Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas! We hope that you are having a pleasant holiday season and are looking forward to the new year. If you have a moment, you can read the following update on the Bingham household and take a gander at a few pictures from our year.....

Let's just get the big news out first....we had a baby!!!!

Benjamin Linus Bingham was born at 11:35pm on September 28, 2010. He was 7 lbs, 14 oz, and 21 inches long. We want to tell you all about him, show you lots of pictures, and share our joy, but first, let's recap the year leading up to his arrival....

After the sad loss of our first pregnancy last year, we began 2010 eagerly awaiting the doctor's "ok" to try again. We were blessed and thrilled to find out in late January that we were expecting again! This time, everything went along swimmingly. Our doctor gave us frequent ultrasounds and kept Brittney on partial bed-rest to help allay our fears. Each little picture brought us more and more excitement.

Just a few weeks after finding out that we were expecting, we welcomed our new little nephew Beckam Andrew Davis who was born to Dan's sister Dallas in February. He is such a cutie! It has been so fun to watch his first several months of life and take copious notes so that we would know what to expect.

In April, we welcomed another new little nephew, Maddox Cruz Hudgins, who was born to Britt's

sister Heather and her husband Jeff. The little guy has had some serious health issues this year as has his big brother, Jaxen,but they are unfailingly resilliant, adorable angels.

Britt's belly continued to grow through the Spring, andwe began preparing for the changes we expected when the baby arrived. But, more on that later...

Dan resigned from his position as Field Consultant for Subway Restaurants in May in order to take a position working for Hill Threaded Products. Hill Threaded is a nuts and bolts company owned and operated by Dan's family. As General Manager, Dan is excited to be able to put his skills and knowledge to work growing the business. Finally! All his hard work is actually benefiting a business he cares about. And, the change has made our home more peaceful- less traveling, more job security, and a paycheck that enabled us to look towards a one-income home when the baby arrived.

We spent most of the summer trying to stay out of the heat. It was our first summer in our new house, and we had not tried our 30-year-old air conditioner since the home inspection. No surprise, it did not work. If you think being in Bakersfield in the summer is bad, try it 7 months pregnant! Thank the Lord for home warranties! We spent a couple of weeks living in the pool, but eventually we got a new unit. God truly provided.

In July, Dan got to play at Spirit West Coast in Monterey with the Boasting Weak. They got to play on the Main Stage! We were a bit bummed that the attendance was a bit lower than in previous years, but it's always fun to play big venues. The trip also served as a little getaway for us in anticipation of being home bound for a while.

Late in the summer, we suffered a hard loss when Dan's Grandma Judi passed away. She was an incredibly generous, sincere, and loving woman of God. We were so upset to lose her. We can only find comfort in knowing that she was finally healed of cancer when she went to meet our savior Jesus Christ.

Throughout the pregnancy, Britt continued to work as the Assistant Director of Service Ministries at RiverLakes Community Church. They were exceptionally accommodating of morning sickness, doctor appointments, and fatigue. No work/church family could have been more supportive. And, as the time drew near to welcome our little one, Britt reluctantly handed over her job and joyfully became a full-time homemaker.

Brittney's sister Heather organized an incredible baby shower for us at the end of August. We were blessed beyond belief with every kind of baby gear. The theme was "Rock the Cradle." There were mocktails, tasty appetizers, and a candy bar. There was even a guitar shaped caked that gave a little nod to our favorite band, U2.

The whole family served, decorated, and made it an event to remember.

And then it happened.....

All year, the doctor had been watching Britt's blood pressure escalate under the stress of pregnancy. When we got within 2 weeks of our due date, she decided it would be best for Mommy and Baby to induce. We will spare you the play-by-play, but suffice it to say that after 2 days of labor and 2 hours of pushing, the doctor decided to due a C-section and we were relieved! Is there anything better than an epidural and IV pain meds? No. There isn't. An hour later...we had our little boy!

We named him Benjamin Linus Bingham. Benjamin is a family

name on Brittney's side (the middle name of her grandfather, brother, and nephew). It is also the name of a childhood friend of hers that passed away in a tragic accident. We have known we wanted a "Ben" since our honeymoon 6 years ago. As for Linus....yes, we got the name combo from LOST, our favorite TV show, but don't think we are too crazy yet. Isn't Linus everyone's favorite Peanuts character? He is always the child with the most faith.

Unfortunately, the day we were supposed to come home, Britt started convulsing and we discovered she had acquired a serious blood infection which would keep us there a few more days. Oh! Did we mention the intensely itchy and painful PUPPS rash that developed during labor covering about 70% of her body? Or that the nurses messed up the IV meds multiple times during our stay? Overall, giving birth was not the fantasy evening portrayed in Father of the Bride 2, but when we look at his little face, it's all worth it. We could not have made it through without our family taking turns at the hospital taking care of Mommy and Baby. Heather even stayed several nights while Jeff had their boys as home. Talk about sacrifice. Thanks guys.

Britt is recovering well despite several sleepless weeks. For her 30th birthday, she got a nap...and it was awesome! For a while there, it was all we could do to keep up with diapers, bottles, and doctor appointments. (When you have extra complications, the docs like to keep you coming and going for weeks afterward.) Now, however, the baby is sleeping in 5-8 hour stretches at night and laughing and cooing which will just melt your heart.

And, of course, we are having fun with all the "firsts".

Ben's first Halloween....

Ben's first Thanksgiving...

We'll have to post the pictures later, but we are super excited to experience Ben's first Christmas!

Next year, we look forward watching our son grow and learn, continuing to work on our house, and maybe even working on some creative projects. Hopefully, we will get to spend time with each of you, our loved ones and friends.

Our prayer for you is that you would spend time reconnecting with the One who sent his Son to live and die for you. May God bless you and keep you in 2011!

Love,

Dan, Brittney and Ben Bingham