Thursday, October 13, 2005

Another Reason People Look Down On Arkansas

Arkansas Mother Gives Birth to 16th Child
By MELISSA NELSON, Associated Press Writer


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Michelle Duggar just delivered her 16th child, and she's already thinking about doing it again. Johannah Faith Duggar was born at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and weighed 7 pounds, 6.5 ounces.
The baby's father, Jim Bob Duggar, a former state representative, said Wednesday that mother and child were doing well. Johannah's birth was especially exciting because it was the first time in eight years the family has had a girl, he said.
Jim Bob Duggar, 40, said he and Michelle, 39, want more children.
"We both just love children and we consider each a blessing from the Lord. I have asked Michelle if she wants more and she said yes, if the Lord wants to give us some she will accept them," he said in a telephone interview.
The Discovery Health Channel filmed Johannah's birth and plans to air a show about the family in May.
The Learning Channel is doing another show about the family's construction project, a 7,000-square foot house that should be finished before Christmas. The home, which the family from the northwest Arkansas town of Rogers has been building for two years, will have nine bathrooms, dormitory-style bedrooms for the girls and boys, a commercial kitchen, four washing machines and four dryers.
Jim Bob Duggar, who sells real estate, previously lost his bid for the U.S. Senate. He said he expects to run for the state Senate next year but isn't ready to make a formal announcement.
Michelle Duggar, 39, had her first child at age 21, four years after the couple married.
Their children include two sets of twins, and each child has a name beginning with the letter "J": Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1; and now Johannah.

I was with them until "Jinger." (okay, no, I wasn't)

Naming your child "Jinger" - C-

14 comments:

lisa said...

Yeah, I don't know what to think about that. I saw the show on Discovery and some things bothered me. But I won't get into that. As for the Arkansas thing, at least they're not cousins...

Anonymous said...

Weird, I just listened to a radio interview with these two parents... 9 months per kid, keeping in mind that the two sets of twins were two-fers, she has spent 126 (or more) months pregnant in her life. That's over 10 years... No thank you. Do you think you'll be okay with one or two neices or nephews, Amanda?

Anonymous said...

2 things:

1. Daddy's name is Jim Bob.
2. Take a look at that hair. Those are what we call "Pentecostal Bangs."

Ew. Ew ew ew.

lisa said...

Yeah, all the girls make their own dresses-from the smae material. Okay. All the boys wear nice slacks and shirts-not made my the girls, dad has a leather jacket..mom home schools all of them. They're happy, so that's great, but it just screams Andrea Yates to me. They live in Springdale, I guess until the new house is done.

amanda said...

I agree, Summer - these people probably get it on more than most couples with just one or two children.
I'd like to point out that my friend Skittles has 7 brothers and sisters (no twins, BTW), and they do NOT make their own clothes, nor do their names start with the same letter. Ron and Mary Warnke - A

equippedtofascinate said...

There's nothing wrong with a huge family...ok, there is. I grew up with one so I can say that. We don't all grow up to be murderers or things of that nature. As Amanda pointed out, we don't make our own clothes either(ok, my mom does know how to make clothes and will on occasion make a prom dress or something of that sort, but I buy my clothes). Like Summerrenne said though, middlechild syndrom must be a bitch with that family. I'm child 5 of 8, so I suffer from it terribly, but I don't have 15 other siblings to compete with.

Anonymous said...

I don't have a problem with them. I've seen the tlc special. They are financially independent. The kids seem really happy and so does she. I'd go frickin' nuts, but that's just me. Whatever floats your boat!

Anonymous said...

Ashlee: glad I wasn't the only one who picked up on the hair issue. Maybe ol' Jim Bob's got his own special "tongue of fire," if you know what I mean. And I think you do.

TSL said...

The point that really drives it home about Arkansas isn't the 16 children or the father's name. It's that Jim Bob is a former state representative. Vote for Jim Bob! Sorry Mandy.

Anonymous said...

Have these people never heard of overpopulation?!? Adopt someone if you like kids that much!

Anonymous said...

Hmm, you're right about the adoption thing!
Maybe they are going for some kind of Guinness world record or something. someone needs to find out the record for most children.

equippedtofascinate said...

I think it would get complicated to find the record Bethro. What about the families in the Ozarks that have like 52 wives. The father is the dad of all the kids, but with different mothers. Does he hold the record, or is it the record for the woman bearing the most offspring? Feel free to discuss.

lisa said...

I think you're talking about Utah there. In AR, we just marry cousins! ;-)

Dustin Harder said...

Having 16 children definate E. come on! I mean, Joe was the oldest of 15 and I've met that family and still cant believe it!