A couple who recently had their first child were determined to make every moment count with their newborn, and now have the "greatest gift" to themselves as he turns one.
Katie, 27, and her husband Andrew, 29, live in California with their baby son who recently celebrated his first birthday.
Many parents will tell you the importance of the first year of your child's life, and how quickly it all goes—and Katie and Andrew marked every month of their son's first year in a special way.
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Katie told Newsweek: "We are new first-time parents to our sweet boy and have quickly realized how precious this time is. I've found that capturing and creating home videos that we can reminisce on forever is the only thing we really have to hold onto this precious time one day."
So, to hold on to those memories as tightly as possible, the couple created a video montage, made up of clips of them blowing out a candle with their son every month.
The viral clip, shared to her TikTok account @katiemcginty22 on August 16, starts with Katie and Andrew holding their newborn son and blowing out a candle on a cupcake bearing the number one: one month old.
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It continues to him at two months, then three, all the way up to his first birthday, with the baby growing up, beginning to smile and interact with everything around him, and his parents looking on proudly.
It ends with the little boy on his first birthday, with an entire cake to himself and sitting by a special 1 balloon, as his parents blow out his candles.
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Katie wrote over the clip: "When the silly little videos ends up being the greatest gift to yourself on their first birthday (sic)."
And she added in a caption: "Thanking my postpartum self for sticking to this one."
Child and family social worker Katie, currently a stay-at-home mom, told Newsweek they decided to document their son's first year in this way as they "quickly realized how precious this time is because the moments seem to be fleeting."
"I am constantly looking at old pictures and videos of him even when he is just sleeping, and it brings us so much comfort and joy being able to remember every little feature and small moment forever while sharing it with friends and family," she said.
And TikTok users were hugely moved, with the montage boasting over 122,000 likes and 1.3 million views, one noting: "It's really amazing how much they change in one month."
"The change between 5 and 6 months," another said. "My heart."
One admitted they were in tears, writing: "Who's crying? Uhh, not me..."
And Katie and Andrew aren't the only parents documenting their son's first year in this was, as one commenter said: "We did this for my baby and he turns one next week and I'm not ready."
In a baby's first year, they hit developmental milestones at an incredible pace, from motor skills to language development to social skills.
At one month old, newborns are generally able to raise their hands to their face and move their heads, and by three months old they may be able to smile and follow objects with their eyes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
In a few short months they can be sitting unaccompanied or even walking, speaking their first words and copying gestures. Parents are advised not to worry if their child takes longer to reach a milestone, as it can be different for each child. However, if parents are concerned, they should reach out to their child's healthcare provider.
Katie told Newsweek: "One of my favorite parts about parenting has been finding the beauty in every little detail and thing he does when I capture and create memories with him."
And the proud mother went on: "Being a mom is the best."
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