Heman.goes.what?
Most of you have probably noticed the bumpie on Carter Joe’s little head (ok, let’s face it that kid has a HUGE head – Scott says he looks like Charlie Brown). Contrary to popular belief (from strangers all around), I did not drop him on his head. It’s called a hemangioma. It occurs in approximately 20% of babies in the US. They don’t really know what causes it, but there are some theories out there. One is that blood vessels broke free while he was forming but trapped under his first layer of skin. Others say it’s related to high hormones and low oxygen at birth (check and check).
he wasn't jumping on a bed
Regardless of how it is caused, it does not hurt him and it is not permanent. It gets a little dry and I have to work to keep it moisturized so he doesn’t break the skin. That’s the only time it could get rough. Because there are blood vessels at the surface, it would be tough to heal and would bleed a lot.
he didn't fall out of his chair
Most doctors you ask will tell you it should be gone by the time he’s 1 or 2. Carter’s started growing by about week 5 and boy did it grow! I believe it has stopped growing by the last week of December. Once it stops growing, it will stay the same for a while and then should begin shrinking.
It’s hard not to be vain and worry about if it doesn’t go away, but it’s a very important lesson to be learned early in his life. Teach him to understand uniquenesses and see his beauty (handsomeness?). Boy is he handsome!
handsome bugger
His little mark has been labeled a lot of funny things. Bookmark (instead of birth mark, by Abby), angel bite (instead of angel kiss), and my favorite is that he has a super chip implanted in his head to make him smarter than all the others (by kkr).
laughing at himself
Anyhoo…I wanted to let y’all know what it was all about…my handsome little boy has a special little mark of love. 
Oh, and a quick word of advice – don’t ever ask a new (extremely hormonal) mom if she dropped her baby on his head. Ok? Ok.
Cutest little bump on the most handsome little baby. Wear it with pride!
Love his bookmark, angel bite, chip implant and everything precious about him! He’s perfect!
Handsome indeed!!! Love the pic of CJ sleeping…every sleeping baby pic is so precious to me.
my girls friend’s daughter had a big one on her bum. It is gone now (she is 3). It did the same thing….got bigger, stayed the same, then vanished.
He has your eyes momma!!!
My 10 month old daughter has a hemangioma the same size as your son’s, on the front right side of her forehead and we have been considering having it removed through surgery. You have the best attitude about your son’s hemangioma and I think its a wonderful lesson you are teaching him!
I too have had to deal with the constant stares and questions and ridiculous comments. I’ve had someone insist that I dropped her on her head even after explaining to him that it was a hemangioma. Her hemangioma is located on the right side of her forehead, so I’m able to cover it with big, pretty flower headbands. Now people see her beauty and personality and not just her hemangioma. It made me so happy not to have all of that negative energy around her.
Just wanted to let you know that I think you’re doing a great job with handling the situation and your attitude is admirable!