Not Easier, Just Different

When Ryan was a newborn I remember asking my sister (who has 5 kids), "Does it get easier?".

At the time I am sure my sister wanted to simply say "Yes, of course it does. It will get easier for you".

Instead she chose to tell me the truth. She told me that being a mom never gets easier, it just gets different.

And now here I am, almost 9 months into this parenting adventure, and I am finding that her words were so true. Each stage of babyhood so far has had its share of both challenges and joys. True, Ryan no longer has colicky crying spells, and in that sense he has gotten easier to take care of. But oh my, the crawling and getting into every single thing that shouldn't be touched and I can't take my eyes off him for a second! In that sense it has gotten more difficult. (As I type he has just emptied our electronics drawer and is chewing on a pair of headphones).

But if I had to choose, I'd say the stage he is in right now is my favorite so far. His personality is developing more and more each day, and I am having so much fun interacting with him. He laughs at my silly faces and voices. He loves being hung upside down by Daddy. He smiles at strangers at the grocery store. At the opposite end of the spectrum are his mini-tantrums. He grabs the spoon out of my hand when I try to feed him something he doesn't like. He cries and arches his back every time I put him in his carseat. Those are the reasons why this parenting job isn't easy.

But it sure is a lot of fun right now!

(Ryan is exactly 1 week old in the first picture. I almost didn't post it because oh my goodness I look awful. But look how little he is!)