Babies, An Acquired taste

n.
One that is unpleasant on immediate experience or is likeable only after being experienced repeatedly.

I was trying to explain to Ben what this expression meant and I told him it was like learning to like red wine or espresso. Am I comparing my relationship with my children to food items that need to be tasted a few times before you like them? Well, yes, at least the baby stage. I always said that I wanted my kids to pop out at age 2. Babies, no thank you. They don't do anything but cry, right? When people used to ask me if I wanted to hold their baby I always said no. Before Phoenix was born I had only held 2 babies in my life- one like 10 years prior and another one THE DAY BEFORE Phoenix was born (I truly believe that lingering baby smell is what started the labor!). So babies have never been my thing! I received a baby shower card which said, Thank God they don't come out as high schoolers. But since I've been a high school teacher I didn't think that sounded all that bad...and then came baby number three, Tiago.

I'm not dissing Phoenix or Rio. I'm just totally enamored with Tiago! He is after all, our last. More importantly, however, I think its the first time I actually know how to appreciate a baby now that I have been substantially exposed to them! This is what I'm thinking. With Phoenix, he was our first. We were clueless about babies AND Down Syndrome, which led to general parenting insecurities and worries, plus, having to "work" so much with Phoenix on his therapies. Baby number two, Rio, nearly ruined me! The transition from one to two (and moving to Norway, a new city in Norway, during the darkest time of the year, no Down Syndrome network, etc.). A friend and I seriously considered writing a book called, When 2 Feels Like 10, because we just couldn't believe that no one had warned us about this! (By the way, we both have 3 boys now.) Those were seriously the most depressing days of my life and it lasted months...and then came baby number three, Tiago.

Tiago is by no means a perfect baby. As a newborn he was awake all the time, had terrible gas and cried for hours, hated the car seat, nursed non-stop for hours, and still HATES sleeping at night. But, oh my gosh, I think he's the cutest thing in the whole wide world! I could hold him all day if I let myself. I think he's so handsome and so strong and I am just utterly and completely enamored by him...and, like red wine, I appreciate this baby .