Be more colorful.

When my daughter Mazzy was born, she was probably the grumpiest baby I had ever had the pleasure (ha!) of spending time with. Seriously though, I can't convey into words the amount of exhaustion I endured the first few months of her life. She hated baths, diaper changes, being held for too long, tummy time, etc... It was definitely a trying time for me and my husband. I remember having so little sleep I was hallucinating. But we pulled through and I managed to long for another child despite the colic and unrelenting mood swings of my infant.

Fast forward to a 12 month old Mazzy and it was like night and day! She was generally happy and elated at every simple thing she experienced. She was so snuggly and lovable and it almost made up for the previous bipolar baby she had been. And at around 18 months, her language skills exploded into four or five word sentences and words that were two and three syllables were clearly intelligible. It was quite the entertainment! And from that moment on, she has been a very loving and devoted daughter. She has been such an incredibly kind friend to everyone she meets and a wonderful example to myself, that a child's mind is a marvelous place. She constantly reminds me that magic still exists. And if you can't find it, you create it. And that is what she does.

A couple of Summers ago, Mazzy had a small growth removed from her lower cheek/ upper chin area. It was found to be an angioma. Around the same time, we discovered a few spots of lost pigment on her skin. It didn't alarm me but I kept a close watch on it. Within a few weeks, the pigment loss increased and I noticed a symmetrical pattern. In other words, if one spot of lost pigment was on her right arm, it was also in the same spot on her left arm. We went to her doctor and got the official diagnosis. She had vitiligo and there is no cure or any particular reason for her to have it. It could be genetic or just an autoimmune response. I have yet to take her to a dermatologist but that is mostly because at her young age, treatments are limited and I am not sure if the benefit outweighs the risks. We tried a gluten free diet but it didn't seem to make a difference. After reading up on the disease, I am sure we need to get her thyroid checked. I have a thyroid condition and I wouldn't be surprised if she has one as well. As I continue to look for more answers, I always make it a point to help her realize how incredibly beautiful she is. My husband and I are always reminding her that she is absolutely perfect in every way. And on most days she is a very confident young lady. She gets a lot of stares (mostly from adults) and she always handles questions or comments from other children with grace. It wasn't until recently that she started telling us that she "sometimes wished she didn't have vitiligo." Yet she remains positive through it all. So in an effort to further reinforce her amazing and unique beauty, I set out on a fun little photo shoot, just me and my girl, and we captured her true spirit, right before the sun was setting for the day.

My only wish for her and my other two children is to realize they are truly beautiful inside and out. That beauty isn't a size or a hairstyle, or flawlessness. Beauty isn't someone else's definition.