Marc e-mailed me the other day and asked about the baby. I can report that she is doing just fine. She's 3 1/2 months old now, which seems amazing. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. She's still just a roly-poly lump of a thing, but really wants to sit up, roll over and probably chase after her older siblings.

Her hemangioma is still growing, but hasn't yet become as extremely huge as some I've seen pictures of. At the moment I can stick a hat on her and avoid all the pitying looks and questions about what I did to her head. I even did what I generally think of as a bad, bad thing and bought a baby headband to stick on her once in a while. I try not to make a big deal about it one way or another, but I guess I've still sent the wrong message to the bigger kids, because one day while we were driving in the van, her hat slipped off and my son screeched, "Oh no. Her hat came off and we don't want anyone to see her birthmark."

I didn't know how to explain that while in general I don't want anyone to see her birthmark, it wasn't a mark of shame, nor something to be embarrassed by. I guess I have pretty mixed up feelings about it myself. We don't generally expect to see blemishes on babies and so they are a shock. I wish neither she nor I had to go through her having a big red lump on her forehead, but she does have it. She's still a bringer of joy and beauty into this house though and when she smiles the world lights up. I wouldn't trade her for a dozen babies without a birthmark, but I still hope the day that this one fades will come quickly.