Over the course of my life, I have had the privilege of witnessing three miracles. When my daughter, son and granddaughter came in to this world, I was standing right there with wide eyes, wobbly knees, pounding heart and tears of joy running down my cheek. Each moment was special and unique for a whole bunch of reasons, and yet all had one thing in common. It’s not what you think.

     Everyone who happens to be present in the delivery room at the magical moment of childbirth will tell you how beautiful this latest member of the human race is. They are lying. Every newborn looks like Winston Churchill covered in Crisco. I don’t want to sound insensitive, but that’s just true. If natural childbirth was involved, you can only hope that the attending nurse covered the little one’s conehead.

     Whether or not the dimunitive center of attention got a hat, you can rest assured that he/she will be wrapped in a blanket. It is the same blanket that every child born in a hospital in the last 60 years has debuted in. What’s so wonderful about this particular blanket? Nothing. It’s part of the Kuddle-Up line made by Medline, which sells about 1.5 million a year. The desire to set oneself apart with the latest trendy apparel is apparently a learned trait. For better or for worse, some things never change.