If left to chance...

...I am convinced that all second-borns would not survive. I'm serious.

I realized this today as I was eating lunch with Peter. He was sitting in his high chair and Liberty was next to him in the exer-saucer. Lunch, which was leftover cheesy chicken casserole, was going quite well. There I was, at the table enjoying my food and the sound of the children making each other laugh. I thought that the way they interacted with one another was so cute! Then I heard Peter say, "Here's one for you." Oh. Not so cute anymore. I jumped up from my chair as he was reaching down to give Liberty a piece of chicken. Disaster averted. But no, I then realized that apparently he had already been covertly sharing his meal with her since there appeared to be something in her mouth. Upon further probing it turned out to be not just one something, but two pieces of chicken that she was happily gnawing on. She had been sucking all the cream cheese/cheddar sauce off the chicken... so much for no dairy until she turned one! Lesson learned: do not put the baby within reach of the toddler during mealtimes.

So yes, this leads me to formulate a theory that I have long suspected: if left to chance, all older children would innocently kill or irreparably harm their younger siblings. Clearly the universe does not operate at random; if you want proof that there is a sovereign God, there you have it.