16 March, 2011

A mother of two

I'm finally getting around to posting about our new addition. It's been crazy in the Bingham household since she arrived. And well, I think I warned all of you that I would have very little time for this sort of thing. You know what sort of thing I'm talking about. Personal time? Is that what it's called? I've forgotten. . . . .
For those who haven't logged onto Facebook within the last month, here she is:





Precious I know.
And her stats: Born Feb. 11, 2011 @ 11:32 pm
                      Weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz
                      20.5 inches long

It's been different having another girl in the house, but for the most part I'm loving it. She loves to be loved and cuddling is one of her fav. things to do. It's fun. So is dressing her up in pink and purple and bows!
I know I'm going to enjoy teaching her how to be a girly girl. Because Kael on the other hand is ALL boy (no complaints there). It's going to take a whole other post to update you on him. He's growing up so fast! More on him to come.

As for our little family adjusting to this big change:
Ella is definitely a lot more needy than Kael ever was. When she's awake she wants constant attention, and well, Kael isn't settling for any of that. He is having a hard time adjusting to the fact that he now has to share his mom. He's still too young to understand exactly what it going on and why he can't do certain things, like sit on my lap while I'm nursing. I quickly found out that if I don't spend some one-on-one time with him in the mornings, then it doesn't take long for him to go into a whiny and insanely jealous rampage.
Dustin spent the first 2 weeks sleeping out on the couch while Ella and I took the bed. It took about that long for me to figure out her sleeping patterns and what worked best for her. And even though he was just in the other room, I missed him terribly.
Right now, Ella still has her days and nights a little mixed up and lately going to bed before 1:00 a.m. just isn't an option for me. The laundry load has doubled because either I'm contantly being covered in spit up, or she's having those nasty newborn blowouts.
And those are just a few things. It sounds like a lot I know, and I really hope I didn't just change the minds of those who have been thinking of expanding their little family or having kids at all. But really I've been told that the first two weeks are the hardest. And we've made it past that. So I think we're good. Right?

I wouldn't change a thing. Our baby girl is worth it. And every night I thank my Heavenly Father for entrusting us with this special spirit (followed by asking for the strength to endure just one more night :)
I LOVE being a mom. And I really can't think of anything else I would rather do. Poopy diapers, puke stained clothes, and all sleepless nights set aside - I have the best job in the world!

P.S. Dustin and I still can't decide who she looks more like. All we can see is that she is the girl version of Kael. What do you think?

Thing 1
Thing 2

07 February, 2011

Here's to hoping



That my due date is off by a couple of weeks. I am now on day 5 of being "overdue", but we all know that 50 percent of overdue births were never overdue at all. They just had the wrong due date. I'm praying that I'm one of those. I've been pregnant for 9 months, what's another week or two right?
To be perfectly honest I'm scared of induction. I just keep thinking of all of the complications that can arise by trying to force my baby to come when she's not ready. My prayer is that she comes on her own.
As of right now things still check out just fine. She's not stressed. There's plenty of aminiotic fluid and both of our vitals are great. So I'm prepared to give her all of the time that she needs. As long as it doesn't exceed 42 weeks.

This doesn't mean I'm the happiest pregnant woman in the world. My patience is thinning and most days I feel as though I've gone into a depression. I've even broke down sobbing a few times. I'm so antsy to meet our little girl and to get my body back!
Here's to hoping.

15 January, 2011

Counting down to D-day

The countdown is on! Only 19 more days until our baby girl is due.
Here is a cheesy peek of her this week. Full term.
I'm feeling pretty good. Minus the fact that the only thing I ever want to wear are my sweats. I think I've got the next 19 days in the bag! She can make her debut anytime, and I let her know that everyday.
Really though, all I'm hoping for is that she's as good to me as Kael was and that she comes on her due date.

Oh, one more thing. The closer I get the more I find myself thinking about Kael's birth and how I was able to handle everything. I finally broke down and typed up the whole incredible experience. If you're interested in reading it go here. I'm praying that things take the same route so I know what to expect. Not likely though since I hear that just like every pregnancy, every labor is different.

And yes we are having another water birth in the comfort of our own home. And no I'm not crazy. Do a little research before you judge.

04 January, 2011

A sad start to the new year

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."  - Roger Caras

I had to post this, because I think that our dear sweet Alice deserves it. And the tears are streaming down my face as I type. Who would have thought that losing a pet would be so hard.
It's been 3 days and I still cannot hold back the tears when I let myself think of her absence.
In her excitement to accompany Dustin to feed cows, Alice ran out in front of his truck. . Dustin hit the brakes, but could feel the truck skidding down the road with Alice's paw caught underneath. Her front leg was so mangled that there was nothing we could have done, but put her to rest.
But silly me, I know that resting is the last thing that that girl is doing.
Up there in Doggy Heaven.

Dopey, we miss you more than you know!

29 December, 2010

Last but Not Least - Day 14

Last day everyone. This one is long, but really worth reading. This has been great!There's no better way to start off the new year than with a stronger relationship with our Savior.

Day 14: How can I follow in His steps?

Read: Abraham 1:2
         Moroni 7:48
         1 Peter 2:21

Ponder: How can I follow in Christ's steps today and the rest of my life?
             In all my decisions I will ask: "What would Christ do?"
             I will hearken to promptings received.
             I will think of myself as a disciple and sister of Jesus.

     . . . I believe our problem, almost every one, arise out of the homes of the people. If there is to be reformation, if there is to be a change, if there is to be a return to old and sacred values, it must begin in the home. It is here that truth is learned, that intergrity is cultivated, that self-discipline is instilled, and that love is nurtured.
     The home is under siege. So many families are being destroyed. Where are the fathers who should be presiding in love in those homes? Fortunate indeed is the woman who i married to a good man, who is loved by him, and who in turn loves him; a man who loves his children, provides for them, teaches them, guides them, rears and protects them as they walk the stormy course from babyhood to adulthood.
     It is in the home that we learn the values by which we guide our lives. That home my be ever so simple. It maybe in a poor neighborhood, but with a good father and a good mother, it can become a place of wondrous upbringing. My wife likes to tell of Sam Levenson. He speaks of growing up in a crowded New York tenement where the environment was anything but good. Here in this slum, his mother reared her eight precocious children. He said, "The moral standard of the home had to be higher than that of the street." His mother would say to them when they acted the way they acted on the street, "You are not on the street; you are in our home. This is not a cellar nor a poolroom. Here we act like human beings."
     If anyone can change the dismal situation into which we are sliding, it is you. Rise up, O women of Zion, rise to the great challenge which faces you. Stand above the sleaze and the filth and the temptation which is all about you. 
     You women who are single, and some of you who are married, who are out in the workplace, may I give you a word of caution. You work alonside men. More and more, there are invitations to go to lunch, ostensibly to talk about business. You travel together. You stay in the same hotel. Your work together.
     Perhaps you cannot avoid some of this, but you can avoid getting into compromising situations. Do your job, but keep your distance. Don't become a factor in the breakup of another woman's home. You are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You know what is expected of you. Stay away from that which is tempting. Avoid evil - its very appearance.
     You who are wives and mothers are the anchors of the family. You bear the children. What an enormous and sacred responsibility that is. I am told that between 1972 and 1990 there were 27 million abortions in the United States alone. What is happening to our appreciation of the sanctity of human life? Abortion is an evil, stark and real and repugnant, which is sweeping over the earth. I plead with the women of this Church to shun it, to stand above it, to stay away from those compromising situations which mike it appear desirable. Ther may be some few circumstances under which it can occur, but they are extremely limited and for the most part improbable. You are the mothers of the sons and daughters of God, whose lives are sacred. Safeguarding them is a divinely given responsibility which cannot be lightly brushed aside.
     Nurture and cultivate your marriage. Guard it and work to keep it solid and beautiful. Divorce is becoming so common, even rampant, that studies show in a few years half of those now married will be divorced. It is happening, I regret to say, even among some who are sealed in the house of the Lord. Marriage is a contract, it is a compact, it is a union between a man and a woman under the plan of the Almighty. It can be fragile. It requires nurture and very much effort. I regret to acknowledge that some husbands are abusive, some are unkind, some are thoughtless, some are evil. They indulge in pornography and bring about situations which destroy them, destroy their families, and destroy the most sacred of all relationships.
     I pity the man who at one time looked into the eyes of a beautiful young woman and held her hand across the altar in the house of the Lord as they made sacred and everlasting promises one to another but who, lacking in self-discipline, fails to cultivate his better nature, sinks to coarseness and evil, and destoys the relationship which the Lord has provided for him.
     Sisters, guard your children. They live in a world of evil. The forces are all about them. I am proud of so many of your sons and daughters who are living good lives. But I am deeply concerned about many others who are gradually taking on the ways of the world. Nothing is more precious to you as mothers, absolutely nothing. Your children are the most valuable thing you will have in time or all eternity. You will be fortunate indeed if, as you grow old and look at those you brought into the world, you find in them uprightness of life, virtue in living, and intergrity in their behavior.
     I think the nurture and upbringing of children is more than a part-time responsibility. I recognize that some women must work, but I fear that there are far too many who do so only to get the means for a little more luxury and a few fancier toys.
     If you must work you have an increased load to bear. You cannot afford to neglect your children. They need your supervision in stuying, in working inside and oustide the home, in the nurturing that only you can adequately give - the love, the blessing, the encouragement, and the closeness of a mother.
     Families are being torn asunder everywhere. Family relationships are strained as women try to keep up with the rigors of two full-time jobs.
     I have many opportunities to speak with leaders who decry what is going on - gangs on the streets of our cities, children killing children, spending their time in practices that can lead only to prison or to death. We face a great overwhelming tide of children born to mothers without husbands. The futures of such children are almost inevitably blighted from the day they are born. Every home needs a good father and a good mother.
     We cannot build prisons fast enough in this country to accommodate the need.
     I do not hesitate to say that you who are mothers can do more than any other group to change this situation. All of these problems find their root in the homes of the people. It is broken homes that lead to a breakup in society.
     And so tonight, my beloved sisters, my message to you, my challenge to you, my prayer is that you will re-dedicate yourselves to the strengthening of your homes.
     Three years ago, in this same meeting, I read for the first time in public the proclamation on the family given by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles. I hope every one of you has a copy and that you occasionally read it carefully and prayerfully. It sets forth our great concepts of marriage and family, of a man and a woman in a sacred bond under the eternal plan of the Almighty.
     Now, in closing, I wish to reemphasize my deep gratitude, my profound appreciation for the women of the Church and the tremendous sons and daughters you are teaching, training, helping to take their places in the world. But the task will never be finished. It will never be complete. May the light of the Lord shine upon you. May the Lord bless you in your great and sacred work.
     I leave my blessing, my testimony, and my love with you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

From "Walking in the Light of the Lord"
President Gordon B. Hinckley
General Relief Society Meeting, 26 September 1998

Day 13

Day 13: What is the pure love of Christ?

Read: Moroni 7:40-48

Ponder: Have I felt these past 13 days a greater love for my Savior?
             Can I commit myself to live each day as Christ would live?

     We show that we serve the Lord by the way in which we live the commandments received from Him, by the work we do to help establish the kingdom of God on earth, and by the way we act towards our neighbor.
    
     For some, putting away worldly gods may mean giving up a small habit. For others, it may mean giving up serious sins they are committing. For others still, it may mean forgetting sad events which happpened earlier in their lives. Whatever the situation, in each one of us there is the power to change our life, the power to transform the bad feelings we have in our hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ will give us this power and will help us. All He asks from us is that we have faith in Him, follow His example, and obey His commadments.

     Neither prosperity nor poverty indicates whether a person is living a Christian life. Physical suffering is not evidence of wickedness, nor is it punishment for sin. What then are the rewards of serving the Lord?
     The gospel of Jesus Christ does not pomise that we will be free from tribulation. But it does strenghen our spirit so that we can accept adversity and face it when it comes. The house founded upon a rock does not fall with strong winds or rain.
     The person whose life is founded upon the gospel of Jesus Christ is able to: Face adversity with hope; Withstand offense with forgiveness; and Face death with serenity. The person who chooses to follow the Lord and who keeps His commandments: In his weaknesses, he knows where the source of his strength, he remains humble; In his poverty, he knows what his riches are; In his prosperity, he remembers his brethren with tenderness. A person who can live this way, without fear or hate but with love, is a happy person.
     The fruits obtained from serving the Lord are essentially spiritual. Jesus taught that every tree brings forth fruit according to it's species: "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."
     Jesus promised eternal life to his followers: "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."
     In this life, we are building our eternal dwelling. Are we building upon the rock which is the gospel of Jesus Christ, or are we building upon the sand which lies in the falsehoods of this world?
     Each moment we must choose whom we will serve, for we have been placed upon this earth to be proven and tested. We cannot choose to serve God and the world at the same time. If we want to follow the Lord, we should keep His commandments and follow our prophet and his teachings: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . .but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

From "Serving the Lord"
Adhemar Damiani
Saturday Afternoon Session, 2 October 1999

28 December, 2010

Day 12

Day 12: Do I love Christ?

Read: John 13: 34-35
         John 14:5
         3 Nephi 13:20-21, 24, 33

Ponder: Do I love as Christ loves?
            Do I keep all of the commanments?
            Have I put another God before Christ?

     How then do we, as women of God, fill the full measure of our creation? The Lord rewards "them that diligently seek him". We seek him not only by studying and searching, by pleading and praying and watching always lest we enter into temptation, but by giving up wordly indulgences that straddle the line between God and mammon. Otherwise we risk being called but not chosen because our "hearts are set so much upon the things of this world."
     Consider the principle taught in the sequence of this scriptural injunction: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind and strength." What the Lord requires first is our hearts. Imagine how our choices would be affected if we loved the Savior above all else. How we would spend our time and money, or dress on a hot summer day, or respond to the call to visit teach and take care of one another, or react to media that offends the Spirit.
     It is by letting the world go and coming unto Christ that we increasingly live as women of God. We were born for eternal glory. Just as faithful men were foreordained to hold the pristhood, we were forordained to be women of God. We are working to become more pure. And we know that in the strength of the Lord we can do all righteous things because we have immersed ourselves in His gospel. I repeat, we cannot be wormen of the world, for we are latter-day women of God. As President Kimball taught, "No greater recognition can come to us in this world than to be known as women of God."

From "We are Women of God"
Sheri L. Dew
General Relief Society Meeting 25 September 1999