Ready...Set-y...SPAGHETTI!

I have a tradition of serving my baby's spaghetti on their first birthday. I think all four of my boys dined on the delicious and messy supper on the one-year anniversary of their birth. Why? Because one-year olds eating spaghetti is an adorable mess that needs documented.

I have photographed Braxton FOUR times in the last year. I photographed a lifestyle newborn session in the family's home last October, an extended family session around the holidays, his six-month photos in the spring, and now his one-year photos. I have loved watching him grow and documenting the process along the way. Mom knew she wanted a non-traditional first birthday session and she suggested a spaghetti smash instead of the typical cake smash. I loved the idea and even volunteered my toddler chef costume and dining room.

Braxton's big blue eyes just kill me--what a cutie! He did not enjoy wearing the chef hat though. In fact, he kept tossing it on the floor. He didn't seem to mind the chef jacket though and the red cloth diaper cover that we dressed him in. He loved playing with the pots and pans though.

We kept the props pretty limited for this session so the focus could be on Braxton. I had a small wooden chair that I thrifted that was just the right size for him. Then we used fresh bell peppers, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. We also included some dried pasta in the mix as well as different pots for him to "cook" with.

After getting several photos of him playing with the food, we brought in the spaghetti. We included some warmed frozen meatballs and some parmesan cheese to the top.

At first Braxton didn't know what to do with the spaghetti, but after a few minutes with some urging from parents and big sister, he dug in. He went right for the meatball first and devoured the first one. With a bit more prompting from his family he even draped a noodle over his head. Brax was happy the entire time I was snapping photos--until the noodle covered his eye. Mom quickly removed it from his view, and he went back to exploring and chomping away.

I love these two black and white photos side by side. You can see how Brax looked before we brought out the spaghetti and what he looked like at the end of the session. He's an absolute doll though and I am so glad that he was happy and smiley for his session. Quite the change from his six-month photos. I joked with mom that I'm not sure what we're going to do next year for his second birthday--because we might not be able to top this session.