Parents who had difficult babies, what is your toddler like now?

Im a FTM to a 9 month old. He’s been chaos since birth. I was miserable for the first 8 months, but I’m finally starting to enjoy my little boy, he’s calming down and becoming happier as he gains mobility and becoming more vocal. Im really looking forward to toddler-hood, but I see many parents talk about only the negatives that come with toddlers (tantrums, messes, etc). Am I in for a rude awakening once he hits toddler age? If you had a difficult baby, what are they like now as a toddler?