My Fifth Child

Shame on me. It has recently been brought to my attention that I frequently blog about 4 of my children, but have neglected to keep you all posted on number 5, Rockwell. For those who just became a little confused, I offer this flashback, insert wavy/blurry lines here:

When little P was 6 weeks old we noticed, one morning, that he looked like one of the other kids had bonked him on the head. After about a week of trying to get the kids to confess (because apparently Vinny and I do not believe innocent children), we finally took little P to the doctor to see what the heck was going on. The "bump" was not going down, and was in fact getting a little bigger.

We were eventually told that little P had a Capillary Hemangioma (basically a type of birthmark) and, barring any disaster, it was here to stay for the next 5ish years. So we named it "Rockwell" and made him feel at home. Mi casa es su casa, after all.

Over the next few months we watched Rockwell grow at an alarming rate . We were sent to see specialists and spent a few months worried that Rockwell may overstay his welcome and eventually cover little P's eye. That would be cause for eviction, of course, but since surgical removal of Capillary Hemangiomas can be very dangerous, we hoped Rockwell would lay off the roids. These type of Hemangiomas have a life cycle. They will usually peak in size at about a year and then slowly disappear over the next 5. Rockwell would have made any mother proud, reaching his peak way ahead of schedule.

Rockwell hit his peak at around November of 2008 (when P was about 5 months old).

However, by April of 2009 (just 5 months later for those who can't count), we all began to notice a huge difference in Rockwell. He was losing some color and definitely shrinking/flattening.

Today, although we had expected Rockwell to be around much, much, much longer, he seems to be on his way out nearly as fast as he came in. Of course he may decide to slow down and stay a while, but either way we are happy to have known him.

Rockwell has made little P extra special to us all, especially the kids. Some of you may remember little B's thoughts on Rockwell from my previous blog. One night while little B was saying our family prayer he said, "...and if anyone teases P about his bump, I will punch them in the face...Amen." And once I overheard little B while he was snuggling P. He said, "P, you're so handsome with that bump!"

Even though Rockwell has brought us some worries, and monthly trips to see specialists in Salt Lake City, we have come to love him anyway. And, as you know, I always did want that 5th child.