Two Weeks Old

On Thursday the 29th, little Ethan was TWO weeks old!

Thoughtful Friends

My good friend Esther sent a package to Elijah and Ethan. She sent some Hot Wheels cars for Elijah which totally thrilled him! Thank you, Esther!

She also sent a couple cute outfits that will look adorable on Ethan when he gets a bit bigger.

Oh, there must have been some magic in that blue knit hat they sent, 'cuz when we put it on his head he began to fall asleep! Yay! =)

Thank you Aunt Deanna for sending these adorable hats for Ethan! I love the colors and how they roll up at the edge. They fit him perfectly! He will for sure use them a lot in Northern Ireland too! Next time we get together I want you to teach me how to knit one!

Auntie Crystal with her Nephews

My sister was here this week working on wedding plans. She also spent time with Elijah.
Here they are playing and wearing the "helmets" Elijah found for them.

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My Husband ROCKS Friday

My husband rocks because he was such a great support during our labor with Ethan.

He have me lots of hugs, let me lean on him, pressed on my back through each contraction and read some Psalms to me. He really was a great encouragement to me through it all.

First Comes Love...

Once upon a time in a lands far apart, two young people grew up committed to loving their future partner through the purity they showed in their lives even before they ever met.

They both concentrated on falling in love first and foremost with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And they trusted that in His perfect timing He would be the one to bring them together. And He didn't disappoint! The Author or Romance saw in these two people a heart for others and a heart for Himself and He started writing their love story even before they ever met. He was creating separately in each of them a hope and a future that would one day intertwine. And soon The Author decided that it was time to bring them together!

So He used mutual friends and a visit to Texas to introduce Andrew and Crystal to one another! They continued to trust the Lord to lead their steps and continued to honor Him and each other through their relationship.

And now the next chapter of their love story is about to unfold...


On New Years day 2009 in a very romantic way Andrew asked Crystal for her hand in marriage. And she said "YES!"

My big sister is getting married! I'm so happy for these two special people!
They are planning a wedding for early June here in Florida.

Congratulations to you both!

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Special People

It's been a big weekend for little Ethan. He got to meet two very special people for the first time this weekend. On Friday my grandma, Elijah's and Ethan's GREAT grandma, came up for dinner. Then on Saturday and Sunday my brother Andrew was home from Word of Life.

On Sunday Ethan got to go to church for the first time. He slept through the whole thing just like a newborn would. =)

It was a good weekend.

This is Ethan meeting his great Grammy on Friday!

And meeting his Uncle Andrew for the first time on Saturday...

Missionary Spotlight - Carrie Martin

Missionary Spotlight
#2

Carrie Martin

In Mexico- En route to Paraguay

Visit Carrie's Blog - Life in Carrie's Corner

Hi! My name is Carrie. I met Geoff and Melissa during their first semester in Jersey Shore, PA. I fell in love with Elijah, then got to meet him a few months later. Despite many moves and long distances between us, we have remained good friends. (I have a theory: anyone who makes it through being lost in the woods stays good friends!) Melissa asked me to write a little bit about where I am and what I am doing, which really starts with where I've come from.

My grandparents were missionaries, and I was exposed to missions at a young age. Between my grandparents influence and being raised in a Christian home, God put two and two together in my heart to guide me into missions. I went through New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, MI. I spent the next two and a half years in Pennsylvania and Missouri studying culture, church planting, language learning techniques, and linguistics. I finished the four and a half years of training in December 2007.

I spent 2008 building relationships with friends and family in Louisiana and North Carolina, and taking a two-month road trip to Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Virginia. During 2008, I saw God provide in miraculous ways, raising my support from around 15% of the recommended support for a missionary in Mexico--all the way to 65%! Only God could do this!

So now what am I doing? I left North Carolina on New Year's Eve for a four-day trip to Chihuahua, Mexico. I am here in Mexico to study Spanish in a Latin American culture. I won't only be learning a new language--I'll be learning a new way of life! I live in the Mexican Bible school's dorm. I have three roommates, two are monolingual in Spanish. I'm praying that this will aid me in learning Spanish more quickly! I'll be here in Chihuahua for ten months, and then I plan to go to Paraguay. When I get to Paraguay I will spend more time in Spanish language learning, then I will get into my area of ministry. I'm praying about how I will fit into a tribal church planting work.

I am so excited about how far God has brought me. I once heard an analogy of how God works on us to remove our blemishes to glorify Himself. A diamond worker may sit for days, staring at a diamond--analyzing its features both positive and negative. Finally, one day, the worker picks up his tools and taps the diamond in one place. The diamond will never be the same again. The diamond is smaller now, but the blemishes are gone. It is now perfect in the sight of the diamond worker. We are like this, and God is working on all of His children to glorify Himself, and to better shine His Light around the world. How is He using you to shine His Light?"

A Beautiful Week

Our little man is one week old today!

Here are some pictures from this morning on his one week birthday...

Elijah is still excited and loves on Ethan any chance he gets. I'm so glad he's happy and excited about the baby and not jealous of him. One of the sweetest things i've seen this week is when Ethan is crying and Elijah holds him and says, "Don't cry, don't cry. I'm here!" Just melts my heart!

Ethan's First Week In Pictures

The Arrivel of Mr. Ethan

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Well, I started this post a few days ago but only now am getting around to finishing it. I thought it would be neat to post it today since it is Ethan's one week birthday today! Wow, he's been with us a whole week already. The past few days have been kind of a lovely, exciting, sleep deprived blur. =)

-My dear husband is fixing dinner again. He's been such a great help through all of this! He's taken such great care of all of us! I'm so thankful to have a husband like him.
Elijah is playing here in the room with me and Ethan is sleeping on the bed. So I'm going to see how much i can get written before some one needs me. =)

It all started early Thursday morning around 3:30. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom and was just falling asleep again when a sharp pain woke me back up. I stayed in bed for another hour and it happened a few more times. By the time we left the house to drive to the birth center at 5:15 they were about 8-10 minuets apart. The drive down took about 2 1/2 hours. Traffic was good that time of day so there were no delays.
We were able to leave Elijah and let him sleep since my mom was there to look after him. It was so nice to not have to disturb him so early and to leave knowing he was well taken care off. Thanks mom!

But by the time we got to the center the contractions had stopped! After we settled in i was able to lay down and take a nap for about an hour. A contraction woke me up and Sherri and Jesse arrived shortly after that.

I'd only had a few contractions all morning. I was bummed that things had slowed down so much! My sister called our chiropractor. I'd been going to a chiropractor down there on my other visits and i was able to get an appointment with her that morning. After my visit with her the contractions came back and were about 6 minuets apart!

Around 2:00pm my sister and I took a walk along the water and around a park. That worked and they got harder and closer together. Then Sherri and I walked around laps around the birth center until Brittany and Patrick arrived. I was touched that these friends of mine would drop everything they had going and come down to be there for me!

It got harder and the contractions longer and eventually I got into the tub. Geoff would press really hard on my back and that helped a bit as well. Mom arrived with Elijah not long after. It was so nice to see my little boy. He gave me a kiss and eyed the big tub then said "Me can swim in there?" =)

It was really hard and painful, I'm not going to try make it sound easy. I was getting really tired and it felt like it was never going to end. But I knew people were praying and Geoff and Crystal were there encouraging me. Geoff read a couple Psalms to me and was a great support as was Crystal. I couldn't have done it with out these two special people!

Finally at 10:54pm our little baby was born! Geoff caught him and when Crystal held him up i saw he was a boy! Our Ethan was here! It was such a relief! They put him on my chest and I got to hold him and see his scrunched up little face right away. It was pretty amazing. I was just thanking God that he was here healthily and safe. God is so good!

Elijah had a sweet smile on his face as he sat on Geoff's lap and leaned over to touch the baby. "This is our baby?" he asked. Yes, this is our baby and we feel truly blessed!

Big brother Elijah meets little brother Ethan

Ethan was laying there just staring up at his daddy!Amazing midwife Crystal weighing her nephew

Ethan meeting his Grandma
My wonderful boys! And my sweet friends!

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments, emails and prayers. It's means a lot of have friends who truly care and I don't take that forgranted.

<><, Melissa

Wonder of Today

Ten tiny little fingers that always want to play,

That never stop exploring the wonder of today.

Ten tiny little fingers that from the very start,

Will reach out for tomorrow yet always hold your heart.

-- Author Unknown

All About Ethan

Ethan Daniel

Ethan:

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: "strong, firm"

"Ethan means strong and optimistic, solid and enduring, or permanent. The name Ethan appears eight times in the Hebrew Bible. Ethan the Ezrahite, is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It may be that Ethan was a cymbal-player in King David's court. He authored Psalm 89."

Daniel:

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: "God is my Judge"

"In the Old Testament, Daniel was a Hebrew prophet and the Book of Daniel contains prophecies concerning the future. Daniel was among the Jews who were taken captive in Babylon. He rose to a high position in the Babylonian government by interpreting the king's dreams. Daniel was persecuted by the Babylonians for his faith in God and survived a politically motivated death sentence in a lions’ den."

All About Elijah

Elijah John

Elijah John: "The Lord Is My God, He is Gracious"

The origin of the name Elijah John: Hebrew

Elijah was a great Hebrew prophet of Israel who appeared mysteriously during the 9th century B.C.E. and left this earth in a blazing chariot ascending into the heavens. He appears in the Bible in 1 and 2 Kings, and is seen with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus.

A boy is Truth with dirt on it's face,

Beauty with a cut on its finger,

Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair,

and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.

-- Author Unknown

Blessings, Sherri

Welcoming Ethan

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Thank You, Lord

Thank you all for your words of encouragement, prayers and emails. It'll take me a bit read and answer them all. But i'm so thankful for each of you and the part you played in our miracle last night. I know I couldn't have done it without your prayers.

We're doing well this morning. I had four whole hours of uninterrupted sleep last night... no trips to the potty for 4 whole hours! =) We are staying down here in Clearwater for another night.

Today we have to take Ethan over to the center for his PKU test then to the pediatricians for a newborn exam. He's sleeping right now and I may go join him!

I have so much to say and share but it can wait for another day. I'm going to snuggle with my boys.
We'll write more soon. Love to you all!
<><,
Melissa

p.s. You can click on the picture above to enlarge it if you need to.

The Miracle of Life

Ethan Gill is here!

Close to 11 p.m. last night, Jan. 15, Geoff, Melissa and Elijah Gill received a new family member: a 7-pound, 9-ounce miracle: Ethan. Wouldn't you know? He made it right on time, right on his due date! (Punctual. A kid after my own heart.)

I apologize for not posting until now. Once Ethan had arrived, all of us were distracted, looking at his cute self, taking photos, crying tears of joy, and explaining it all to Elijah, who was a real trooper and wonderful new big brother. Then, it was late-night drive-homes for the non-family members, so we were pooped., and Crystal, the wonderful aunt and mid-wife, had many more tasks to attend to.

Melissa will give you all the details herself. She should be discharged and driving back early afternoon, and since she's the woman who did all the work, we'll let her tell their story, complete with some sweet new family photos!

But it was beautiful, and Sherri, Jesse, Patrick and I were all so blessed to be there to witness it.

Thank you all your prayers. They were a truly wonderful gift to the Gills, and they were much appreciated.

Signing off for now (but not forever. Hopefully, I'll get to speak with you all soon),
Brittany (and the rest of Team Gill, who thank goodness, is probably still sleeping)

Elijah's Here!

Hello again everyone!

Mrs. Day, Melissa's mom, arrived an hour ago with Elijah in tow.

Crystal took him in to Mommy. Melissa was laboring in the bath tub and doing beautifully.

When he saw Melissa in the Jacuzzi, he asked, "Me can swim in der?"

Then, Crystal whispered in Elijah's ear, "Let's pray for Mommy" as Melissa started having another contraction.

Elijah, very matter-of-factly, replied, "I can't pray. I have my sunglasses on."

And indeed, he did. He had donned a pair of children's sunglasses, upside down (pictures to come).

We all laughed.

No baby yet, but we're close. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for your blessings,
Brittany

In Labor....

Hi there, Team Gill reporting!

It's Sherri and Brittany here. We're all in Tampa, and Melissa is doing beautifully. She's munching on a chocolate chip cookie and walking around with little to no complaining!
Crystal says we should have a baby within a couple hours!

Thanks for your prayers,
S and B

Baby Update!

Hello everyone!

One of the wonderful things about this new baby is Melissa's blogger friends and in-person friends get to meet each other. That's right! You're meeting someone new yet again!

I'm Brittany. I've been friends with Melissa since we were little home-schooled kids. I was one of the bride's that got married in October that Melissa blogged about.

I'm excited to get to update you all on the upcoming entrance of Baby Gill into our world!

Melissa has made it to Tampa, been checked out by her wonderful sister Crystal, and....her labor has slowed down to a snail's pace.

She's been sent out to walk the mall and get that baby moving into his momma and poppa's arms!

Sherri, your former blogger, has made it to Tampa with her and Geoff. Sherri's husband Jesse is there as well.

And I'm posting this from the high school in Gainesville, Fla., where I work as a teacher, right before school dismisses. Thank goodness, my school had a half day today, so I'm sprinting to my car, picking up my husband Patrick, and heading two hours south to Tampa to help in any way we can (if for no other reason than to calm Sherri down. Oh, I'm just kidding!)

Anyways, we'll give you developments as they come. I've got a lap top, and I know Melissa wants everyone updated, so I promise, you'll hear from "Team Gill" again.

I know she is thankful for all the prayers and blessings you've sent her way. We all are, as they offer such comfort and encouragement to Geoff and her!

Please keep her in your daily thoughts and prayers throughout the rest of the day, and get ready to welcome a new blessing into the world!

- Brittany

I'll be back soon.

Never Sleep with Ear Plugs...

When something important is about to happen!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen...

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY TODAY!

Or at least we think so. You know, babies have their own agendaz! This morning I received the call...Melissa was up and packing at 3:45a. Her and Geoff are now in Tampa but things slowed down in the car on the way.

Please keep this wonderful family in your prayers as they welcome a new little life into their family!

I will keep you posted!!!

Blessings, Sherri

A New Blog

Hi Everybody!

I just wanted share a new blog with you.

My friend Ruth from Northern Ireland just started a blog last week. I know she would love to have you go by and say Hello and welcome her to blogging.

Click here or click on Ruth's Thoughs on my side bar.

Love,
Melissa

For Elijah ~ Part 2

Here is the second part of the last post. Hope you all enjoy these pictures of Elijah, they are some of my favorites! His smile can make a whole room light up!!

My new sweat pants outfit that is a little too big! But don't I look cute in it?

My second birthday! And a really cool lady bug!

At the beach condo! Did I mention I love the beach?!

I love picking out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch every year!

Me and Maggi the kitten...she is so soft!

Looking at the cars go by. I love cars and trucks!

Just me being cute in my Auntie's wedding.

Me sound asleep after the wedding. What a big day!

I got a kick out of going down this huge blow up slide!

I was a "cast member" for a few minutes this Christmas at Disney World.

My favorite ride at Disney...the carousel!!! I could ride it all night, but Mommy would get sick!

I got some cool new toys this year for Christmas including this tool belt and hat. Now I can be like Daddy!!!

Blessings, Sherri