Abbie

I'm at home with my youngest daughter. She is sick. It's hard to watch your children be sick. You want to make it all better, but you can't. While she is sleeping, I wanted to jot down a few thoughts...

For those of you (I write this in case someone, someday besides my brother reads this) who don't know my daughter she is a hoot!

Abbie has always surprised me. She surprised me at conception - not planned AT ALL. When she was born we were expecting a 10 lb. baby, she was 7 lbs. 14 oz. I expected her to be dark like her sister - total opposite. I did not expect her to constantly cry the first few months of her life. Come to find out she was lactose intolerant. I guess eating a huge bowl of ice cream each night while I was nursing wasn't okay with her stomach. She is tall and lanky (unlike the rest of us), but she is tough. This part often surprises me due to the lack of "padding" she has. She is smart...sooo smart. She is already reading novels and only in second grade. I guess my biggest surprise of all is her heart.

Abbie is the most caring human being I know. Don't get me wrong, she has her moments of self. But, if someone falls, or gets hurt she is the first one there. She loves babies and from the time she could walk never liked to hear one cry. She has always shown great concern for others, even before she could talk. When she was just learning to totter around our apartment, if myself or Emma were crying, she would come over to us and pat us making cooing noises with her mouth.

Abbie is the first one to give something up in this family. She gives to us without asking anything in return. She is concerned for others in this world. She has shown this by giving her money back to God many times with the expressed hope of helping some one in need.

Her sense of humor is fantastic! She is always happy (unless I've just asked her to clean her room) and she is quick to laugh if the situation calls for it. Abbie is usually the one to find the bright side in all situations with quips of, "well at least it wasn't..." or "it will be okay mom, I still love you".

When I think of her a picture of a ray of sunshine comes to mind. She is just that. Full of laughter, quick to forgive and always ready with a hug and kiss.