So Different!!

I have been thinking about how crazy it is that 2 children that come from the same parents can be so completely different. When Maddy was a baby she was a very demanding and needy baby. She cried A LOT and was only happy with me. She wouldn't take a bottle so I was only able to leave her for about an hour b/c there was no telling when she would be ready to eat. The only place she would sleep was in our bed or in her swing. She was one of those babies where you spend 30 minutes getting them good and asleep, tiptoe to the bed and lye them down ever so gently and as soon as they hit the mattress their eyes pop open, the crying begins, and the whole routine began again. This made for a very tiring and draining first year. It took me a while before I wanted to have another baby b/c I knew how hard and stressful it was. Now don't get me wrong, I love my little Maddy to death and wouldn't trade her for anything. We also have wonderful and fun memories of her first year, it wasn't all bad. So we waited about 4 years, Maddy was pretty independent and there was nothing baby about her. So our little Olivia was born and it has been night and day! Olivia is a very happy baby and has made things pretty easy for us. She loves the bottle and sometimes prefers it over breastfeeding, so I am able to leave her for longer periods of time without worrying. She is happy just lying on the floor rolling around or sitting in her bouncy seat. The most amazing thing to me, and I just started this, is that she can lay in her bed and go to sleep on her own. I give her the pacifier, turn on her little fish aquarium and she is asleep in a few minutes. I have decided that every child is different and what works for one might not for the other. Some babies are born high maintenance and more difficult than others. I used to read all kinds of books trying to figure out how to get Maddy to sleep on her own and nothing worked. It was so frustrating b/c I thought I was doing something wrong and now I realize that's just how she was. Granted there were probably a few things I should have done differently but in all I think it was just her nature to be difficult. Maddy is a wonderful big sister and keeps us laughing all the time. She is way too smart and that often gets her in trouble. We still have issues with her going to bed but we are slowly conquering that. I can truely say that I look forward to having another baby(not anytime too soon). I forgot how wonderful it is to have such a precious little baby in our family and I love watching them grow and learn(though it happens way too fast).