Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Ghosts of Halloween Past: Year Two



For Bob’s second Halloween, we suited up our poor defenseless son in a spectacular cowboy costume. (Chaps and vest lovingly made by Aunt Jen.) This ensemble was conceived around one glorious centerpiece: a pair of size 6, Children's Old West® Round Toe Western Cowboy Boots, a present from our cousins in Texas.

Although the boots were technically Bob’s size, when I tried to get them on him the week before Halloween, his tiny sausage feet were getting stuck half way down the leg of the boot. I decided that a boot horn was the answer. After tours of the local shoe repair shop, Target, Rite-Aid, Walgreen’s, and CVS, I was finally able to locate an overpriced, electric green boot horn. I was then able to jam Bob’s foot three quarters of the way into the boot where it would stick, suctioned in by the useless hunk of neon plastic.

No matter how much I told (pleaded with) Bob about how fun this activity was, he did not appear to enjoy any of it.

Desperate, I wrapped his little feet in sandwich bags and coated the outside of the bags in Vaseline. His little plastic wrapped piggies slid right in. I can feel you judging me from here and I don’t blame you. (Really he only had on the slime boots for 15 minutes, 20 at the most, Your Honor.)

He was a sweet little cowpoke. Of course, once he had on the jeans and chaps, you couldn’t really see the boots anyway. The bonus was that the gooey-baggie rig caused him to walk a little funny, he moseyed just like a cowboy.


Trick or treat.

8 comments:

  1. I have an 11W foot (thank you childbirth!) and I am probably going to co-opt your solution. So you know, I'm not judging.

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  2. Oh my. LOVE the cowboy look. We have only recently gotten the hang of the Halloween thing. George's first Halloween as a baby we didn't bother at all. The second year it seemed like he was still too young, but at the last minute we borrowed a neighbor's costume. I will be using the photos of George wearing our neighbor's pink and white bunny costume for when he is a teenager and I need to bribe him to take out the garbage, clean his room, etc. That and also the pictures we took when he decided to try on my bra...

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  3. I'm not judging you.

    Okay, I'm totally judging you.

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  4. Real boots always suck the first few weeks of wearing them, anyway. Sometimes even a willing participant has a hard time getting the foot actually into the footbed of the boot and, even when you've achieved it, they slip on your heel until they're "broke in." And then, like, good luck getting them off without a boot jack! LOL!

    I say you did just fine. That's what all the moms down here in TX do with their toddlers. Seriously. But with no baggies.

    (and i am SO kidding about that. but you do what you have to do to get the shot, right? i still say it's ok.)

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  5. You definitely knew the very moment where my eyebrow raised up a little in a very not-judgmental but rather highly amused and confused and curious "where is this story going" kind of way.

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  6. dear gawd... you made the right choice. your buckaroo needed those boots. and who knows? maybe real handlers use freezer bags and vaseline to break in their new boots? happy halloween, friend!

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  7. I love that everyone has a story of abuse surrounding their childs first Halloween. Those boots are awesome, lubrication was a good call.

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