Author Topic: Couple has 17th child (Read 891 times)

Matthew · « **on:** August 04, 2007, 08:08:23 AM »

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- It's a girl -- again -- for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars, the proud parents of 17 children.

And after Jennifer Danielle was born Thursday morning, her parents already were talking about having more children.

"We'd love to have more," Michelle Duggar said, adding that the girls are outnumbered seven to 10 in the family. "We love the ruffles and lace."

The family's home in the northwest Arkansas town of Tontitown includes dormitory-style bedrooms for the boys and girls, nine bathrooms, a commercial kitchen, four washing machines and four dryers.

The children are home-schooled by Michelle Duggar, 40. The oldest is 19 and the youngest, before Jennifer, is almost 2 years old. The family includes two sets of twins.

"We are just so grateful to God for another gift from him," said Jim Bob Duggar, 42, a former state representative who sells real estate. "We are just so thankful to him that everything went just very well."

All of Jennifer's siblings also have names that start with J. They are: Joshua, 19; John David, 17; Janna, 17; Jill, 16; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 9; Jedidiah, 8; Jeremiah, 8; Jason 7; James 6; Justin, 4; Jackson, 3; Johannah, almost 2.

The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable's Discovery Health Network.

Among the "fun facts" listed on Discovery Health's Web page devoted to the Duggars: A baby has been born in every month except June; the family has gone through about 90,000 diapers, and Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 126 months -- or 10.5 years -- of her life.

Matthew · « **Reply #1 on:** August 04, 2007, 08:09:37 AM »

Here is a picture of the family:

Matthew · « **Reply #2 on:** August 04, 2007, 08:16:09 AM »

Now I won't criticize the number of children they have had (obviously they are going with the Natural Law, and that's good)

HOWEVER -- I can't help but wonder how much good this family's story does for the "pro-life" or "pro-Natural Law" cause.

1. They are silly. Having all the kids' names start with the same letter? That's fine for a joke -- but don't make it a 20-year joke leaking into reality. I personally think up all kinds of ridiculous things -- but I wouldn't let my wild imagination bleed into reality like they have. It's called "maturity".

2. They are trying to get attention. Talking about the next baby when the latest one was just born? They HAVE to be going for some kind of "shock value". They're different and they know it. They want to be famous: "The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable's Discovery Health Network"

3. They aren't Catholic.

4. They seem to "just happen to like kids" -- they never get dogmatic about how EVERYONE should be having more kids these days, etc. -- now THAT would help a bit. Understand why that is bad? It would be like a story about a "traditional Catholic" family who loves the TLM very much -- because they love the Latin language. They all speak Latin to each other, etc. -- so they'd be doing the right thing for the WRONG reason. Same with the Duggars.

5. They are from Arkansas, and the man's name is "Jim Bob". No danger of protestant American suburbanites changing their ways here! Everyone today is conditioned NOT to imitate a "hick from the sticks". Can anyone say "I want to be like Jim Bob" with a straight face?

6. Notice that home-schooling is being drug through the mud. People are almost forced to conclude: "So, home-schooling is for fundamentalists (=irresponsible, crazy people) with names like Jim Bob."

You have to realize that stories like this can be quite helpful to "the bad guys". Let's face it, the Jєωιѕн media has plastered this story all over the place -- so it certainly won't hinder their efforts to drag down society into the gutter. They aren't going to show any GOOD role models for young couples of childbearing age.

Oh well -- we have the Saints -- that's who I am using for a role model. It takes a bit more effort (to update their life to the 21st century, etc.) but it can be done.

Matthew

clare · « **Reply #3 on:** August 04, 2007, 09:00:26 AM »

They don't exactly make having a big family look "cool"!

This family carry it off better (though the children's names aren't great, and I daresay there'll be some objections to the trousers!)

The Daily Mail

Quote

The mother of THIRTEEN who is a size zero
Her family keeps growing, but she's still 7st 3lbs with a 23in waist (and she's expecting again!)

By LUKE SALKELD - More by this author »

Last updated at 00:00am on 18th May 2007

Celebrity mothers are often praised for regaining their svelte figures soon after giving birth.

Liz Hurley, Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell doubtless have an army of personal trainers and dieticians to help them.

But Joanne Watson had no assistance getting back to a size zero - despite giving birth 13 times.

The 36-year-old grandmother says there is no secret to retaining her remarkable figure -although it may have something to do with the work involved in looking after her enormous family.

She and husband John, a 42-year-old lorry driver, feed and look after 11 of their children at their four-bedroom home in Guernsey.

And now they are expecting again.

But as Mrs Watson says: "I wouldn't have it any other way. My family is my life. We both wanted to have another baby. I have been pregnant so often that I miss having a bump."

And ever since she gave birth to Natasha 18 years ago, that bump has always disappeared pretty quickly.

Mrs Watson, who is 5ft 2in tall, has a 23in waist and weighs just 7st 3lb, has always been petite.

Before the birth of her first child, she was a trim size six. And miraculously she was back in her old jeans four days after giving birth.

Now even smaller at a size four - the controversial size zero in the U.S. - she recalls: "I certainly wasn't ready for a life in elastic-waisted trousers."

She insists she has never been on any kind of diet during her pregnancies, and even indulged in meals of burgers and chips.

Crowed house:The ever-growing family (from left) Febrianne, Brittany, Caitlin, Georgia, Natasha with her son Branford, Joanne Watson with Nerrily-Jade, John Watson with Lily-Arna, Mariah, Shanice, and Bradley with baby Armani and Charlie

When she became pregnant again eight months after Natasha was born, she never got any bigger than a size eight.

Bradley, now 16, was next to be born, followed by Shanice, 15, Mariah, 11, Georgia, ten, Caitlin, eight, Brittany, seven, Febrianne, six, Charlie, four, Lily-Arna, three, Nerrily- Jade, two, and one-year-old Armani.

The couple also had baby Augustina, who was born prematurely and died when she was less than a day old.

Not once has Mrs Watson had any trouble losing weight after the births.

She said: "A few days after giving birth to baby Bradley, I tiptoed on to the scales and gasped as the needle came to a halt. I was almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight, 7st 3lb. My friends would ask me what the secret was but I don't have one.

"It's not something I boast about - it's always just happened. I guess I'm just naturally slim. And of course there is a lot of running around when you have a family as big as ours, so that probably burns off a few calories too."

She added: "I sometimes get into trouble by borrowing stuff from my daughters' wardrobes."

It is not just her figure that attracts attention.

She said: "When we all go out together in our big red minibus, people look at us in wonder.'I don't know how you cope,' they say, bewildered.

"But for me it's natural. I took to motherhood like a duck to water.

"I loved nothing better than spending time with Natasha and all the other children since.

"And amazingly we manage to squeeze everyone under one roof."

Mrs Watson, who now has a grandchild after her daughter had baby Branford, is delighted to be pregnant again.

She said: "Every time is exciting again and all the children are excited too. Who knows whether I'll fit back into my jeans after this one? We'll have to wait and see."