Flowers aren't scary

Odegaard baby is flower for Halloween

The mood in the Odegaard household was light and festive last night as 4-month-old Kalina Odegaard, resident baby, celebrated her first Halloween.

"I was really excited about Halloween this year," said Mary Odegaard, a.k.a. Mommy. "After all, who wouldn't want to bring their cute baby around to friends' and neighbors' houses to collect both compliments and candy? It was a no-brainer for us."

Kalina mentioned she'd decided to be a flower about two months before on a shopping trip with Aunt Nancy.

"Flowers signify a fresh beginning, graceful beauty and in this particular costume's case, soft cuteness," Kalina said. "What's more, my name means flower. Really, it was the only logical choice this Halloween."

And those weren't the only reasons Kalina liked her flower costume. "Now that I'm using my hands more and more, I like to hold the petals, and kind of try to eat them," she added.

However, being a flower wasn't just a matter of making the decision: a costume had to be found. When the big-box retail store didn't have Kalina's size, Baby and Mommy were admittedly quite worried.

"Freaked, really, is what they were. The house was in a frenzy for at least a few hours, but I can see why--the costume is pretty cute," commented Matt Odegaard, a.k.a. Daddy.

Fortunately for all concerned, Kalina's paternal grandmother got word of the situation and shipped the costume in the correct size to the household.

"I was so relieved, you can't imagine! It's a dream come true," raved Kalina. "Thank you, Grandma!"

The baby girl donned the flower costume in the early evening hours of Halloween.

"I wanted to wear it all day, but Mommy wouldn't let me," Kalina complained.

"I wanted her to wear it all day, as well, but the large petals would've gotten in the way of pretty much everything we do on a daily basis," responded the girl's Mommy.

Instead, they waited until Daddy got home from work. After taking pictures, life went on as normal until trick-or-treating began.

Kalina was happy to find that most of the people who saw her understood the deep symbolism of her costume.

"I heard words such as 'cute' and 'flower.' I think they got it!" Kalina exclaimed.

Although the Odegaard family actually only brought home two pieces of candy in the end, they received no trick-or-treaters themselves and will therefore be snacking on the candy they bought for the neighborhood kiddies.