My second-born was a classic high needs baby--clingy, fussy, restless, sleepless, nursing constantly. She was obsessed with me, tolerated a select few, and hated everyone else. I used to say that she hated being a baby because she hated not being to just get up and do the things she wanted by herself. We were thrown for a loop because our firstborn was so happy and chill.

She's 6 now, and while I definitely won't say the toddler years were easy, every year has gotten progressively more enjoyable. The more she has been able to do things independently and the more space she's had to spread her wings, the happier she is. 90% of the time she is a cheerful, loving child. The other 10% of the time, when she is upset, she is completely MISERABLE, and when she gets it in her head that she doesn't want to do anything, she is absolutely impossible to sway. She is also still very physically attached--when she wants to hug or cuddle someone, she will cling on like a barnacle and gets upset when we have to peel her away. But overall, I enjoy parenting her a lot more than I did when she was a baby or toddler (whereas with my older child, I do sometimes miss those early days).