Stuck in the Middle

Ella is a middle child. She has a hard time deciding whether or not she wants to be big or little. And most days have a little of both rolled in. She is not the oldest, who gets to do everything first and receives the attention for doing so. Everything Luke does is new and exciting. By the time Ella does them I can sense that we just dont quite have the same enthusiasm as we did the first time around. Ella is not the youngest, who gets attention for being little and sweet and cute. Every time Olivia does something she gets ooooh's and aaaah's . And frequently Ella will try to do something similar but a 3 1/2 year old bopping her head to some fun music is just not the same as a 10 month old doing it.

I can tell that this little girl feels stuck. I can sense that she's trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be doing. She's lost somewhere between a Kindergartner and a baby and I feel like I am overlooking her among the excitement of those 2 things.

So what do I do? How can I help her to know how important she is to us all? She makes us better and brighter and more exciting. She has a role all her own and I dont want her to feel lost in the middle, trying to fit into some one else's shoes.

I love you sweet Ella. I know sometimes things feel frustrating and confusing. I know you want more attention than you can manage to get. But I hope you always know how wonderful and beautiful and fun and thoughtful you are. I can not even begin to tell you how you can put smiles on my face in ways no body else ever could.



Ella with one of her favorite people, also a middle child, Uncle Ryan. I love this picture because its so clear how much they love each other.