Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for MTVCardi B is living her best life.
The new mother kicked off the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards with her baby girl in her arms—just kidding! The "bundle of joy" was actually the coveted moon man award, much to the dismay of the excited crowd.
Fans have yet to see the newborn in the month since Cardi gave birth to her and Offset's first child together. While Cardi may have tricked the audience, she did deliver some hilarious jokes while sporting a cute and chic pixie hair cut. The "Bodak Yellow" star changed out of a chic magenta, off-the-shoulder gown into a red strapless dress for the opening sequence.
This is Cardi's first official appearance since becoming a mom at the beginning of July. And in the weeks following, the rapper has been documenting the highs and lows of motherhood.
Most recently, she explained how hard it is to be prepared for motherhood, saying, "Like, it's something that no matter how many books you read—because I read some books for babies, and, you know, a lot of my friends gave me advice and everything—you just really have to have a baby to see."
This was evident when the artist pulled out of the 24K Magic World Tour with Bruno Mars. "As of today I've decided I won't be joining Bruno on tour this fall. I thought that after giving birth to my daughter, that six weeks would be enough time for me to recover mentally and physically," she announced on August 14.
At the time she expressed her disappointment about leaving the tour but hoped her fans would "understand that this decision has been the hardest to make but I have to do what's best for myself and my baby!"