Everyone always talks about the “Terrible Twos” like they are only one step below being set on fire. Or maybe one step above it.
But I find that (yes, even on the bad days) I’m enjoying my daughter’s second year. Sure, she doesn’t listen, and she wants to stomp on my head if I lay on the floor (true story), and she refuses to do anything that she doesn’t feel like doing right at that moment. True, she has these tantrums that I call her “BFs” – baby fits. She’ll scream, talk real fast, wave her arms, basically everything but levitate off the ground and spew venom at me. And she would if she could.
Let me honest here. I don’t like babies. If I had to write a book based on my daughter’s first year, I would’ve titled it: “Babies are boring and other truths about motherhood that no one told me.”
Babies are not my favorite. Sure, I like my kids, but that’s because, um, they’re my kids. But most babies bore me to tears. The first few days I was home with my daughter, and same thing with my son, I just kind of held them like, “Ok, what now?” The reason my daughter has five or six photo albums? Because we held photo shoots to help pass the time. I’d dress her up in all the clothes my well meaning parents bought and we’d have photo shoots. I’d prop her up on the Boppy, or on the couch, or in a chair or with some stuffed animals and snap, snap, snap away. The good news is that I have a picture of almost every day of her first year of life.
While everyone else starts feeling all sad around their kid’s first birthday, I’m over in the corner, balled up, rocking back and forth with a crazed look on my face, muttering over and over, “I’m gonna be okay. I’m gonna be okay. I’m gonna be okay…”
I rejoiced when my daughter turned one. Do you hear me? I rejoiced. I wanted to shout from the hilltops, “We made it! We survived! She’s still alive!!!” Because honestly, I didn’t know how this was going to turn out.
If I had the money, I would’ve spung for an all-out “Ball ’til you fall” celebration. I’m talking camels and monkeys and elephants and more cake than at a Duncan Hines factory. I was just that happy.
True, kids grow up too fast. But if you sulk about the fact that your little one no longer wears size one diapers and such, then you miss the fact that they are becoming kids. Actual kids with personality, charm, excitement, independence, potential? And how cool is that?
Tell me, readers: Love the baby stage or hate it? Discuss in the comments. 
After the colic went away, I loved the baby stage with my first child. It was a new experience, and I knew she was going to grow up fast. I love watching them develop and grow from day to day. That being said…I didn’t love the baby stage when it became me with more than one baby. At one point we had 3 kids still using bottles and wearing diapers (Nightmare). I rejoiced at all their little steps toward independance. Now the kids are 6,5,4 (like steps) and my husband and I are really enjoying them. They each have their own personality. Every one is in school and can do the basics (ie. bathroom, getting dressed, eating) for themselves. Each stage comes with its highs and lows. To be honest though, as much as I enjoy them growing, I look at baby pictures and miss the babies that used to cuddle up to me and smell so new. You can’t win.
@ Kaye – Yeah, I tried to savor the baby time with my son, since my daughter became a toddler before I could blink. But I like this toddler stage. Once they hit school, I might get sad again!
well, i like them both, altho my daughter is slowly causing my hair to gray and fall out with her OVER-independence.
i am with them 24/7 so i enjoy both stages, but i also get burnt out with them both too. with my daughter, she still needs a lot of attention, stimulation and being that she does not go to day care, i still have to incorporate learning time, arts & crafts, and whatever else. the babies require round the clock care as well, but they are quiet (unless hungry) and so sweet.
With my daughter, I didn’t mind the baby stage so much. She was a really good baby and I had little trouble with her. With my son, OMG! I couldn’t wait for him to reach his first birthday. He would sleep for only an hour and when I learned that he only wanted to sleep on his tummy, I spent the first half of my nights worried about SIDS. Then there was the spit-up, throw up or whatever you want to call it. I was literally covered in it EVERY SINGLE DAY. He would spit up at least 3 times a day. The doctor said that his spitting up would decrease significantly when he hits a year old so I was waiting with baited breath for that day to come. It was exhausting.
@ Cymonne – Wow, our stories are soo similar! That’s crazy. These boys are something else, aren’t they?
I don’t know. I think I like the baby stage better- as long as I’m dealing with one baby at a time. But truthfully, I enjoy watching my children grow and I laugh a lot more now than when I was dealing with a baby who woke up three plus times a night. And I get sentimental at bdays because I realize my kids are growing up too fast.
@Justice Jonesie – I enjoy watching my children grow too. I didn’t really start enjoying motherhood until my daughter was about five months old. I REALLY started to love it when she turned one and I could take her to the zoo and the library and actually DO things. I find I’m enjoying her second year even more…
I’m mommy to a 4 month old and although I love him to death, I’m over the baby stage. *lol* I totally understand what you’re saying. Every day he become a bit more alert and interactive and I can’t wait for him to get a bit older.
@TDJ – I’m glad you feel me on this! It’s not that I didn’t like the baby stage, it’s just that I like interaction and babies don’t give me much interaction…
I’m still pregnant with my first, but my experience with children in the family has been that I generally prefer them once they start walking and exploring their world. Infancy is, well, a little dull.
@ Sarah – I think babies are precious, but spending day after day with drooling, pooping, crying babies? Gets old fast. With toddlers, every day is different!
I didn’t realize how much I didn’t like the baby stage until I had my 9 month old nephew stay over. I am a twenty two year old mother of a four year old boy and 20 month old diva. Caring for my nephew really made me appreciate the little things my kids can do for themselves. I hate to admit it but I got bored quick feeding my nephew….like “dang you can’t just do it yourself” lol. I can say that things have definitely got easier!
@ Antoinette- Yes! I think the toddler years are the best stage because they can do more things for themselves, but they still like for you to hug them and tickle them. An they are just flat out funny. I can’t let my son feed himself without getting food on the floor or let him out of my sight because he’ll crawl away and pull a lamp down on his head or something.
I agree that babies are boring. It’s so much more fun when they start talking, moving around and showing their personalities. I will say however, that I didn’t really appreciate how much easier and calmer life is when they are so young.
@ Erica – THANK YOU for agreeing that babies are boring! I love it when they can talk and show you their playful/silly/funny side. Y’all know the types of things my daughter says – she cracks me up every day and I’m sure my son will be the same way…
Oh man, I was miserable until my daughter was about 3. It’s horrible. She will be starting kindergarten in 2 weeks, and I’m finally really enjoying spending time with her. I really actually want her to be even more independent so we can relate on a more adult level. Now I’m at the point where I would like to have a second child, but I can’t imagine the misery of another 2+ years in diapers, spit-up, no sleep, etc… I so wish she just would have been twins! Then at least the super misery would be over already!