Anyways, after a few weeks when his skin finally took on the more Gerber baby look, we noticed that that right temple & ear were still reddish. We didn't think too much of it still as he was tiny and he was always asleep it seemed; and he liked to sleep on that side a lot. So we didn't mention it and our Pediatrician never mentioned it at any of his well baby check ups. When he was about 3 or 4 months old, people would stop us in the store and ask us what was wrong with his ear/temple. We always said that he had just woke up b/c it didn't really dawn on us at first.

This kept up for a few months and we finally decided ok, let's just *ask* the Pediatrician what it is so that when folks ask us, we will have an answer. So off we went to the Pediatrician with our precious Caleb Joel (5 or 6 months old). We were told that it was probably just nothing and that it would go away as he grew. We mentioned that it seemed warmer than the rest of his skin, and were assured that it was nothing. Ok, so it is nothing, and *nothing* will go away on it's own. Sure.... So off we went home, and didn't worry about it. I mean, our Dr. told us it was fine.

Well, it wasn't fine, and it didn't go away. We kept going to all our well baby check ups and nothing was ever wrong with it. And yet, it kept getting slightly bigger, and a little warmer; but nothing was wrong with it. (now mind you, there are *lots* of well baby check ups within the first 2 years of a baby's life).

By the time Caleb was about 1, it was obvious to us that this *was* something, and that it *wasn't* going away. It was hot to the touch by now, and you could feel his pulse in it sometimes. But we knew the Ped. said it was just nothing. *sigh* So we went on about our lives. By the time Caleb was 2, it was a little bigger, not much, and pretty much the same in heat and the pulse was getting stronger in it.

We had a computer by this time and did some online research. From all the symptoms that we could tell, our best 'self diagnosis' was a Hemangioma. With this information also came the relief that they normally went away by the time the child was 3 or 4 years old (5 tops). And with this information in our arsenal, off we went to the Pediatrician yet again (same ped. that we had been going to for 3 1/2 years now b/c it was Rhane's ped. too). And we took Caleb in. We didn't mention that we *thought* we knew what it was. Going to see if the pediatrician would come up with the same diagnosis.

Finally, at age 2, the pediatrician agreed that this wasn't just 'nothing'. He said, (and I quote here...) 'Oh it is just a Hemangioma, most times it goes away by the time the child is 3 or 4. If it doesn't, and the looks bother you that much, you can always take Caleb in and have plastic surgery done so that it doesn't look bad. Since the looks of it seem to bother you so much.'

Yah, we are *so vain* that it is only the looks that bother us (can you feel the sarcasm dripping here?). I was SO ANGRY when we left the Ped. that I was shaking (for those of you who don't know me, when I get upset, I can't hardly talk. I get REAL quiet, thus, the Ped. survived that day.) Needless to say, we changed Pediatricians. Same office, just a different Dr. This Ped. was a lot nicer, didn't treat us like we were idiots that didn't know anything, and she and Caleb got along very well.

At first, she didn't know what was so 'special' about Caleb's ear either (I say special b/c as far as I am concerned, there was nothing WRONG with my baby's ear, it was just very special). We told her what the other Dr had said (ok I told her, which probably didn't help us out any). And she was skeptical, said we would watch it, and we went on about our lives. At least we had the satisfaction of knowing that *someone* other than us was keeping an intent eye on this now.