This post originally appeared on our old blog, Born to be a Bride.
Oh my goodness, y’all. Baby’s first halloween was every bit the last-first holiday I imagined for my girl. We had a leisurely morning (Josh even fired up the milk steamer and helped me to some extra froth in my am cup of coffee!). Willow took a two-hour nap while we cleaned the apartment and got things ready, and Josh finished up some work.
We posed her in this cute Halloween outfit to take photos alongside our pumpkins — a mix of decorated real pumpkins and some faux styles we’ve accumulated throughout the month. She was beyond adorable in this Sparkle + Prim bow, custom glittery onesie by Welcome To Wonderland, and handmade organic leggings by Mila Chic Boutique.
I can’t lie — when I finally saw Willow in her Dorothy costume, my heart nearly stopped. I have never seen anyone so cute in my life. She was just precious, and her handmade dress fit perfectly.
Since it was a tad chilly (I MISS YOU, TEXAS!), we put a long-sleeved onesie and tights on under her ensemble. I’d secretly been hoping she’d have enough hair for pigtails by Halloween, but my girl does things at her own pace, so I whipped up a sparkly red bow in the morning to pair expertly with her handmade “ruby” slippers.
Josh was a fantastic sport and dressed up as the Scarecrow (the dog and cat were the lion and Tin Man, but we didn’t get any photos). We stuffed his pants and shirt with uncooked spaghetti to resemble straw and I destroyed, spray-painted, and glued spaghetti to a straw hat for the final effect. We did buy his shirt for the occasion, but went with a style he wanted anyway for winter, so it wouldn’t be a waste of cash.
📷Willow’s bow can be custom-made for you via Sparkle + Prim. Her dress was handmade by MilaChic. Shoes from My Darlin Boutique.
📷Willow’s bow can be custom-made for you via Sparkle + Prim. Her dress was handmade by MilaChic. Shoes from My Darlin Boutique.
📷Willow’s bow can be custom-made for you via Sparkle + Prim. Her dress was handmade by MilaChic. Shoes from My Darlin Boutique.
I applied the same mentality to my own costume procurement, nabbing this sweet pink lace dress from ASOS for the role of Glinda. I curled my hair, wore some glitzy faux jewels, and donned by new gold-and-pink Ferragamo flats with pink tights and leg warmers. The best part of my costume, clearly, was the handmade rose-gold crown I scored from LoveCrushBowtique on Etsy. They boast the firmest, most water-resistant crowns on the market (yes, Willow has one…) and they’re just gorgeous in person.
But back to the star. Miss Willow was an absolute hit as we strolled through the city and headed to our friend’s home for homemade appetizers, desserts, and warm cider. We resisted any urge to let her try candy, but she was chugging her coconut water like a boss. This kid who has always eschewed a bottle of anything is the absolute champ of hydration now that we let her have this healthy yet sweet treat once a day.
Willow enjoyed playing with her little friends and on the way home, we took a leisurely path through our own neighborhood to let her have her first experience of “trick-or-treating.” She was very into grabbing a piece of candy out of one bucket held by a creepy skeleton with red eyes. But as soon as she had the candy in hand, she realized how terrifying he was and promptly started wailing. On that note, Halloween was over and the three of us hurried home. We planned to keep her up a little late to avoid the Daylight Savings Time 5 am wakeup, so I let her snooze in my arms for an hour in the early evening while Josh and I watched TV and popped back Reese’s minis like they were going out of style.
The evening concluded with Chinese food, wine, and plenty of cuddles with our sweet and precious girl who this time last year was a whirling, kicking, 9-month bump just waiting to erupt. I can’t believe how much our family has changed in the 11 months since Willow arrived. Having completed a full year of holidays with this bubbly girl and looking forward to lots more that she’ll actually remember, my heart is bursting with joy.
On that note, it’s November now and the holiday season has officially set in. To celebrate my heart’s upcoming first birthday, readers of this blog can enjoy 15% off any purchase in my Etsy shop now through November 30th using code BIRTHMONTH. Happy shopping!