"Easy Baby"

It's funny how things happen in life so gradually that you don't notice or appreciate them right away until you take the time to look back at where you were and see how far you've come. I had this experience this week in regards to Molly's temperament. I remember when Molly was first born and we were struggling through those first few weeks as new parents. It seemed like she cried endlessly and napped rarely. We did finally figure out how to help her nap in short spurts by wrapping her tightly in the Moby wrap and bouncing vigorously on the fitness ball while shooshing in her ear and holding the pacifier in her mouth. Needless to say, it was a trying time. I remember at the time reading everything I could get my hands on about getting your baby to sleep and caring for a newborn. Most of what I read said that baby's have one of two temperaments; they're either "difficult" (about 20% of babies) or "easy" (the other 80%). I remember feeling just a teensy bit jealous as I read about life with an "easy" baby. How does God choose which parents end up with one of those? Then I'd flip over to the section on "difficult" babies and read things like, "You may feel that, during the first few months, your hugs, kisses, and loving-kindness are not influencing your extremely fussy baby's behavior very much. And you are right (!)". The basic premise of everything I read was that this was a phase that would eventually pass. The most hopeful thing I read during this time was in "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", where Dr. Weissbluth wrote that, "Extreme fussiness does not appear to be an expression of a permanently difficult temperament. In one study of extremely fussy infants, subsequent measurements of temperament at 5 and 10 months did not show any group differences between formerly 'difficult' infants and 'easy' infants." It was hard to imagine at the time, but according to the data, this phase would end eventually.

Well, as I laid Molly down to sleep tonight and she looked up at me with those sweet blue eyes, she flashed me one of her signature "super-smiles"...the smile so big that it lights up her entire face and her whole body starts dancing. Then she rolled over and cuddled up to her favorite stuffed giraffe. I shut the bedroom door and haven't heard a peep out of her for the last 3 hours! And I realized that somewhere along the way, God gave us our "easy" baby. She's a healthy eater. She naps at least 3 hours during the day and sleeps 12-14 hours at night. She loves to play with her mommy and daddy, but is content to play by herself if you need a few minutes to get things done. Crying is rare unless she's sick, uncomfortable, or over-tired. She smiles easily, laughs often, and finds overwhelming joy in life's simple pleasures...a warm bath, a bouncy red ball, raspberries blown on her belly, or kisses behind her ear.

So, not every baby can be an "easy baby" right off the bat. Some babies just need a few more cuddles and kisses along the way, but eventually all the sleepless nights and long, fussy days seem like ancient history. The joy of spending your days with such an amazing little person infuses you with a kind of parenting amnesia where you hardly remember the difference between a so-called "easy baby" and a "difficult" one. And for the first time you fully and truly realize what your own Mom meant when she hugged you close so many times and said, "I love you no matter what."

And, since it seems weird to publish a blog post with no pictures, here's a cute one of Molly "helping" us stuff and fold diapers. Just so happens, the Pampers box is the perfect size to hold all of our cloth diapers + one super cute baby :-)