January 31, 2010 - The Red Button

It's one of those questions no one has asked me until this week. I'm sure many are probably concerned about offending me or my husband. But I was asked the other day about the raised, red bump on Georgia's head. I'm sure it's a feature she'll ask me about one day as well when we're looking back at her baby pictures. I'll answer her just like I answered the other day, "it's a birthmark."

Some call them "strawberry birthmarks." The medical term is "strawberry hemangiomas. Whatever you call them, the good news is most start to shrink when a baby turns six months old and for Georgia, eventually her hair will cover any mark that might remain. Regardless, she's beautiful. But it was one of those moments, like so many these days in the world of mommydom, that made me rush to the computer and Google every description of a raised, red bump I could think of. Then I added it to the growing list of things to ask the pediatrician on our next visit. Imagine my relief when both Google and the pediatrician concurred on the innocence and short lifespan of a strawberry hemangioma.

My daughter also has an "angel kiss" or "stork bite" between her eyes. Poor kid won the lottery of infant skin markings. But much the same, that one's short-lived as well. None of them bother or hurt her though so they are of no concern to me. And who knows, when she's older we'll get her to play an actual lottery and maybe she'll win more than conversation starters.