Hobbies anyone?

Robby and I had a big talk last night about Mommy getting some time off! My outlet these days is my kids. A Mothers work is never done. My job is not a 9:00 am to 5:00 pm job. Robby really saw how busy the day is when he had both kids on Monday! There are dishes to keep up with, 2 kids diapers and clothes to change, plus the general upkeep of the house to consider. What do Mom's do for a break? My kids won't always be home with me. I need to find some hobbies. I have girlfriends that run and swim, I have girlfriends that go to the gym. I have girlfriends that read. I'm looking for a hobby. Any suggestions? :) What do other Moms do?

This weekend, I get to go out for a Pamper Mom Day! Robby had purchased a spa gift certificate last year for Christmas and I haven't used it yet! I thought, OH, I'll use it after Abby's birthday. OH, I'll use it when we get back from Paris! OH, I'm pregnant, I'll use it once the baby arrives! Christian is now two months old and it's time to cash it in! Also, my savvy internet skills found a great bargain too where I can get a manicure, pedicure, haircut and 1 hour massage for the use of my gift certificate! Awesome :) Looking forward to Sunday! ;)

Sickness hits the Millsap house!

You'd think that since I haven't been out of the house in FOUR days that I would have found plenty of time to update my blog! Not so! Life has been a little crazy here at the Millsap household!

Saturday, we went to a really fun birthday party at the park! Notice the pic of Abby hitting the piniata! Saturday night, we toured "Candy Cane Lane", saw the lights and snow and visited Santa. Notice the pic of Abby crying on his lap!

Sunday morning, about 10 minutes before we left for church, Abby threw up, twice! I wasn't present at the time. Being Mom, I'm the last to get ready after everyone else is dressed and ready! I hear Robby saying "It's ok, it's ok" and I'm thinking, did she hit her brother, what's going on, why is he saying "it's ok"? I walked out of my room and found the answer to that question really quickly!

I stayed home with Ab's on Sunday. Notice the pic of her sad face. She asked me to take a picture of her. We've learned a new phrase here "throw up". I chased her around the house most of Sunday morning with a trash can in hand! Poor baby! Once she woke up from her nap Sunday afternoon, all she wanted was "Grammy soup". My Mom makes this awesome potato soup which makes everything in life all better :)

Monday morning, 6:30. The whole family is awake and Mom is now sick! Robby, who's behind on work stayed home and took care of both kids ALL day! This is no easy task! He was even able to get both kids to nap simultaneously AND took them to the mall for cookies! Great job Robby!

Tuesday, I still wasn't 100% but was able to entertain the kids all day using my good friend, TV. :) Also, since food didn't sound appealing whatsoever, I survived on plain cheerios till Robby made dinner that evening :) Mmm, chicken and fried rice! Nummy!

Wednesday morning, Robby and Abby have the sniffles. We'd been invited to a cookie making party but due to the sickness going around the Millsap house, I opted we should stay home! Abby napped for 3 1/2 hours today, catching up on lost sleep from the past few mornings. She woke up to a nice treat too! Since we weren't able to go make cookies, cookies came to us! My friend Chiara and Abby's best buddy Carter brought cookies by! She also got manger stickers and a blowup snowman ball! That was so sweet and totally made her day! See the photo of happy Abby holding her cookie plate!

Well, I need to get to bed! I'm off to a cookie exchange party tomorrow and just finished baking 3 dozen cookies! :)

Spring Cleaning a little early! :)

I'm on a mailing list for a church in Aliso Viejo (it's right off of Alicia near Crown Valley?) that donates used children's clothes to families who are in need. Below is an email I got from her, requesting items! I try to hand down most of Abby/Christian's clothes but they also accept items like formula, wipes, antibacterial lotion, whatever families can spare for other families! I'll post the email below! It's called "Kids' Closet"

I keep a Huggies box in Abby's room and when the kids grow out of something, in the box it goes! They are great for holding things and less flimsy than a bag!

This has prompted me to take all my maternity clothes out too and start sorting through the pre-pregnancy clothes I own! Looks like I'll be going to Goodwill this week too!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you up for a challenge?

See if you can fill a bag with your kids' too small clothes and shoes (infant to size 14). Start simple - do one drawer (or if they're big enough, have them help you).

Bring that bag, just one, to Kids' Closet at 30071 Ivy Glenn Dr 92677 (LNPC parking lot)

The reason I'm challenging you is because yesterday a Head Start preschool director came and "shopped" for several families in Buena Park.
Our stock is nearly wiped out, praise God! We have helped so many families have a blessed Christmas season.
At the same time, we ought to fill it for the other families who are still in need and who are still finding us.

Please, don't wait until your ENTIRE kids' clothes have been sorted through. We need clothes now. Do a little at a time.

Fun day so far! :)

OK! Both kids are napping, an opportunity for me to update my blog! Amazingly, I'm not craving a NAP right now since I've been awake since 6-! I'll crash hard tonight I'm sure!!! :)

Busy morning! I'm becoming more and more forgetful! We were invited to a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party this morning which I completely forgot about! Thank you Chiara for reminding me! Here are some fun photos of the day! We made little craft books (reminded me of "Pat The Bunny") where we felt the hay from the manger, a piece of blanket like swaddling cloth, aluminum foil like the shiny star and a cotton ball like the fluffy sheep! Then, we decorated a manger page with stickers, sang Christmas carols and had birthday cupcakes where we sang Happy Birthday Jesus! We also had a felt board where Paula read the Christmas story :) It was a LOT of fun!

Also, Christian is 2 months old today! He's such a sweetie! As I mentioned in my blog earlier, he slept 9 hours last night, 9:00pm till 6:00am! Let's hope he repeats that tonight! Here are some pics I took of him today in his Christmas light outfit (thanks Laura!)! He's beginning to talk a lot more and looks around a smiles a lot! He follows our voices around the room too and enjoys it when sister is near :) A little girl at the party this morning was looking at Christian and Abby got very defensive! She started telling her "MY BABY"!

Ok, back to laundry and dishes! :)

God did it! What an answer to prayer!

God totally answered my prayer in so many ways this morning! When the alarm went off, Robby and I both got up! I slept from 11- till 6-, the first time in weeks that I've gotten a full 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep! Christian slept from 8:15 till a little after 6- but I was able to do my full Bible study homework completely uninterrupted! Then, I was able to pray through my notebook while my hand kept Christian's bottle in his mouth! What an amazing time with the Lord today! Robby and I have both been so encouraged! He wants us to do this again tomorrow! I just had to post this! That's the first time Christian has slept ALL night! Praise God! Please just continue to pray that we'll continue to get up! :)

A lady at Thrive a few weeks ago was talking about how we have our ideals on how our "quiet time" should be. For myself, I like it quiet, no distractions, just God and I on the couch with my Bible and prayer notebook. With 2 kids in the house and a husband, that doesn't happen! She told us that God meets us wherever we are, He's just happy we took the time, He just wants us. :) Just thought I'd pass that on!

NO time to blog :'( sniff sniff

Life here has gotten a bit busier these days! Christian is awake a lot more and both children are desiring more love!

This week will bring about a big change. Robby found an office space! He moved in this weekend, starting bright and early tomorrow! We'll miss having him around the house!

Good news is Christian is on a pretty good schedule these days! He'll be 2 months old tomorrow morning :) He's sleeping between 6 and 8 hours a night. Tonight his last bottle was at 8:15 and went to bed right after that, so I'm wondering when he'll wake up! When I try and wake him at 11- to feed him, he doesn't want to wake up! He's BIG enough that the Dr. said he could go 11 hours, doesn't mean that he wants to though! Plus, with him sleeping in our room still, I don't like to hear him cry! I let him whimper for a while and when it turns in to crying and changing his diaper doesn't make him happy, then I give in and feed him a bottle, knowing it'll make him happy! We're down to 1 feeding during the night though instead of 2! I'm happy about that!

I'm going to try and commit to getting up at 6- am every day to start my morning off on the right foot! That will include, WAKING UP (I'm much more of a night person than a morning person), doing my Bible study with Robby, then I won't be such a zombie when the kids wake up! Usually, I let one of their 2 cries wake me! We'll see how this new plan works out!

This morning, I was up at 5:30 am giving Christian a bottle. By the time he was through, it was 6- and my alarm for church would be going off in 45 minutes! Instead of laying in bed thinking about all the things I could be doing, I got up and did them! I felt very productive and by the time 7- rolled around, I'd packed the kids diaper bags, had dressed and put makeup on, did my hair, did the dishes, loaded the car and I wrote out a list of things for Robby not to forget! I'm very proud of him! He took both kids to church today on his own! His first outing out with both of them! I sang in the Christmas choir at church and needed to be there by 8-! He wasn't far behind me, arriving 20 minutes early for the 9- service! ;)

Well, it's 10-pm already and I'm going to get up at 6-am! It should help that Robby's plan is to get up at 6- to start work! Pray we'll keep each other accountable!

I really miss blogging. Right now, I feel that my time is better spent making sure Abby doesn't throw something at brother while I'm typing away! ;)

Breast cancer

This is true, check out http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/breastcancersite.htm

Breast cancer awareness is important. We named our Abby after a close friend of mine who lost her fight.

Please click on the site below to help women in need get free mammogram screenings!

Rebecca :)

---- A favor to ask, it only takes a minute....

Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman.. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' for free (pink window in the middle).

This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors /advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.

Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

AGAIN , PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS TO TELL 10 TODAY

Something to think about

In church lately we have been learning about striving for holiness.

Pretty much everyone has heard 1 Corinthians 13 at some point, it's usually recited at weddings.

Today in Women's Bible study, we were challenged to put our own name in the text where the word love appeared. It was very convicting.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Rebecca is patient, Rebecca is kind. Rebecca does not envy, Rebecca does not boast, Rebecca is not proud. Rebecca is not rude, Rebecca is not self-seeking, Rebecca is not easily angered, Rebecca keeps no record of wrongs. Rebecca does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Rebecca always protects, Rebecca always trusts, Rebecca always hopes, Rebecca always perseveres. Rebecca never fails.

There isn't one thing listed there that I'm not constantly struggling with! There is major room for improvement in each of these areas of my life. I fail daily in my fight to "be holy for He is holy". (1 Peter 1:16)

I'm going to print out this passage of scripture with my name in it and try and read it every day to remind myself what God's standard of holiness is for my life and strive for that! :)

"Are you nursing?"

My least favorite question these days is "are you nursing"? Allow me to vent a little bit on this topic :)

The first month we had Abby, she didn't nurse well. I stressed out in the hospital with nurses trying to help me get her to nurse, then meeting with the lactation consultant. Then, coming home, she wouldn't latch on well, we used a shield that still didn't help much. I stuck with it and, at her one month appointment we learned she hadn't gained any weight. I was ready to quit, throw in the towel, just go to formula. The Dr. said we'd need to breastfeed, then supplement then pump and to do this every 2 hours for 2 weeks. I also started taking fenugreek to help increase my milk supply. It was very difficult but we stuck with it and she gained weight. She thrived :)

I absolutely hate nursing in public. I don't like nursing in front of family, although it's natural, I just feel awkward. When we'd go to Bible study, I'd nurse in another room, by myself where I just felt isolated from everyone! Then, if I tried to pump a bottle so I wouldn't have to feed in public, I'd stress cause I wouldn't get enough extra milk pumped.

This time around, I knew what to expect. I didn't let the nurses try and help me breastfeed. I came home and just started bottle feeding. I know the benefits of breastmilk and don't mind pumping to give it to him. It's easier for me to pump then it is to try and get Christian to nurse, especially if Abby's sitting there.

I had a quick talk with Jen Gray on Sunday. I was feeding Christian a bottle while walking the halls after church to pick up Abby. She encouraged me saying that the important thing is that I'm feeding Christian :)

I love knowing exactly how many ounces of milk he's getting a day. I love that he's not 100% dependent on me feeding him, Robby or Abby can give him a bottle anytime!

Each time I'm asked if I'm nursing, I begin to feel insecure. Is what I'm doing wrong? I started surfing the web and found an excellent support group for Moms who pump! A lady on the site says we as pumping mom's can say we're nursing our kids, even though it's not from "the tap"!

Here is a photo of Abby feeding Christian, something that couldn't be done if I exclusively nursed! :)


http://www.exclusivelypumping.com/

What to blog about?

It's been a while since I wrote. A lot has been happening, where to start?

Last Tuesday, which was a whole week ago, we had plans to visit my family in LA. Monday night, my Dad was taken via ambulance back to the hospital. He was released today is home and already back working in the office! Robby and I still decided to take the kids up to Manhattan Beach after my brother called saying he missed me :) He's been in school in Michigan the last six months. Rosemary also was flying home to Germany on Wednesday so this was our last opportunity to say goodbye to her. We had a fun time hanging out at my parents house catching up and visiting. Rose also came to visit the Friday before and played with Abby. There are some cute pics of the two of them laughing!

Well, Halloween was almost a week ago! The Millsap family dressed as the cast of Star Wars! We attended our church Fall Fest where an estimated 4,000 people came! It was a lot of fun! There was a giant slide, a hay maze, a train ride, booths, free Carl's Jr. and a bunch of our friends!

Friday night was Thrive activity night where we enjoyed a night of free babysitting! The group played Jeopardy and we had fun socializing with adults!

This Saturday we took Christian to the Irvine Spectrum! It was nice to be able to get outside in the fresh air! Most of the smoke from the fires has cleared. Abby road the carousel with her Daddy, Robby and I got some new clothes and then the four of us enjoyed a delicious lunch at Corner Bakery (thank you Travaglias)!

I made it to church this Sunday with both kids in tow! This was the earliest I've had to be out of the house without Robby's help! It was down to the wire, 8:35 and I couldn't find Abby's shoes! A quick call to Robby's cell and we were able to track em down! He even came out to the parking lot to help unload the double stroller, 2 kids, 2 backpacks, purse and Bibles! We had 10 minutes to spare! By myself, it takes about 6 minutes so it was nice to have help!

Monday night, I joined the church Christmas Choir. We'll perform 2 special music songs December 8th and 9th! I was excited to see some people I knew there too! (Karen and Julie!) Yey! Robby was so sweet, committing to take care of the kids every Monday for the next month! He's really been encouraging me to get out more!

Ok, that's all I have time for right now! Christian calls :)

Busy, fun-filled weekend!

Last night, our /thrive group had an awesome Hawaiian Luau dinner which all four Millsap's attended! the food and fellowship were both excellent! This was Christian's first outing (besides the Dr.'s!). He did really well and big sis Abby enjoyed playing with all the other children! Our friends the Orndorff's hosted the event and have a great big backyard which Abigail loved running around in!

This morning, we all got up and went to the 9:00 am service at church. Robby took time off from worship team to help me adjust to getting both kids up, fed and dressed for church! It was very nice having him home. Many hands make light work! Church was awesome! I only missed a week (and it was a guest speaker the week I missed) so it was great to be back! I've only been out a few times this week so it was good to see friends today! Christian, Robby and I sat in the main sanctuary (instead of the cry room) while Abby went to class without any complaint! Pastor Mike has been talking specifically on the topic of sin and how we must make every effort to fight sin in our lives! The study we're doing in Hebrews has been great!

This afternoon, we're off to LA! We're going to visit my Dad who's being released right now from the hospital, 5 days after heart valve replacement surgery! He's recovering really well, thanks everyone for your prayers! It'll be a quick visit just to go say hi as, I'm sure, he'll be tired from a busy day!

If we're home in time too, I have our Mom's night out tonight! We're sharing holiday recipes at my friend Chiara's house which should be a lot of fun! The last time I looked, 15 mom's were coming! Robby's going to watch both kids (and game 7 of the playoffs) while I'm gone ;)

Ok, I'm off to take a quick nap before both kids wake up and it's time to go!

A week old today!

WoW! What a week! We thank God for all He has done!

I had my first outing with both kids on Monday! Christian had his newborn checkup! He's a healthy boy! He's having trouble nursing, but this might also be related to how I've been having a busy week adjusting to two kids! He sleeps great through the night, in fact, I have to wake him up most nights to get him to eat! Because he's such a big guy too, our Ped's Dr. says he can sleep 8 hours straight without eating. Last night he went 4 1/2 before waking up hungry That's not quite 8 ;) He's also learning to sleep without me holding him, a bad habit I started with Abby that I'm not beginning with Christian! When he cries in the night, I sit up and hold him in bed and we fall asleep together! He came home from the hospital on a feeding schedule too which has been working out great for us so far! Christian's such a big guy, he's already in 3 month clothes!





Also on Monday, Robby went in to his office and resigned! God is so good! He has provided more than enough work for Robby to officially be self employed! This is a desire Robby has had since we met! I am so happy he now has the opportunity! He's working mostly from home and the kids and I are loving it!

Tuesday, (yesterday) my dad had open heart surgery to replace a misshaped valve. Today, he's awake and breathing on his own and talking! What an answer to prayer! He has a long recovery but today was already saying he thinks he's doing well :) His first words were "How are the kids" and told my mom "I love you" :) Depending on how he does in the hospital the next few days, he should be home Sunday or Monday.

We've been enjoying lots of visitors this week too! Abby loves having all her friends come to visit and play! Yesterday was Christian's first time really being awake and interactive in the morning so, Abby and I got a toy out for him! Check out our pics and videos!

We're a family of four! :)

It's SO great to be home! This week has just been filled with answered prayers! Thank you to everyone who's been praying for my family! Keep them coming!!! They are greatly appreciated!

A MAJOR THANK YOU to my Mother!!! She came down Tuesday afternoon to be with Abby and stayed till this morning! She was absalutely amazing! She not only cared for our 21 month old (she's 21 months today!!!) she also did a TON around our home to help out! We were so blessed by having her come stay and really appreciate the sacrifice she and my family made by having her come stay here :)

OUR DELIVERY EXPERIENCE! :)
Robby and I got up and left for the hospital at 6:40! We arrived on time, checked in and were in our room (#284) by 8:00am. My Dr. came in and broke my water and my contractions started almost immediately! They put me on pitocin at 8:15 at 2 (I guess you can start at 2 and go up to 20)! By 9:15, I was @ 5 centimeters dilated so my nurse stopped the pitocin! By 10:00am, the anstecioligist had come in to give me my epideral. I was at 8 centimeters and in transition!!! My contractions were literally right on top of each other, no break inbetween. I had a very chatty anstecioligst! ;) I remember telling Robby to tell him to SHH! ;) After about 15 minutes, I started feeling great again! My epideral worked SO well, I couldn't have asked for a better experience! I was seriously laughing through the contraction pressure at that time :) I could feel the pressure of the baby coming down but NO PAIN! Awesome :) I was then told that the baby would be here by lunch! This made me really happy since I hadn't had anything to eat since 10:00pm!

My Dr. had a 12:00pm appointment so my nurse said we'd do a test push to see where we were :) That was at 11:00am. After my test push I was told we'd start pushing in 10 minutes :) Robby called my Mom to let her know the status ;) That was 11:24! I had probably 3 good sets of pushing. Christian's heart rate was dropping which concerned the Dr. a little bit. I remember pushing and the baby heart beat monitor stopped. I looked at Robby who told me the Dr. had taken it off his head. With his heart rate getting lower, my Dr. said I might need help with the vacuum to get him out. I just prayed to not be nervous and to get him out. His cord was wrapped around his neck too but loose enough that the Dr. got it off :) At 11:49, 11 minutes of pushing, Christian arrived!

I felt such relief that he was OUT! Dr. Raffo put him right on my chest! I kept waiting for his cry! The NICU Nurse cleared his nose and throat and he started crying :) Robby and I were crying :) Birth is amazing! We had a son! Praise God :)

We got to spend a lot of time with Christian before family came to visit :) Abby was home napping :) It's funny cause everytime I'd call my Mom I'd have to say "no baby yet" and when Robby called to tell her the news, he said "baby" :) That was at 12:11. Robby went home and picked up Abby to come meet her new brother. My Dad was holding him :) We asked Abby who that was and she said "Baby Brother Christian". She gave him kisses and recieved a cool buckle puzzle and "I'm a big sister" book as a gift from brother! She gave him a baseball rattle to play with :)

Thank you to our church and to Thrive! Both brought us beautiful flowers that we're enjoying now at home! It was great to have some visitors too! Thank you Chiara and Carter, Darin, Alycia, Julie and Clyde for coming to visit! My sister Rose is home from Germany too so she got to come see Christian! My parents and Holly too came to visit twice :)

We got home this morning at 11:00am :) We're a family of four now :)

Robby's family is here for the weekend helping! It's great having extra hands around! A BIG THANK YOU to them also!

Christian Gregory Millsap
8 pounds 14 ounces 20 1/2 inches long
October 10th, 2007

I'm hoping to catch up on email early next week :) My inbox is kinda full right now, 140 unread! If you don't hear from me for a while, sorry, I'll be in touch :) Please don't hesitate to call, if we can get to the phone, we'll answer, if not, please leave a message. Our ringers will be turned up and down throughout our new adjustment process! :)

PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR PRAYERS FOR OUR FAMILY!
That Abby will continue to love brother! She's adjusting well!
That Christian will nurse well once my milk supply comes in.
That Christian's appt. will go well on Monday. He's a little jaundice.
That my Dad's surgery will go well and he'll recover quickly. This takes place on Tuesday morning.
I had enough time to update my blog AND do a slideshow!!! ;) Not bad for a Mom of 2 ;)

PRAISES! Answers to prayer this week!
Details! God has been in every detail of this delivery!
Smooth delivery
Smooth recovery I'm feeling really good!
Baby is healthy
Christian seems to be really mellow and not been really fussy!
Abby was well cared for while we were gone
Robby and I are rested and are continuing to grow even closer together as our family is growing!

Today is the day!

Robby asked me last night "how well does a pregnant woman sleep the night before she knows she's going to have a baby?" The answer: um, not too well ;) I laid in bed for an HOUR just thinking and praying about what is to come! Then, was up four times and couldn't get back to sleep at 4:30 since I'd "rested" so much! :) I then decided to get up and do ONE last blog before going in to the hospital to be induced! It's so exciting to know that today our son will be born! I can't wait to meet him! :)

Thank you so much to all of our friends and family! I have been so encouraged by all the emails and phone calls and prayers! Robby and I are SO blessed!

To recap, we go in to Saddleback this morning @ 7:00am! I'm not allowed to eat any FOOD. I'm wondering if Jamba Juice counts! My last meal @ 10:00pm, a piece of pizza, a vanilla yogurt and a glass of milk, yum! Unfortunately, I'm sitting here hungry!

Still no signs of me going into natural labor! This baby boy is just so comfortable in there! He's being evicted today ;) I'm really feeling a sense of peace about this whole thing. Another huge blessing, my Mom is here! She came yesterday afternoon and is staying with Abby till Friday morning! This is a huge relief for me, an answer to prayer, that the details would work out!

We'll have our cell phones with us! I will probably LOVE to have visitors on Thursday too if anyone wants to come by! ;)

Is he EVER coming out!?!

This afternoon, I was CONVINCED my water broke. Robby, Abby and I went to Boston Market for dinner and then went to the hospital. The setting was ideal, my Dr. was on call. Nothing. We walked the Labor and Delivery floor for an HOUR. Contractions were every 4-6 minutes. Nothing. The nurse checked and I'm 3cm and 70% and 5 days OVERDUE! We're scheduled for an induction in 33 hours which seems FOREVER away! I'm SO ready to meet my son. My Dr. did an ultrasound and my amneotic fluid is low but will last till Wednesday. If we go into labor tonight/tomorrow AM, my Mom's busy with my Dad's Dr's appointments. SO tomorrow I'll be taking it easy, waiting to be induced Wednesday! I was/am hoping to just go in to labor, but this baby just doesn't seem to want to come out!!! I'm going to go get some sleep! :)

UPDATE! Induction date!

I got a call from the hospital this morning! We're scheduled for a precautionary induction! We're supposed to go to Labor and Delivery on Wednesday morning @ 7:00am! This is, of course, if Christian hasn't already made an appearance by then! There's light at the end of the tunnel! He'd only be a week overdue at that point!

Please keep your prayers coming! I'd rather him just arrive then have to go through induction! Thanks!!!

No baby

We watched Christian's due date draw close, then pass :) He's now 2 days overdue. The days are going by slowly now as I anticipate his arrival!

This weekend, a BUNCH of my girlfriends are going on the Women's Retreat with church! I am SO bummed to not be going. I knew right away when it was scheduled that I was due to have a baby 3 days before the Retreat. I knew too that I wouldn't be taking a "less than 1 week old" on Retreat, numerous reasons including, Abby'd be jealous, me leaving for 3 days with the new baby! I also couldn't leave a newborn at home while I went :) Since Christian hasn't arrived, a big part of me feels like I could GO to retreat and he'll just wait till I get back! He's been the most mellow baby! I've truly been blessed to have had such a smooth pregnancy! Instead of driving out to Murrietta, I'll be sitting at home this weekend. I know it's the wise, responsible thing to do! I'll definitely go next year though! Christian will probably be 1 by then, and Abby, 2 1/2! Wow! Robby will have his hands full ;)

Hopefully, this will be my last post before baby ;) Time will tell!

No change

I went to the Dr. this morning and we're still at 3cm and 60%. His "official" due date is tomorrow. My Dr. suggested we schedule an induction on the calendar in case I don't deliver in the next week. She wanted the 10th but, there are SO many babies that are 'overdue', there's no induction dates available until the 17th!!! My nurse assured me that someone will deliver and a date will open up! I'm hoping we won't even have to go that route, that my water will break SOMETIME soon and I can have a nice natural delivery!!! :) We'll see what God and this baby have in store! :)

"Current Prayer Requests"

I decided to add a new section to my page to keep people updated on how they can be praying for the Millsap family! It's brief, but it's self explanatory I think!

There are a lot of big things happening at the Millsaps! This week, we should see the arrival of our baby boy! That's HUGE! Another big thing, Robby is working on signing contracts with companies so he can work full time from home, fully self employed! He's home this week waiting for baby with me :)

My Father, Don, is scheduled to have a valve replaced in his heart October 16th. My sister Rose is flying home this week to be with the family. Her husband Nathan is a soldier in the Army, currently stationed in Iraq.

My brother Phil is driving home from Michigan (where he's been attending Guitar making school for the last 6 months). He leaves October 26th.

Also, our Thrive marriage group is off to a great start! We're getting ready to start up our Men and Women's accountability groups!

I think that's it! Just wanted to get some of these thoughts/prayer requests down on a BLOG! There's SO much on my mind these days! Thanks everyone for your continued prayers for us!

He's back! :)

Thank you for all your prayers! Robby arrived home safely from Men's Retreat and Baby Christian has been very good all weekend! My next Dr's appointment is scheduled for Tuesday morning! Robby will be working from home till he arrives :)

I had a great time visiting with my Mom and sister! They were awesome! Abby and I loved having them around! They were a HUGE help too around the house!

This should be an exciting week for us! I reminded Robby before he left that, when we had our ultrasound, the tech thought our due date was closer to the 5th! My Dr. at the beginning had said the 3rd. I am so excited for his arrival! :)

Non Profit Organizations

I decided to add a section to my page called "Non Profit Organizations". Currently, I only have 1 listed! This is something that's dear to our hearts! A close couple from our church have a little girl named Jordan Joy who was born a year ago (9/30) with a cleft lip and palate. They made us aware of this awesome website where for $250- can give a child a new smile :) Robby's sister Tara was also born with a cleft palate. You can read all about Jordan and her amazing story! They are linked to my page under "Gray Family"!

As I find more non profits that touch our hearts, I'll add links to to the section!
Thanks for reading!

Other updates! :)

I haven't posted much about the rest of the family lately! My mind is mostly on baby these days! I did want to share some photos I've taken in the past couple months!

A few weeks ago, I had Abby's pictures done @ JC Penney! They turned out great! They have AWESOME money saving coupons too! Free sitting fee and $3.99 for a sheet, plus a free 8x10 just for going! These are available on their website to simply PRINT out! We're planning on going again once baby is a little older :)

Robby and I had a nice getaway weekend at Disneyland Hotel 2 weeks ago! Robby's family came down to watch Abby while we stayed overnight! We had a nice dinner and just felt so relaxed! It was awesome! Robby also surprised me with a trip to see "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" last month! Dinner Theatre was a lot of fun!

Abby's 20 months now! She's talking up a storm these days! She's working on 3 word sentances! Mommy up please? Love you my Daddy. Every day she learns how to say more and more words! Robby and I are having fun trying to figure out what she's saying to us! Recently also, she learned how to use a STRAW! She's never been interested until Daddy got some nummy lemonade! She still likes to tip the cup up though, so liquid spills out the top all over her!

Check out our pics! :)

Week 39!

Thanks for your prayers yesterday!

I went to the Dr's and she said I'm still @ 3cm but now at 60% instead of 50%! She said the baby could come anytime this week! Rather than schedule an induction, since everything looks fine too, we're going to wait it out and see when little Christian decides to arrive! I asked too how big she thought he was and, she didn't think he's @ 8 pounds yet! is a Abby was 8lbs 4 ozs and 2 days early so I'm hoping he won't get SO big in there that I'll need an emergency C section! I go back to the Dr. on Tuesday, the 2nd, the day before he's due!

I was really hoping baby would arrive Wednesday. That was MY plan though, not God's timing obviously! If you could pray that if the baby doesn't arrive today that he'd wait till Monday? ;) That way, Robby can still go to the Men's retreat and not have to race home!

My Mom is coming this Friday to stay with Abby and I through the weekend while Robby's gone! We should have a fun time watching TV, eating snacks and most importantly, taking it EASY on the couch ;)

Oh another huge praise! The last 2 nights, I've gotten 7 hours of sleep! The first night was completely uninterrupted sleep too and the 2nd night, I only woke up once and was able to go right back to sleep! I'm feeling a lot more rested, surprising for being so far along! When I had Abby, I was rested everyday since I could sleep in ;) That's not the case now since Ab's is up by 7-!

Will keep you posted on baby progress!

Getting things accomplished!

First off, with Halloween approaching, Robby and I wanted to come up with some creative costumes for the kids! I found an awesome website that had what wanted and, if you blog about them, you get free shipping! This is great because, I didn't have to DRIVE to find them, I just looked online! Their prices are really good too and don't forget the free shipping offer! (you get an email after you place your order) Their website: www.halloweencostumes4u.com

Next, another big thing off my mind is my THANK YOU cards! Having a surprise shower thrown, I was completely caught off guard! I hadn't even purchased cards to write thank you's on yet! I wrote the last one this morning at 4:00am ;)

Tomorrow (Wednesday) I go in to the Dr's for my 39 week checkup! I'm wondering if baby Christian is EVER going to arrive! I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude, but each day I grow bigger and bigger and get more and more uncomfortable! I'm ready to have this baby OUT! :) Sigh :)

Well, I'm off to get a few hours of sleep before Bible study and Dr's! Great news is, Robby is going to take a 1/2 day tomorrow and watch Abby while I'm at the appointment and then starting Thursday will be working from HOME till baby arrives!!! :)

More tomorrow...

Week 38 1/2 ;)

We are 11 days away from my due date! My last checkup Monday put us at 3 cm and 50% effaced. I thought my water broke Wednesday but a 2 hour trip to labor and delivery proved otherwise. We had 4 false alarms with Abby ;) I'm am eagerly anticipating meeting our little boy!

Other updates:
Today, Abby and I went out running errands, a very brave thing for me as I've been trying not to go anywhere in the event we go into labor! I was SO proud of myself! We went to 3 stores, more than we've done in WEEKS! As soon as I drove in the driveway and was applauding myself for getting SO much accomplished, my pride faded quickly. As I got out of the truck, I totally fell on my BUTT! This scared me SO bad! I started screaming for Robby to come help as I lay helpless on the garage floor. Looking back, it's pretty comical but NOT at the time! He comes RUNNING out of the house with the dog, wondering what is going on! Thankfully, I didn't fall on my stomach. My poor rear took the brunt of the fall. It wasn't raining when we left for our errands but by the time we got back, the car was soaked outside which made for a very slippery garage floor. Of course, I was in flip flops too which provided no traction whatsoever!

This made me remember when I was pregnant with Abby! I was probably 3 weeks away from delivery and was out getting last minute Christmas errands done when I fell hard on my knees walking up a step into Office Max. Again, I was so proud of all that I accomplished, I thought I'd do ONE more store since I was feeling so great! Again, thankfully, I didn't fall on the baby!

Last update for the week, I'd request prayer for my Dad, Don. He had an angiogram on Tuesday that detected a valve in his heart that needs to be repaired. He's supposed to go in for surgery sometime in the next 26 days, date is pending. It looks like it'll be in the 2nd week of October, a week after baby is due.

I know God's perfect timing is going to work everything out :) Robby leaves for Men's Retreat this Friday through Sunday so ideally, I'd want the baby to come before or right after that! ;) I'm hoping before! We'll see what happens! :) I'll keep you posted ;)

Making Progress!

Ok! I went to the Doctor today for my 37 week checkup! She said we're 50% effaced and at least 1 loose centimeter dilated! Over the weekend, I had 3 pretty strong contractions too, which is exciting! I'm HOPING for Sunday, the 16th since family will be in town! It's the MOST convenient date ;) We'll see what God has in store though! The Dr. said it could be anytime, or he could come on time! We technically have 23 days till my official due date!

Thank you Chiara for watching Abby while I was at the Doctors and thank you too to Tiffany and Meg who offered! It's SO much easier going in for an appointment when Abby isn't there :)

Another HUGE praise, Robby found out today that he'll be able to take a full week off from work to help with the new baby! This is awesome news!

Thanks to all our friends for their continued prayers! Everything is looking good! Check back in a week for another update! I go to the Dr's again NEXT Monday! :)

Summer FuN!

All good things must come to an end!

This Summer, Abby and I tried to stay as cool as possible! This was achieved by trying to plan as many water events as possible! Practically every Wednesday our WBS group got together at some sort of pool or water park. Abby and I also took 2 weeks worth of swimming lessons @ the Jr. College. We even did the beach once!

Here's a photo slide show of all the fun we've had with friends this Summer!

Chiara Hawley!

I was so flattered that Chiara would take time out of her busy days to write about me on her blog! Her goal was accomplished! I was completely encouraged and very touched by the words she wrote. I'd like to respond by telling you a little bit about the woman of God I've come to know!

First, let's talk about Chiara's never ending service and dedication to ministry!

Nursery
Every other Sunday, she serves in the church nursery! She's there faithfully watching our babies under 1 while we are able to hear Pastor Mike speak! This is a huge commitment! In fact, I know of times where the Hawleys left LATE for vacations just because they were serving in nursery the weekend of their trips! That's dedication, sacrifice and service! When Carter has been sick too, instead of calling the church and saying she can't serve, she and Ryan team up! Chiara brings Carter to church and when she goes into the nursery, Ryan takes him home!

WBS
Last year @ our Women's Bible Study, Chiara was in charge of our CARE ministry! She coordinated meals and took donations for group gifts for our leader. For this coming year, she's leading her own group, having the desire to help other women grow in their walk and in their role and wives and mothers! I know she will be great at this (and I signed up for her group!)!

Partners
God totally blessed me by signing up for Partners! I'd asked to meet with another young Mom so I could bring Abby with me to the meetings. I was "Partnered" with Chiara! This really is how we've gotten to know each other! I was very thankful that she agreed to take me through! I still have 2 chapters to go! It's been an awesome experience learning from her as we go through the Study!

Thrive
Chiara and her husband Ryan head up our married couples ministry at church. This requires huge commitments! They (and the Gilmores) coordinate the lesson plans, the ministry teams, scheduling for the entire year, everything!!! She also handles cooking for all of us Thrive leaders whenever we meet! That's a huge undertaking! Plus, she and Ryan try to attend all the group dinners/outings which is another big time commitment!

Accountability
Once a month, I know Chiara meets with a group of women too with the sole purpose of keeping each other accountable as Godly women! Then, meets weekly with her specific partner to be even more accountable!

Misc. Service
With the upcoming Family Flick Event, Chiara signed up "wherever needed". She's willing to be used wherever needed. That's huge. Not all people would feel comfortable saying, I'll do whatever you need me to do! This includes me!!! She's now signed up for numerous flyer outreach days and I'm sure a LOT more! I know for my planning part in the event (games!) Chiara has been so helpful being a creative mind to bounce ideas off of! Just being available to talk to when you need advice or help with something, Chiara has been excellent! She's also serving at the sign up tables for Thrive and Navigating Motherhood over the next couple of weekends AND this is after she'll have served in the nursery!!!

Other service acts, she babysat Abby for 3 hours while Robby and I had our ultrasound and Dr's appointment. This was all during Carter's nap too! She entertained Abby, when she could have been doing something else with that time! Also, she's volunteered to take care of our friend Tobi's son while she's on bed rest preparing for baby #2!

Chiara put together a wonderful women's tea table and encouraged all of the women in our WBS and Thrive groups to come! She made her table look so pretty! There were also little personalized gifts for each of us! What a great way to put her hospitality talents to use!

Now, let's talk about her example!

Attitude
This is something too that I really admire about Chiara. Every Thursday night, she and Carter drive to Thrive together while Ryan drives from work to meet them at church early when they start to set up. This was one of my biggest challenges where Chiara has set such an awesome example! With Robby serving on the worship team, I really HATED having to get Abby ready for church by myself. Seeing Chiara's attitude as she does it weekly has really made me have a change of heart! I appreciate that and all the hard work she and Ryan do for this awesome ministry!

Parenting
She sets a wonderful example of how to raise children! Carter and Abby sometimes see each other as many as 4 times a week! Chiara sets an excellent example for discipline that I strive to achieve! I'm constantly learning from her, what I can do to be a better parent to Abigail!

Encouraging
She's so good at encouraging others! Just by showing up for events planned helps encourage those who planned it! Whether it's a Mom's Night Out or a Wednesday or Friday morning activity, she's there to help support other Moms! It's not easy to get out of the house sometimes with kids! She's helped plan Mom's Night Out events and Wednesday morning activities for our WBS group over the Summer and has sent numerous positive emails to help encourage me as I set up dates for us all to go out!

Prompt
Another great example we can learn from is Chiara's promptness! If an event is supposed to start at 10:00, she's there BY 10:00! There was one week where we were supposed to meet at a park and at 10:03 she hadn't arrived and I got worried! She's that ON TIME! It turns out we got the days mixed up ;) Chiara is considerate of people's time too, when we meet for small groups Wednesday and Thursday, making sure we pick up our children ON TIME. That's a HUGE relief to the child care workers!!!

Honesty
Another thing, Chiara is very honest. She is open with her struggles and weaknesses, posting things we can learn and grow from on her blog! She's someone women can relate to and look up to as a wonderful Godly example of a wife and mother and child of God!


I am so blessed by her friendship!
Thank you!

Sleepless nights!

This week, Abby has woken up numerous times and on multiple nights. She's had a little bit of a cold all week long which contributed to her waking up! Of course though, on the nights she has slept, I haven't been able to sleep! After going to bed around 11:30 tonight, I woke up at 4:00 unable to go back to sleep.

With less than 6 weeks to go until our little guy should arrive, I'm not sure how to feel. It's definitely in my mind constantly that he'll be coming soon and, am I ready for the changes it'll bring to our life? Abby and I are in such a routine! We get up the same time every day, we're able to get out of the house easily, she sleeps through the night, she has a nap schedule! All that is about to change and for a long time too!

I've wanted to do so much this year! I wanted to help with Navigating Motherhood, and serve in the multiple kids ministries! I've just had to say "no" at least until I see how I'll do with the second baby coming!

I'm not anxious about him coming. I'm not worried at all which is great! I'm excited to meet my little boy! I can't wait to see what kind of temperment he has! So far, he's been a MELLOW baby! This would be great if he stayed like that! One of my friends said he's storing up all his energy for when he arrives!!! Scary thought!

With Abby, I had a hard time adjusting to being a Mommy. I was totally new to it! Everything stressed me out. I constantly wanted Robby to help me and, if he wasn't home, I'd constantly be calling him for advice! I've become a lot more independent, thankfully!

I want to do better (is that proper English, can you say that "do better") this time! I want my kids to see the best in me. I want to not get frustrated and not have meltdowns! :) I want to know that I can be a Mommy of 2!

All these random thoughts running through my head! Feeling the baby kicking every now and then. Savoring our dates, not knowing when our next outing will be! Enjoying these last few nights of just our family of 3 before he arrives. Trying to get as much sleep as I can before he comes!

Enough thinking, it's time to get ready for church! The family will be up in 30 minutes!

Oh Wow! People do read this! :)

Today is the first DAY I've noticed that there's a comment section on the blogs! I've slowly come to this realization as friends of mine have said, "leave me a comment" or, "I haven't received any comments"! This really intrigued me!

Thank you to all my friends who read my blog and for commenting! I'm sorry I haven't commented on your pages! I DO read them and enjoy them immensely! I'll be sure to comment from now on ;)

Please Pray

Just a quick update! I got a call from my sister Rosemary today. She and her husband Nathan Jackson have been stationed in Germany. Nathan is in the Army. She informed us today that Nathan has been deployed to Iraq. This is his 3rd tour. Please just pray for his safety and for my sister to be strong during this time. They are both Christians :) The two of them just celebrated their first anniversary in May.

Getting Excited!

Today, the baby dresser arrived for Christian! It looks SO nice! We've temporarily put it in Abby's room :) She was excited to hear that it's for the new baby! She runs in there to look at it and says "baby"! She also loved showing it to Daddy when he got home from work!

Tonight, Abby helped me go through 3 bags of fun purchases! It's time to start cutting tags off of outfits and getting them washed in Dreft and put in the drawers! A girlfriend of mine today gave me size 1 diapers! It's amazing how little they look compared to Abby's size 5's!

About a month ago, we purchased an organizer too for Abbys toys. I'd removed all the "baby" toys and put them in a bag for Christian to play with once he arrives. Abigail enjoyed playing with ALL of them tonight!

We have less than 8 weeks to go or more specifically, 54 days left till his due date!

My daughter, the climber!

Over the last few months, Abby has enjoyed the challenge of:
learning how to climb into her stroller
learning how to climb the 2 step step-ladder in the garage

Well today,
she learned how to climb BACK into her highchair! Apparently, she can lift her little foot high enough to place on the foot board and then LIFTED herself back into the seat. This is due to her fascination with buckles!

I wonder, if my little GIRL is this active and adventurous and boys are supposed to be even MORE active than girls, how will my little BOY be?

Another busy week! So original!

Sunday started with a spontaneous trip to DISNEYLAND! We were watching a Rick Steves Tourism Show about Naples, which made us miss our favorite date spot "Downtown Disney's Naples". This led us to calling a sitter to see if she could watch Abby while we went out to eat! The sitter wasn't available so Robby said "let's go to Disneyland"! At 3:00 in the afternoon we left! Abby had a BLAST! She LOVED the rides! In fact, after the rides were over, she'd start crying because she didn't want it to end! Her favorite was the carousel, which she rode with Daddy 3 times!!!

I also learned that I can't leave Robby unattended for a minute! I literally ran into a restroom in Disneyland for a minute to make sure they had a baby changing table! I came back out and he'd purchased MINNIE EARS for Abby! I do have to admit, she looks pretty cute in them! He said he didn't even look at the price tag, they could have been $1,000-! She said she wanted them so he got em! Abby's SUCH a Daddy's girl. When he's home from work, all she wants to do is sit in his lap. He says he's looking forward to having 2 babies sitting with him! Only 57 more days till Christian's due date!

Earlier in the day, we got to show Daddy all the pool moves we'd been learning at swimming class! The YMCA had an open house day to check out their newly renovated pool! Abby had fun splashing around their wading pool area designed just for little kids! Pictures won't be posted until the end of Summer I'm afraid, they are on our KODAK WATER camera which still has a few shots to go!

This past week was busy with Swimming again! I also took Abby to a free showing at Regal Cinemas of "Elmo In Grouchland"! She lasted for about an hour! Once I set her in her own chair in the theater, she just wanted to keep climbing in and out of it! We've since purchased this movie on DVD! It's $5.50 at Target ;)

Wednesday morning, we skipped going to the beach with our Bible study group. It's just too tough watching/chasing Abby at the beach. I came home way too tired! We ran errands instead and, Abby got her first professional hair cut! You sit in a ROCKET SHIP and, each child has their own TV and basket of toys to play with! Her little curls are gone but I'm sure they'll grow back! At least her bangs are straight now!

Thursday after swimming lessons ended, Abby and I rushed home to finish packing for a 5 day trip! We were invited to a cousins wedding in Clarksburg (Nor. Cal.)! We split up the drive by going to Robbys parents house in Bakersfield! Robby took a few days off of work so we could take our time coming home and enjoy our family visit. He went golfing Friday morning, I got to go shopping at the mall with his Mom, sister and Abby! We had fun! Then, Saturday morning, we all drove to Sacramento to our hotel before going to the wedding! Carpooling was so much fun! We've done this once before for a family reunion last year in San Jose! Abby loves having the WHOLE family in the car! She did well too on the 4 1/2 hour drive!

The wedding was beautiful! The brides dress was gorgeous, the weather was nice and cool, and the location, a beautiful vineyard at sunset! Abby got to meet her cousin Natalya who's 3 months older! She really enjoyed dancing with her! We got to visit a little bit too with Robby's awesome grandparents! It was great to have the family all together!

At our hotel, Abby LOVED the adjoining room! In the morning, she was able to knock on the door that separated our room from her grandparents room and enjoyed running back and forth between the two! We brought our portable DVD player too and she kicked back on our bed and watched her Elmo DVDs.

Robby and I had a nice date over the weekend too! Robby's parents watched Abby while we went and saw the new "Bourne" movie, ate dinner and just enjoyed each others company walking around the Marketplace in Bakersfield. We listened to the fountain, went to the bookstore, held hands. It was very nice :)

We came home yesterday afternoon. It's good to be back home. Robby liked having a few days off from work and we liked having him around! The suitcases are all unloaded, the car is clean again, now I just have to catch up on laundry! :) Maybe later ;)

A busy week!

This week, Abby and I did at least 2 things each day, every day! I think it finally caught up with us this afternoon how busy we've been! We had a lot of fun though!!!

Monday-
We were scheduled to go to the park with my prayer partner Tracey but unfortunately, it was RAINING! Strange for the middle of July? Instead, we went to McDonalds Playplace where Abby enjoyed playing with Tracey's 3 girls! Then in the afternoon, we started our first "Mommy and Me" swimming lesson! Abby learned how to kick kick kick and we sang lots of fun songs! Swimming is great! It's 30 minutes where we're staying cool in a pool AND two of our friends are taking the class with us!

Tuesday-
We met a new friend at a Park in Mission Viejo! A friend of a friend introduced us via email and we decided to get together! Our kids had fun playing in the sand and Abby enjoyed going down the BIG KIDS TUBE slide! Abigail has gotten very good at climbing steps at the playground. A few months ago she'd trip and fall on her face but now climbs up them really quickly and enjoys the challenge! She'll go out of her way to go up a big step rather than take the easy two step route! Of course, we had our 2nd swim lesson and Abby learned the back float and how to get dunked under water! Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a big FALL and you pull them into the water from the wall. She didn't enjoy this very much but is getting better at getting her face wet!

Wednesday-
This was probably our most fun event of the week! Our Women's Bible Study group met at a Petting Zoo in San Juan! Abby REALLY enjoyed feeding the animals! She saw sheep and can say BAA now! She also fed rabbits and goats. They also had a train ride which she loved! At swimming Wednesday afternoon, we practiced the back float and kicking again! The teacher gives each child a floating fish and when they throw it, we have them try and kick to it!

Thursday-
This morning we stayed HOME and did laundry! My new neighbor dropped by for a little visit too while we were cleaning! ;) We did afternoon swimming lessons and Abby was a pro at climbing the steps to get out of the pool! She hesitated jumping in though! Thursday night was dinner at our friends the Hawleys house! Abby's "best friend" is Carter Hawley who's 16 months! They are taking swimming together :) We have seen Carter twice Tuesday, twice Wednesday, twice Thursday and twice on Friday!

Friday-
We went to the beach! Abby and I woke up really late (8:30) yet still managed to pick up breakfast and get to Laguna by 9:30! This was definately the most difficult thing I've done with Abby yet this week! Getting the beach bag on the beach, walking Abby to and from the water, keeping us cool in the hot sun and then, when you leave, what a pain getting all that sand off!!! I'm going to have to rethink taking her to the beach alone again! We met up with some friends there but without Robby, it was hard! I also didn't feel well sitting in the sun after eating a DONUT for breakfast ;) Friday evening we were invited to a movie in the park! "Curious George" was showing! We had fun visiting with friends from church! Abby had her first cotton candy! She was so sweet! She loves her daddy so much! She just sat on the blanket with him and cuddled while eating her chips and candy! ;)

Saturday-
Today, after cleaning house a little bit more, we went SHOPPING! We purchased a new dresser for our baby boy! With less than 10 weeks to go, it's time to start washing baby clothes and getting things prepared for his arrival! How exciting! I have a Dr's appt. Monday morning to check on how things are going but I'm feeling fine :) What a praise!

That's all for now! I'll try and post another update next week!

Weekend with my family!

This weekend was nice. We visited with my sister Rosemary and her husband Nathan. My brother in-law is in the Army and they have been stationed in Germany since October! It was great to be able to spend some time with them both! Friday, they came for lunch and fun time with Abby and in the evening we enjoyed pizza and Coldstone! They stayed overnight and then we all got up Saturday morning and drove to my parents house in Manhattan Beach. we hadn't visited with them in a few months so it was really nice to see them. Abby had a great time playing in the playhouse my dad had built for us when we were children. There was a toy piano, a baby doll and crib, a little stroller. She had a blast! We also took her to the toddler park down the street which she loved! Sunday, we took these photos of the family and said our goodbyes.

Photo from left to right:
Nathan Rosemary Holly Judy (my Mom) Don (my dad) Robby and Abby

I did it!

It seems like all of my Orange County friends have BLOGS so I decided to make one too! I usually post our updates on my myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/rebeccamillsap) but not everyone is a member of myspace!

Now that I finally figured out how to put slideshows on here, I decided to let my friends know that I have a page up and running! Honestly, I'd registered for this page back in February but haven't gotten around to doing anything to it until now!

Here it is! I'm not sure how often I'll post but do check back!

Thanks!
Rebecca :)

Abby and Baby Updates from the last few months!

Abby 18 month update! 7/16/07
Current mood: awake

Ok, so instead of doing the responsible thing while my daughter naps like, folding the laundry, straightening up the house and unloading the dishwasher, I'm going to post an update on my blog!

We had Abby's 18 month Dr's appointment today! Our little girl is now 24 pounds 9 ounces and 33 inches long! This puts her in the 90th percentile for her height and the 60th percentile for her weight! Looks like she's got her daddy's tall genes! The Dr. was impressed with her vast vocabulary consisting of over 30 words and was really surprised when I said she can do some two word sentences! He said that usually comes later! Sure, it's "up please" or "hi daddy" but they are 2 word sentences! She also got two shots! She took the first one with not even a flinch but the second shot stung and she cried for a few minutes. She's a trooper though! :) I opted to still not get the chickenpox shot, even after our church scare! (I did find out at my dr's appt. last week that I AM immune to chickenpox, which will be great for when I'm treating my kids when they catch them!) As far as health goes, she's healthy too! Belly looked good, heart sounded great and her back is straight! All huge blessings!

In other news, we are 10 1/2 weeks away from our due date! If anyone has been praying I'd sleep better, thank you! It's working! I sleep about 5 1/2 a night now at least (and only having to get up once during that time)! This has been great! Hopefully I'll be able to keep sleeping up until our baby boy arrives! :)

After the Dr's, Abby and I got to visit with her Grandma Millsap at the Irvine Spectrum! She was shopping with some girlfriends today! They drove all the way from Bakersfield to "hit the mall and the beach"! We had a great time seeing her!

My sister and brother in law are in town from Germany visiting for the next two weeks! It'll be nice to get to visit with them a little bit over the weekend! Also, my dad turned 62 today! :) It also seems like my parents won't be moving to Montana anytime soon. Their escrow fell through but they are at peace with it for now, which is good.

That's about it for this week!

26 down, 14 to go! My baby has clothes! 6/17/07
Current mood: ecstatic

Today was SUCH a great day! It was just a GREAT day! My cheeks still hurt from SMILING SO much!

First, Abby and I went shopping with my girlfriend Carrie for BABY BOY clothes! I picked up soe really cute outfits for Christian! This made me feel really good since, as of right now, I don't have ANYTHING for him! Robby and I did go "window shopping" over the weekend to look at things we might purchase but as of now it's "too soon". I still have 3 months to go ;)

It's hard for me because, as SOON as we heard Abby was a girl, we were decorating her bedroom THAT weekend! I feel I'm a little behind since, we found out over a MONTH ago (wow) that we're having a BOY!

Ok, so back to today!

Awesome day shopping with my girlfriend!

Then, I come home and my Dad helps me figure out a TON of mini-obsticals around our home! 1 for instance) It takes my washing machine 10 minutes to fill up with water! This means it takes OVER an HOUR for a load to get washed. He was able to loosen some valve and, it's like 8 MINUTES faster, making each CYCLE faster which, makes laundry GO FASTER! This is HUGE for me as, I've had the water people come out to check my pressure to fix the problem. I've been living with it for 3 years just figuring that Orange County Water flows slower than LA water ;)

Ok, so after Dad helps fix things around the house, I get a phone call!

My sister in law calls and we talk for like 30 minutes! It was SO great! She's SUPER excited about her new nephew and can't wait to give me the hook ups cause, she has a JOB in a BABY STORE! Everything she described sounds SO cute too! I can't wait to check out the shop!

Then, after talking with Katie, my brother Phil calls! Now, Phil moved to Michigan May 6th and I've only gotten 1 myspace from him since then! (and it was a general bulletin with a hi Bec thrown in) We talked for 30 minutes! That's the longest I've EVER talked to my brother on the phone! It was awesome!

Of course Abby, not used to seeing Mommy on the phone for SO long ;) insisted on me giving her chocolates to keep her happy! This resulted in her not wanting to eat dinner :) Oh well! These were SPECIAL calls!

Today was a great day! I just had SO much fun! Thanks Katie and Phil, thanks Dad, thanks Carrie!

PS Robby called at lunch ;) That's a highlight of the day too as we usually only get to talk online! Can't let my great day end without a shout out to my hubby ;) Love you!

Sleepless nights and no binky! 6-18-07
Current mood: hot

We have less than 4 months till the new baby arrives! I had my first "bad night" of sleep since being pregnant! We went to bed about 12- and 4:30, I was wide awake! Since it was a Saturday night/Sunday morning, I didn't get an opportunity to nap either, but made it through the day!

Also, Saturday night, Abby left her ONLY binky at church! This meant that she had to learn to fall asleep without it! She cried off and on for an HOUR before finally konking out! We found her binky in the nursery Sunday morning but decided that she could live without it! Pray for me this week as I constantly am saying to her "where's your binky, put your binky in" anytime she gets whiney!

In other news, for Father's Day, Robby continued our landscape project! He ripped out 4 existing plants including a jasmine and a bugenvilia! We planted 2 beautiful palm trees in their place and, fixed a broken sprinkler line! Robby was such a pro, walking in to Home Depot knowing exactly what PVC pieces he needed :) Very impressive! Our front yard is really looking great these days! Next, we want to tackle our corner where our huge King Palms have grown. It's just covered in ground cover neither of us like and flowers we find "not our style"!

Abby had fun playing in the mud! We gave her a hand shovel and she liked putting dirt into a bucket. Such a helper ;) It's only when she decided to taste the dirt that we brought her back in the house!

Our neighbors house had been on the market but just sold this week! If escrow goes well, we should have new neighbors next month! We've heard it's a nice young couple with a young child! We're looking forward to making some new friends :) After our neighbors moved and had renters move in, we never met them! I told Robby, we'll be sure to bring cookies over or something to introduce ourselves with!

We had a BUNCH of friends this weekend dedicate their children at church! It's awesome to see the amount of young couples in our community! There were 12 different families and we knew 7 of them!

In other news, with less than 16 weeks to go, it's time to start thinking about preparing for new baby! We've decided to get an awesome side bed bassinet for him to stay in until Abby's 2 and we buy her a big girl bed for her birthday! Hopefully, that plan will work well! Once he's sleeping through the night (hopefully at 8 weeks, like Abby did!) we'll move him into his own room! This will allow us to keep our guest room too through the holiday season in case family or friends want to come visit! :)

Abby's getting better at playing on her own, not wanting so much of Mommies attention! She's a sweetheart! Today, she grabbed my hair brush and loved brushing my hair into my eyes! She has this new face which is totally mine! She SCOWLS! I need to get a photo of it! It's the face I use when I'm totally annoyed!

Summer is here and we're enjoying more days at home. Being out of the house Wednesday mornings, Thursday nights and Friday mornings for church can be tiring so it's nice to have a break :)

It's getting warmer here! I'm very thankful we have air conditioning ;) Robby bought these "hurricane fans" or "tornado fans" (not sure what they are called ) also which help cool things off! It's only been like 81 here but I know it's going to get hotter, especially the bigger I get!

We had our Dr's appt. last Monday which went well! I'm measuring right on for 24 weeks, my blood pressure is low which is good! Now I just need to go for my glucose test and hopefully pass that!

Well, I'd better go check on Abby! That's all our current news! :)

Nothing new to report 6-14-07
Current mood: awake

Yesterday, we hit week 24 of our pregnancy! Our little boy is much more mellow so far than Abby was! I've been feeling good, just TIRED all the time.

Abby and I are still enjoying being home together! I think she knows baby brother is coming because she's become VERY clingy! She just wants to get her hugs in while she can :) She loves to give my belly kisses which is SO sweet! We're working on playing on her own instead of wanting Mommy's full 100% attention!

Robby and I got away for a night this weekend! We went camping with 3 other couples from our church. This was the 3rd time ever we'd left Abby overnight! We had a fun time visiting with couples! Also, while they went on a 6 mile HIKE, Robby and I got to relax at our campsite, reading and napping!

Summer is finally here! Our marriage group and Bible study group has taken a break till September. I'm still meeting the girls from our marriage group once a month for accountability which is really awesome! Abby and I also do a park day with the girls from Women's Bible study! Next week, we're going swimming! :)

I'm also staying on top of planning a once a Month Mom's night out! The more I'm home with Abby, the more I see the need for a break sometimes! It's great to be able to just hang out and talk with other Mothers and not have to worry about our kiddos! Plus, Abby gets to spend some terrific quality time with her Daddy!

My sister Rosemary and brother in law Nathan are coming to visit for 2 weeks during July! We're looking forward to seeing the both of them!

Oh, we are landscaping our front yard :) Kinda cool. This is a project Robby and I are working on together, designing where the plants and flowers should go, de-weeding planters. We spent most of Memorial Day weekend working out front!

Well, I think that's about it for now! We're just taking it easy at home these days! :)



Update on life :) 3-8-07
Current mood: happy

I can't remember the last time I blogged! Just a few updates on a couple of things :)

Paris was incredible! We really enjoyed our trip! I can't believe it's been over a month since we went!

Abby is almost 14 months now and weighs in at a nice 22 pounds! My biceps are getting huge!!! ;) She's running everywhere now which is fun! When we go to the store now I can actually have her walk and hold my hand :) It's pretty cute! We're a little slow moving but we get it done ;) What else? She can sign 4 words (more, please, thank you, all done) and she can talk a little too! She says Mama, Dada, Dog, Bottle, baba, cracker, gurt (yogurt), she loves food and can communicate how to get it! ;) She's really smart too! The other day she lost something under the couch so she laid on her belly and said Mama while staring under there trying to get her toy! She loves balls and books right now. She's also started to help out with the laundry, pulling the socks out of the basket while I fold :) She also loves to attempt to crawl into the dishwasher and enjoys splashing in the dirty dishwater that collects in the door while I do a pre-rinse!

In other news, we're expecting another baby! Robby and I are very excited! :) I'm feeling really good, no nausea like I had with Abby which is a blessing! I do try and get a nap in everyday with Abby though! I came home from Paris so jet lagged, so exhausted when really, I was pregnant! Our new baby is due October 3rd which puts me at 2 1/2 months or 10 weeks, however you want to look at it! We're curious to see what a big sister Abby will be. Will she be kind and nurturing or jealous!? Whenever I attempt to sit near Robby or cuddle, she gets really upset and feels left out! Also, when I hold other babies, she hasn't been too happy about that either! We're hoping to teach her to LOVE her new baby sister or brother :) They'll be almost 21 months apart!

I also just celebrated my 26th (golden b-day)! It was a fun filled weekend! We went to visit both of our families and told them the great news about the baby through a cute "big sister" shirt we had Abby wear! Then, Monday night Robby arranged for our friends from church to babysit while we went out to dinner! When we came home, our small group was there with cake! A total surprise! My best birthday yet!

Robby and I are just so blessed. We're both really happy where we are right now. We have an awesome church family, awesome families, a sweet little girl, a good home, a great job. God is good and we thank Him for all He's provided.

Well, that's about all I have to share right now! I have to get Abby and I ready for church tonight! Write soon! :)

Some previous posts from myspace I thought I'd share :)

So blessed, so important! 7/3/07
Current mood: happy

I just got a photo from our Women's Bible Study group leader! There are 14 Mom's in our group! These are women who I meet with on a weekly basis. We go through a Study together that our church staff puts together. Last year we did James, next year is 1st Peter. It's been so incredible having so many friends! I handle sending out all our prayer requests and praises! I love too being able to email any one of them for advice, whether it's about naps for Abby or transitioning to a toddler bed! These ladies are in the same stage of life as I am! We're all working on a common goal too, becoming Godly women, wives and Mothers! What a HUGE blessing our church has been to Robby and I! We just LOVE it!

This doesn't even mention the great THRIVE Marriage Group we have on Thursdays! Our group has been together over 2 years, 6 couples and it's been great knowing them and seeimg their families grow! When we started, there was 1 baby in our group, now there are 7 and 2 on the way!

If you don't have an awesome group of women like this, I suggest you find one! It's so great!




Obedience and patience! :) 6/18/07
Current mood: hopeful

Something else we're really working on with Abby is to obey Mom and Dad and to be patient! We have her say please and thank you since month 10 of life and now she can actually SAY the words please and thank you (in her own baby language)! She's also gotten really great at, when we give her what she asks for, she automatically says thank you now without us prompting her! We love instilling these Godly characters in her :) She also loves to pray at meal time! Since she turned one, we've been taking ahold of her hands and we thank God for our meals! She says "Mamen!" when we finish!

Abby is learning too to not be impatient while she waits for Mom or Dad to, get her juice, make her dinner, get her toy down, etc.

I just purchased some CD's I used to listen to as a child called "Hide Em In Your Heart" by Steve Green. They are scripture verses set to music and, they came with a free DVD of the songs too! These will be great for driving in the car! Robby and I have been listening to some of the Disney DVD's as they play in the backseat and some of them say some words that children just don't need to learn! We were listening to "Madagascar" and they say "damn"! Is that really necessary? Yes, it is rated PG! "Toy Story" says "idiot" and when you listen to "Peter Pan" they say "imbecile"! Not the most edifying word. The worst is when Rose and I used to watch Pinocchio and I called Rosie a jackass after watching it!

Having been raised that babies aren't sinners, I've seen Abby be completely defiant to what I've asked her to do! I definitely see that she has a will of her own and she's not always wanting to follow what her Mommy asks her to do! I'll tell her "no" and she'll look at me and do it anyway, not caring what the consequence will be! She now knows how to say the word "no"! and really knows how to use it! She'll grab my cell phone which is a "don't touch, a no no" and I'll say "give it to Mommy". She looks at me, looks at the phone and then, as she's reaching out to hand it to me realizes, I want to keep this! She says "no!" and pulls the phone back, running towards her room to get away from me!

Our goal for our children is for them to grow up to love the Lord and follow Him. This means that Robby and I need to instill in them Godly morals and characteristics as well as pray for them!

I've started reading a great book called "Dare To Discipline" by Dr. James Dobson and have also purchased "Shepherding Your Child's Heart" by Ted Tripp and a book called "Temper Your Child's Tantrums" by Dobson also. We're hoping that by reading these books, they'll help give us guidance in raising our children :)

Abby's favorite things to do now when frustrated are:
To throw herself on the floor, face down and just scream
To hit Mom or Dad in the face (not acceptable behavior)
Hold her breath till her face turns red in protest!

We're enjoying these challenges as it challenges us to daily try and set a good example for her to follow.

Today I was thinking, wow, only like 4 more years till she'll be in school full time and then I'll be left at home without the kids! That made me a little sad and was a little scary! The plan right now is to send our children to Public School SO I really want to make sure my kids know the truth before sending them out into the world! Right now, Abby's only exposure to other kids is just her church friends! That'll change once we're in school!

I need to make the most of every day with her, hoping that if we "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
[Proverbs 22:6]

Reminiscing- 6 years How Robby and I met!

Reminiscing- 6 years How Robby and I met! 4-12-07
Current mood: happy

Time to take a few minutes to think back a bit :) Tomorrow, it'll have been 6 years since my first date with Robby Millsap! I remember how he asked me out :) I was at work in El Segundo and he IMed me! He said we worked really close (Santa Monica is a little far from El Segundo) and that we should go out to lunch sometime. I said ok and he said "let's skip lunch and go to dinner and a movie instead"! That worked for me too! Now, we set our date for FRIDAY the 13th! I didn't really know Robby (at all) so I didn't know if this was a BIG prank he and the worship guys were playing on poor me, or if this was a genuine date! I came home from work and got ready to go out :) He arrived RIGHT on time, very prompt! I made sure to answer the door instead of making him come in and meet my family :) That can be overwhelming, 5 people!

He was very polite all evening! We had a nice dinner @ Black Angus where, I made sure to eat a TON of meat! (His ex was a vegetarian, something Robby knew he couldn't spend his life with). We then stopped by his nice 2 bedroom apartment that he shared with our worship leader and friend, Brian. Robby grabbed his jacket, we talked with Brian and his fiancee Angela for a few minutes, then we left for the movies :)

We saw "Joe Dirt"! Not the most romantic movie but, it was a first date :) Robby didn't even attempt to hold my hand! I began to wonder if he even liked me at this point!!!

After the movie, we went to Starbucks for coffee (which I don't drink). I had a hot chocolate ;) We then went back to his apartment to watch another movie and just visit. We ended up not watching the DVD and just took the opportunity to talk and get to know each other better.

I don't recall the time but sometime after 12- I got a call from my Dad asking if I was alright! Time had been flying by as we sat and talked :) I told him I'd be home later, we were out talking, I was fine :) Robby ended up taking me home at 4:00am that morning!!!

During the night, I had fallen in love. I looked deep into his beautiful blue eyes and could see his sweet heart :) I came home and told my Mom, "he's the one". Having dated a few people, my Mom was skeptical, but I was convinced that I could spend the rest of my life with Robby. I couldn't sleep I was so excited!

Not knowing Robby's dating history, i didn't know if he was a Joshua Harris doesn't believe in kissing Christian, or if he thought kissing was alright? I remember sitting next to him on his sofa and asking if he believed in kissing on the first date! I loured him in! :) Sparks flew and fireworks exploded haha :)

The next day (April 14th) I waited for him to call, no call! He popped online and asked if I'd like to go out Sunday evening after church, I said sure. Sunday was Easter and I spent the last holiday ever @ my grandparents house. Looking back, I wish I would have invited Robby since he and his roommate had Weinerschnitzel's for lunch! I remember going out for ice cream with my girlfriend Beka and couldn't talk about anything but Robby and our date!

Sunday evening, I played it cool. I waited for him to come talk to me, pretending like nothing had gone on between us the night before. He came up after church and asked if we were still on for dinner so I said sure. We went to Olive Garden, my favorite place to eat :) I wish I could remember his exact words, I was just in a state of shock that a guy could say them! He said something to the effect that he'd like for us to start a relationship with the intention of marriage! I'd been waiting my whole life for a guy to say that to me! I said, I think I can handle that! :)

That was it! September 17th, Robby proposed! He could hardly contain his excitement and even ran into the wall running to go get the ring! That still brings a huge smile to my face :)

02/02/02 we were married :) We just celebrated 5 years together!

I love my life :) I have a great husband, a wonderful daughter and a new baby on the way! We are truly blessed! God has fulfilled the desires of my heart :)