Every gift was an act of love.
The first time we saw you — a tiny flicker on a screen, already so present and real. This was the moment our hearts expanded in ways we hadn't known were possible. Include the story, the date, who was in the room.
The Birth Story
The day the world changed. Written by the people who were there.
"The moment I heard you cry..."
This is where Mom writes the birth story in her own words. Every family has a birth story — whether it was fast or slow, planned or unexpected, easy or difficult. This section captures her experience: the anticipation, the labor, the fear, the hope, and the overwhelming love that arrived the moment you were placed in her arms for the first time.
Write it in as much or as little detail as you want. Years from now, your child will read this and feel the love that was in the room the day they were born.
"I was completely unprepared for how I felt..."
This is where Dad writes his version. The birth story from a father's perspective is something rarely captured — the waiting, the helplessness, the incredible privilege of watching someone you love bring a new life into the world, and then that first look at a tiny face that somehow already feels like home.
No writing experience required. Just honesty. That's what your child will treasure most — the real, unpolished truth of the day they arrived.
Coming Home
The first time you crossed the threshold and made our house a home in a whole new way.
You were buckled into a car seat for the very first time, and suddenly the whole world felt fragile and precious and important. Describe the drive home — what you talked about, what you were thinking, how it felt to be responsible for this small new life.
What was the first night really like? The feedings, the sounds, the checking that they're still breathing every twenty minutes. It was exhausting and beautiful and unlike anything you'd ever experienced. Write the honest, loving truth of it.
Who came to meet your child first? Grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, the family dog? These first introductions are priceless — the careful way older relatives hold a newborn, the curious sniff of a pet, the wide eyes of a sibling.
Every hour felt like a whole new discovery. Their little expressions, the way they stretched, the sounds they made, what made them stop crying. The exhaustion and the wonder in equal measure. Capture the feel of week one.
Month by Month
Twelve months. Every milestone, every measurement, every moment that made up the most important year of your life so far. Click any month to open the full entry.
Our Family
The people who loved your child before they even had a name.
Every person in this section is someone whose life changed the day you were born. They come from different places, carry different stories, and together they form the village that will help raise you.
Her story, her heart, her love for you — tap to read more.
Where he came from, what he believes, and how he felt the day you arrived — tap to read more.
Her heritage, her wisdom, the traditions she'll pass to you — tap to read more.
His hands, his laugh, the way he tells stories — tap to read more.
From the other branch of your family tree, no less your own — tap to read more.
His history, his pride, the quiet lessons he teaches without knowing — tap to read more.
Your Firsts
Every milestone is a door opening. Here are the ones we never want to forget.
Not the gassy kind. The real one — eyes crinkling, whole face lighting up, directed right at you. Nothing prepares you for this moment. Write where you were and who saw it first.
A sound you would do anything to hear again. What made it happen? What did it sound like? Who was there? The first laugh is something you carry with you forever.
The face they made. Whether they lunged toward it or pushed it away with their whole being. Their first opinion about food — and probably not their last strong one.
After all the drooling and chewing and nights of no sleep — there it was. A tiny white sliver in a sea of gum. You probably cried a little. They definitely did.
The one they reach for every time. The stuffed animal that became load-bearing. The rattle that never gets old. Describe it in loving detail — one day they'll want to know.
The moment everything changed. Unsteady, arms out, concentrating so hard — and then the landing, and the look on their face. Pure triumph. You probably couldn't stop shaking.
Was it mama? Dada? Something completely unexpected? The moment language arrived was the moment they could begin to tell their own story. What was the word?
A small ritual, somehow enormous. Did you save the lock of hair? Did they sit still or squirm? Where did you go? A first haircut is a first goodbye to a tiny bit of babyhood.
A whole year around the sun. The smash cake, the faces, the photos, the gratitude that rushes over you when you realize how far all of you have come. Describe the day in full.
Celebrations & Traditions
The holidays, cultural traditions, and family rituals that will mark every year of your life.
Your First [Holiday Name]
Every family has their holidays, and now you're part of all of them. Your first [holiday] was special in ways that are hard to explain — you were too small to understand any of it, but the joy of seeing you there, in this moment, surrounded by everyone who loves you, made it the best one yet.
Add the story here — who was there, what traditions you kept, what you made, what you wore, and what you hope to pass down to your child someday.
A Tradition From Our Heritage
This section is for the cultural traditions that are uniquely yours — the ones passed down through generations, the ones that connect you to where your family came from. Whether it's a food, a song, a ceremony, or a gathering — these traditions are threads in the fabric of who you are.
Share the story of where this tradition comes from, what it means to your family, and how your child experienced it for the very first time.
A Tradition We're Starting Just For You
Some traditions are inherited. Others are born the year your child is. This section is for a new tradition you created in honor of your child's arrival — something that will be repeated every year, something they will grow up expecting and eventually look forward to themselves.
What is it? Why did you choose it? What does it mean to your family now and what do you hope it means to them later?
Letters To You
Words written across time, sealed with love, waiting for the day you're ready to read them.
Today you are exactly one day old, and I have already memorized every part of your face. The way your eyes squeeze shut. The tiny sounds you make. The impossible perfection of your fingers.
There is so much I want to tell you — about the world, about our family, about what I hope for you and what I hope you find within yourself. But right now, in this moment, all I can think is: I didn't know it was possible to love something this much, this fast, this completely.
I am going to make mistakes. I am going to embarrass you. I am going to worry about you more than is reasonable and hold on longer than I probably should. But every single thing I do will come from this — from the way I feel in this moment, looking at your face for the very first time.
Welcome to the world. It is better for having you in it.
Mom
I have been trying to think of the right words since the moment I first held you, and I have decided there are no right words. So here are just my words.
I was not ready. No one is ever ready. But the second I saw you, something settled in me that had been restless for my entire life. You are the thing I didn't know I was looking for.
I have made a list of things I promise you. I promise to show up. I promise to listen, even when I don't understand. I promise to tell you the truth even when it's hard, and to hold you up when the truth gets too heavy. I promise to be proud of you not for what you achieve, but for who you are when no one is watching.
I can't wait to know you.
I have been waiting for you for such a long time. I watched your mother grow up, and now I watch her hold you, and I feel the full circle of life in a way that takes my breath away.
I want to tell you about our family. Where we came from, what we overcame, what we carried across generations to get to the moment of you. You are the product of so many stories — some joyful, some hard, all of them leading here.
I have things to teach you. Recipes. Songs. A language that may feel like a mouthful at first but will one day feel like home. And I have things I hope to learn from you, too — because every generation teaches the one before something it didn't know it needed.
I love you in a way that is ancient and immediate all at once.
Grandma
Family Recipes & Traditions
The flavors of home. The dishes that mark every celebration, every Sunday, every season.
Food is memory. These are the recipes that will always mean home — the ones that fill a kitchen with a particular smell and a particular feeling, the ones that get passed down on index cards with smudges and handwritten notes in the margins.
This recipe has been in the family for generations. Share where it comes from, who taught it to whom, and what it tastes like — what it means. Is it made for holidays? Sundays? When someone needs comfort?
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- Add your own
A dish from the other branch of the family tree. Different flavors, different techniques, different stories — but the same love at the center. This is where cultural heritage lives: in kitchens, in smells, in the memory of watching someone cook.
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- Add your own
The cake made for the very first time on the very first birthday. Whether it was homemade or from the best bakery in town, whether it was smashed or picked at daintily — this recipe belongs to you now. Every birthday is yours.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Love
The recipe that only appears at a certain time of year, which makes it feel magical every time. Maybe it's cookies. Maybe it's a special drink. Whatever it is, it signals the season and it belongs to your child now as much as it belongs to anyone.
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- Ingredient 2
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- Add your own
Sealed Until Your
18th Birthday
Behind this lock are letters, memories, photos, and words written specifically for the adult you will become — not the child you are now. They were placed here with love and intention, and they will wait as long as they need to.
On your 18th birthday, this vault will open. Everything inside was written for you — and only for you.