Cole

When Cole was born, I was so overcome with love and emotion. They put him on me, skin to skin. I loved the feeling, I loved him, all was right in the world. That night, he slept by my side, I nursed him (every 90 minutes!) I was exhausted but loving it. 
The next morning, Conor came to visit us and for the first time, we noticed very visible red markings across the left side of Cole's cheek, running up to the brow. It looked like a big splash of red. And that's when it all started, what is it? does it go away? what is it called etc...Before Cole was born, I couldn't even pronounce the word hemangioma, now, Conor and I have become quite versed on the world of birth marks! Most go away within a few years, the type Cole has doesn't go away on its own and is linked to a very devastating syndrome, called Sturge Webers (SWS). About 10% of children born with a port wine stain in the V1 (brow and above) have it. We wanted Cole to have an MRI as soon as possible. After a nerve racking 3 hour MRI procedure (they had a hard time getting a reading), we were later told the good news; negative, normal brain activity. We were overjoyed, I couldn't stop crying. Since the stain doesn't go away on its own, we have been going to a dermatologist to have it lasered off, it is harder for me than him, and I know in the long run it really is best for Cole. Life is hard enough as it is without a big old red stain across your face. I get asked a lot, "what's that?" or "did your son take a tumble?" or the best "what is that red splotchy thing?", yes, someone, an adult, no less, asked me that. I guess my point in this post, if there is one, is to me, Cole is perfect, and I want to capture the way he looks now, before the stain is removed. In the meantime, here are some shots from the last few weeks.