I’m not sure how it happened, but a year passed in the blink of an eye and our baby doll turned one! Her birthday was near the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions in Okinawa, so we had to cancel her party. But luckily, we had gotten professional photos taken by Heather Johnson Photography a few weeks prior.

I made the smash cake the night before, and we were all surprised at how dainty Arabella was about eating it! I eventually had to grab a piece with my hand and give it to her to taste. She never did really smash it, though.

We ended up celebrating at home on her actual birthday, and I will share photos of that along with the recipe/method for the cherry blossom cake I made. For now, enjoy these photos of our Okinawa-born baby at Fukushuen Garden!

All photos by Heather Johnson Photography

Details: Baby kimono: Angel Nina Shop on Etsy. Daisy Duck in kimono: Tokyo Disneyland. My dress: Morning Lavender. My shoes: Kate Spade.

Light blue baby dress: Purchased at the Air Force Exchange but available here. Flower headband: Bows and Anchors Designs. Cake topper: Crate & Barrel (no longer available, but this monogram one would be amazing for a first birthday!). Felt board: Amazon. Pooh baby blanket: Aden + Anais (swaddles with the same pattern available here)

For the smash cake, I made half of this recipe, then piped buttercream rosettes (with a tiny bit of pink gel food coloring) all over the assembled two-layer cake.

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