my middle child

My little Abigail, my current "baby", is going to become a middle child in a few months. It seems that middle child is a loaded term. I've heard plenty of stories and opinions about the difficulties of a middle child, especially when the older and younger sibling are of the same gender.

While I do want to make sure my Abigail doesn't get lost in the middle of her big and little sister, I've thought lately how perfectly suited she is to be the sister in the middle. God knew exactly what he was doing when He created this special little girl.

Abigail Kathleen was named after my Mom. And its remarkable how much she reminds me of her! Sometimes I wonder if my Mom were just like Abi when she was a toddler. First of all, Mom was stuck in the middle of eight siblings, seven of them being girls! But Abi and my Mom have more than just birth order in common. They both have strong and adventurous personalities. There is little that my Abi is afraid of (except being left in childrens ministry and people with braces ;). I love that I do not see the same temptation to fear in Abigail that I do in myself. My Mom was a woman of incredible faith in God, who did not fear! I pray that Abigail becomes that sort of woman.

Abigail, just like my Mom, is steady. She is pretty much happy all the time (well, she does have her share of fits!) and her mood does not swing from one end of the spectrum to the other (unlike a big sis and Mamma of hers!!).

This doesn't resemble my Mom at all, but another thing that characterizes my Abi is she LOVES to eat!!

Speaking of that love for food, she seems to want to eat constantly. We often find her in the pantry, sitting on the floor, just staring at all the food! Any food within reach, she's going for. The other day she crossed the line when I caught her eating a stick of butter that I had left on the counter!!! I was concerned for her health, grossed out and laughing hysterically all at once!

She's caught in the act below:

Abigail LOVES babies (Daniel is one of her favorites).

And I Love her big blue eyes.

She's a Daddy's girl for sure.

We joke that she's the closest thing to a son Joe will ever have :)

She loves sitting on his lap, eating chips and watching football with him.

She loves playing catch and kicking the ball.

She loves running around like crazy outside and exploring.

We think she's gonna be our athlete.

There is never a dull moment in our house since our sweet Abigail was born.

I really don't think I'll have to worry about her getting "lost in the middle" at all.