After Scarlett Was born, I have been faced with all kinds of surprises, both good, and bad. I guess over the years when I had imagined having a little girl, I imagined a little blue eyed, blond haired, giggly, happy baby. Well that’s not what happened! When Scarlett was born, She came out with dark black beady eyes, black hair, dark red crimson skin, and a cone shaped head. She looked absolutely nothing like me! I was surprised, but didn’t think any less of her.

I was even more surprised after taking her home. She would cry for hours and hours. The very sound was piercing to my ears, and my heart sank, because there was nothing I could do to help her. After going to the doctor, I found out this meant she was colicky. Later after a week of being home, she started puking out large amounts of formula out of her nose and mouth at any given time. For months the putrid smell of rotten milk lingered all around me. Later I found out from the doctor that this meant she had acid reflex.

As time went on, the great surprises started around four months old. Her skin lightened to an olive color, her hair had turned a lighter brown, as did her eyes, and her face showed a number of shapes similar to mine. Then finally she started to smile. Next came the giggling which was like music to my ears. I think this is when our bond really started to grow as well as a deep rooted connection to each other which gave me an overall sense of love, fulfillment, joy, and appreciation for Scarlett. Once she started eating real foods, I was shocked once again. This girl loves rice, and that’s all she wanted to eat. I thought her favorite food would be something much more common, like apple sauce or macaroni with cheese. Today Scarlett is two and a half years old. She brings me more and more surprises along the way. No matter what motherhood brings into my life, I am ready, and anticipate the experiences. Part of the joys of motherhood, is that no matter what those surprises are, or how good or bad they seem, that it all happens for a reason, and they are preparing me for what is to come in her years of life.