Chance encounters and Duke update

We went back to Duke today for an appointment with Dr. Prose. He thinks it's time to wean Caroline off the steroid. Yay!! For the next 10 days, we will be cutting her daily dose in half, and then in half again for the following 10 days before finally stopping it altogether. So in about another month, we should be DONE! Our prayer now is that the hemangioma is finished growing, so that the steroid won't have to be started again, and that Caroline's stomach problems were in fact due to the steroids and that she will be able to soon tolerate formula and solids. We also requested a consultation with the doctor who is an expert at Duke in laser treatments. We would like his opinion regarding when/if to do the laser treatment now that the steroid treatment is ending. That appointment is not until February, as well as our next appointment with Dr. Prose. In the past month or so I've had two "chance encounters" with mothers whose children also had hemangiomas on their faces. One mother approached me while at Duke to tell me that her daughter also had a hemangioma on her face, and started laser treatments at 8 weeks old. She provided me with the name of the doctor at Duke and highly recommended him. This is in large part what encouraged Zack and I to request a consultation with this doctor. Another mother I ran into in the middle of Old Navy. She had her little girl with her, a toddler, and she had a hemangioma on her face in the EXACT location of Caroline's, except under the opposite eye. Anyone who knows me knows that it is out of character for me to approach a perfect stranger and strike up a conversation, but something told me I had to talk to this mother. Once I told her about Caroline, she seemed equally as comforted to hear from another mother facing the same situation. She shared with me that her daughter, born July of 07, was also on steroid treatment until she was about five months old. After that the hemangioma began disappearing on it's own. Now only a slightly red area is left. A visible representation of what is to be for Caroline. The Lord truly sends encouragement when you need it! He has taken care of all of the details so far, and I know He will now.