DIY Rustic Growth Chart

I have to admit it’s a little bittersweet that I’ve made this.  A growth chart – a blessing because we have a little man who is growing like crazy (1 foot in 1 year? Ohmigosh…), but that’s where the bitter part comes in too.  My little guy is growing up so quickly.

 

Lately he’s started to really seem to register his learning on a whole new level.  He’s still not speaking and hasn’t had a first word, but he understands commands and phrases and responds to things that Nate and I say and ask him to do.  Yesterday I asked him if he wanted to read with me, and he smiled.  Then I told him to go pick out a book, so he did and then came over and turned around so that I could pick him up and put him on my lap.  I’ll ask him if he wants to give momma kisses, and he puts his whole drooly sweet mouth on my chin for the sweetest baby kisses in the world.  He recognizes certain toys that do certain things and y’all?  He’s figured out how to turn the TV in the playroom on and off and what most of the buttons do.

 

And the thing with that is that WE HAVE HARDLY EVER USED THAT TV!

 

This growth chart has been in the works since approximately January and I just finished it last week.  Oh, and just to be clear, “in the works” means that we purchased a board and it sat in our from January to two weeks ago.  The actual process takes max 2 days to do, and MAYBE 2 hours of real hands-on work.  The two days thing is just to give the stain time to dry completely so you don’t mess up painted walls or clothing!

I had really big ambitious dreams of doing a true step-by-step (OOOOOOH BABY! HELLO NKOTB…) tutorial, but the reality is that I just did exactly what sweet Bethany did, and it just wouldn’t be fair to pass it off like I came up with it.  Here’s what I did:

• We bought a 1″ x 10″ x 6″ piece of wood from Home Depot.
• We let it sit in the garage for about 3 months (this step is optional).
• I made my way to Walmart, bought a can of Minwax Weathered Oak stain and a spongy brush for a grand total of $5.
• Took that loot home and stored it in the garage for about 2 weeks.  Again, this is optional.
• I sanded the board lightly, applied 2 coats of the stain, and let it dry for a few days (translation: got busy and forgot it was in the garage. Again.)
• This is where I followed Bethany’s post to a T – use a ruler and a new Sharpie to mark off the measurements you want.  Print out the numbers in a font you’d like, then trace them onto the board with a pen, and then go over with Sharpie.  This was the most time-consuming part of the whole process for me, and it took about and hour at most.
• After I let the Sharpie dry overnight (you don’t actually have to do this, I just wanted to go to bed) I put another 2 coats of the stain on top of the Sharpie.  Nate mentioned he thought it might make it look a little more weathered since that was the look we were going for; I don’t really know if it made a big difference, but if anything it helped seal everything.
• Hung it on the wall (note: I made it so that the first 6 inches would be on the wall, so I started the board at 6 inches).
• Done 🙂

We measured Weston’s first length from when he was born (20.5 inches) and then where he was at his 12 month appointment (32.5 inches), and we’re planning on marking every 3-6 months after.  I just can’t wait to see the visual of how big this man is getting, even if it does make me sad that he’s not a teeny baby anymore.

 

Oh, and that picture above?  That’s how dudes each sliced bananas apparently – shove it in the mouth and then hold it in with your fingers just in case 🙂