Ravishing.

Here's one of my "True Mama Confessions": When Scarlet was born, I didn't think she was the most beautiful baby in the world. Shocking, right? Was I missing a maternal gene? My baby, grown and born from within me, not the most beautiful baby on earth? Definitely missing something here.

Sure, I thought she was cute/pretty/beautiful:



What I'm saying is that I never had that thing where you think your kid is the MOST beautiful baby on earth. I know many people feel that way about their own:

"My baby is the most beautiful baby on earth."

"Yes, but...everyone says that."

"Yes, but in my case, I know it's true. I know what everyone else doesn't know. I have what everyone else doesn't have."

"Yes, but...everyone says that too."

Sigh. It's endless. You're all wrong and you're all right. Except me, I suppose. Madly in love with her, yes. Thoughts that no other babies on earth were as cute/pretty/beautiful as her, nope. The world is full of cute/pretty/beautiful babies. I think it's the default setting. To this day I wonder why I didn't think so. Scarlet came into this world easily. I was never hit with extreme anything - morning sickness, pain, hormones, bad moods. I was only ever with one one extremity - extreme love.

I did not find that extreme love blinded me from newborn acne, dry skin, weird hair, overdeveloped forehead, no eyelashes...I need not go on. Maybe it should have. Love is pretty powerful.

And I just didn't "know' her yet. Ever notice how people get more attractive the more you get to know them? It's because their inner souls are coming out and being worn on the outside, at least in your perspective. I had an acquaintance in high school who I never thought of as being pretty or not. One day one of my best friends and I spent some time with her, growing closer as friends. We both had the same striking thought at the same time. We turned to each other and said, "Wow...she is BEAUTIFUL." That's just the way it works sometimes. It's definitely like that with men. When I'm in love with someone, no hot male model or movie star could ever compare. It's the inner souls thing, baby. It's so hot.

Er..now back to Scarlet. Now that she's two and a half, now that I know her deeply, man, sometimes I'm so hit when I look at her face. Even when she's giving me a dirty look or scowling or crying. Man, she is ravishing. She is trouble. She is "Sit on the front porch with a shotgun if she ever starts dating."

Maybe I'm biased. And maybe I'm not. Maybe it's both. Whatever it is, it did hit me. I just had to know her better. That's all.


Know her with static hair and crackers in her mouth!







Flash-lit Scarlet (above), meet Naturally-lit Scarlet (below):







It's ravishing the way she stuffs food in her mouth while wearing gloves.







It's ravishing the way she always wears socks on her hands.










Scarlet made this snowman.




I didn't know I could wake up every morning and thank the universe profusely for placing her in my life. Even when she yells at the top of her lungs at 6:00 am. Yup. Even then. Ravishing, she is.