Duggars go to England!

The super sized Duggar Family,has decided to go to England for a 25 day long trip!Everyone had passports including Little Josie & Josh & Anna’s new addition Michael James.The Duggars were going to go to some exotic countries and some closer to home..Both Amy & Mom Michelle will be celebrating their birthdays overseas.The new 19 kids & counting season continues on September 16.Check back for more updates!

Update on Josie!

Little Josie,who was a premie and was born 3 1/2 months before her due date and weight 1 pound 6 oz is doing wonderfully.Mama Michelle says that she is a miracle baby and they are grateful to have her.Looking at her now you would have never known she was a premie.The parents of 19 and grandparents of  1 are waiting for their first grandson,from Josh & Anna!

Duggar siblings help in Joplin

In one of the latest tragedies across america in Joplin,Missouri the Duggar Family including Jim Bob,Josh,Jessa, Jinger, Joseph and Josiah  decided to pack some things & drive 75 miles to Joplin and help search for survivors.Josh,who has had past firefighting experience  & siblings,Jessa,Jinger and Joseph who have had first responder training,decided to head to Joplin after learning about the tornado that had hit  a couple weeks ago.The Duggars had set out in 3 cars that included bottled water,snacks,flashlights, batteries, Gatorade and ponchos.Upon arrival,the Duggars were put to work.The elder Duggars helped search for survivers in the area and handing out things like flashlights.

 

A Duggar Family Update

John David has a wrecker,towing & recovery service so he makes income from that.He loves to fix things like working on cars,big equipment and such. Jill has been attending doula classes & she’s considering working as a labor & delivery nurse.Jana & John David both have first responder training.Jill,Jana & John David are on the volunteer fire department & they do a lot of medical calls. Jessa could manage a major corporation because she loves to organize!

Many of the older children are enrolling in College Plus so there’s more finances there.According to College Plus the average price is 10K-15K so that’s almost 100K for even 5 of the oldest Duggar children to go to college!But,God will provide to those who are faithful to Him!

Josie Duggar is thriving at 11 months old!

After Josie spent the first 6 months of her life in a incubator she is doing better than the family expected!Mom Michelle reports that Josie is laughing,playing and drooling…Josie was only 1 pounds 6 oz back when she was born back in December on the 10th day 2009.Today little Josie weighs 15 pounds .

“We see the hand of God answering all our prayers in how well she’s doing” says Jim Bob Duggar.Although she’s still on oxygen at night she’s off it during the day and sailed through her last exam.

I thought with so many children, and everything she’s gone through with Josie, she wouldn’t have a lot of time,” says Anna. “But she is an amazing grandma and it is so cute to see her be a mom to older children, little children and a grandma, too.”

“Mackynzie was going to be really spoiled being the only grandchild,” Anna says, “so it’s great there’s another one on the way.”

Michelle Duggar goes skydiving with daughter Jessa!

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … Michelle Duggar?

The reality-TV mom on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting was game when she heard what daughter Jessa wanted for her 18th birthday on Nov. 4.

“She wanted to jump out of a plane,” says Michelle, 44. “And the last time everyone went, she was too young to go, and I was pregnant and couldn’t go.”

This time, she could. Last year, several of the older kids went skydiving with dad Jim Bob, 45, while Michelle and Jessa had to watch from the ground. So, last weekend, Michelle and Jessa took the leap together – each strapped to an experienced skydiver for tandem jumps. Michelle went 20 seconds before her daughter.

“It was one of the most amazing experiences,” says Michelle. “You step through the door of the plane, and then your stomach falls. When the parachute comes out, it is so peaceful. We are out in the Ozarks, and it is autumn. It is beautiful. It was a wonderful mom-and-daughter moment.”

Jim Bob offered support and encouragement, saying, “Michelle looks amazingly well. We are all doing wonderfully.”

Up next for the busiest mother in Tontitown, Ark.? Putting on Thanksgiving dinner for the whole clan, including oldest son Josh and his wife Anna, both 22, who just announced they are expecting their second child – Jim Bob and Michelle’s second grandchild – next summer.

The Duggar tradition is for each person to say one thing they are thankful for before eating. “We go around the table, from the youngest to the oldest, to say one thing,” says Michelle. “You can’t repeat what someone else has said they are thankful for, so it gets harder the longer it goes around.”

“It’s your meal ticket for dinner,” says Jim Bob.

The Duggars will be featured in the upcoming special 19 Kids and Counting: GrandDuggar First Birthday on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. on TLC.

Josh & Anna are currently expecting their second baby in June 2011.Josh & Anna are considering on keeping all of their children’s names beginning with the letter M.Both are very excited to expand their family & give Mackynzie younger siblings.

Duggar interview

Did you always want a big family?
Jim Bob Duggar: We didn’t start out wanting a large family, but God changed our minds and we have been open to life ever since.

Has it been tough for Michelle to have so many children?
JBD: We know that we’ve been very fortunate in terms of Michelle’s health because it has always been good, except for feeling like she doesn’t run around after the kids now that she’s 43 as she used to do when she was in her twenties.

What are some of the hardest things about having a large family?
Michelle Duggar: Probably logistical problems. Keeping up with laundry, dishes, cleaning, activities that require lots of organization but we try to come up with some way to do it creatively and get the little guys involved.

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How and why did you decide to do the TLC show?
JBD: When we were considering doing the show we prayed about it and decided that it would be OK as long as they would be respectful of our faith. They could tell the story however they wanted to, but they had to leave our beliefs in.

Did you want to show others your way of life?
MD: We don’t know the answers to the many questions that life sends our way, but we do know where our guidance and principles come from and we want to encourage other families.

Is television a big part of your life?
MD: The camera following us around is a part of our lives, but we don’t have cable television. We made this choice after our first year of marriage because we felt that we weren’t communicating the way we should and that the TV was a substitute for our interactions.

What is your parenting philosophy?
MD: We want our children to know that they have a safe place to come to with us. We encourage them to have a pure heart and clear conscience with others and with God. We stress that communication is vital. We don’t allow teasing or putting each other down because it causes hurtful feelings and broken relationships, but we know that we are human and we may offend someone and make mistakes, so we encourage our children to quickly go back humble themselves and make things right.

What are some of the things we don’t know about Jim Bob and Michelle?
MD: Jim Bob doesn’t like pickles!

You are very religious and your faith is strong. What if your children grow up and don’t feel the same way?
MD: Our faith is very strong. We want to share with our children so that they know the relationship with God is a personal one and not a list of rules or things we do. Each person has a different calling in life to love and serve the Lord, so for them it will be different than it is for us.

What if the children reject your beliefs?
MD: There will for certain be a crisis. Each person has to own their faith individually. We’d be shocked if our kids didn’t make mistakes or struggle. They’ll have their moments and we pray that they will find their ways.

What about criticism that your family is too large?
JBD: The number of children we have isn’t based on public opinion, we realize this isn’t for everybody. We know that God has always met our needs. We don’t have government assistance or handout.

Has it been difficult to deal with Josie’s health issues?
MD and JBD: With a preemie it’s a roller coaster. Josie was born early at 1.6 pounds, but came out kicking and screaming. She’s a fighter. One of the scary things about having a tiny premature baby is that sometimes you can’t hold them or help them like you would for a baby born full-term

Update on Josie

Josie is doing really well.As of August 3rd Josie now weighs 11 lbs 6 oz but is lactose intolerant.Mom Michelle says that Josie is doing remarkable.Dad Jim Bob says that Josie should be caught up developmentally  by the time she’s 2 years old.Duggar parents say that Josie still needs supplemental oxygen at night but is being weaned off of it.

19th Duggar Baby Finally at Home with Family

Josie, the 19th child born to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, returned to their busy house last week after spending most of the first six months of her life in a neonatal intensive care unit where she fought for her life after being born dangerously premature.

Although the baby was released from Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock on June 3, her homecoming was delayed because 12 of her siblings got the chicken pox and had to be separated from her. Josie spent three weeks with her mother in a rental house near the hospital until the other children recovered back home with dad.Finally, on June 25, mother and child made the over 200-mile road trip from Little Rock to Tontitown, Ark., and were met by streamers, hand-made “Welcome Home” banners, old Christmas decorations – and 17 of Josie’s siblings (oldest son Josh lives on his own with his wife and baby).

“It is good to be home,” says Michelle, laughing. “It is surreal to be here. It was such a long time we were away.”

The last time Michelle was at the Duggar family’s home, they were decorating for the holidays and looking forward to Josie’s expected birth in the spring. “Then, I had to be airlifted to Little Rock in a helicopter,” says Michelle.

Michelle’s preeclampsia caused an emergency C-section and a dangerously early entry into the world for Josie, who was born Dec. 10 at the gestational age of 25 weeks. As the micropremie struggled to survive, Michelle lived in the rental house with her husband and other children.

The family, whose lives are chronicled on the TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, is now settling into a routine with Josie, who has now grown to a “chunky” 9 lbs., 1 oz., says Michelle. “She has a double chin now,” she says. “It is so precious.”

Duggar Family Considers Adoption

In the very short time that Josie was home it was a very exciting time for the Duggars.even though little Josie only weighed 4 and a half pounds she was still fragile.Only 2 days later  Josie had to be rushed back to NICU .Serious constipation caused Josie’s vitals to flag.She’s remained in the hospital ever since. Doctors are continuing to monitor her ongoing digestive issues. In every other area, though — brain tests, heart tests, lung tests, eye tests, ear tests — she’s doing remarkably well. And as she approaches the ripe old age of 5 months, she’s weighing in at 5 pounds, 15 ounces.

Josie is thriving and gaining weight,almost hitting the 6 pound mark.She’s smiling,cooing and already doing cute little baby things.For the time being, Josie is being bottle-fed expressed breast milk fortified with a little bit of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil to help her gain weight. She’s thriving on that diet, but still needs enemas on a regular basis.

Jackson says that Josie is going to be his buddy because she has a dimple just like him.

Michelle said We have no where else to turn other than to prayer.God let Josie be born on that day & has a special plan for her life.Michelle says they would love to have more but knows that her mommy years are limited as she will be 44 in September & will just see how many more children God has in store for the family.The Duggars have even been considering expanding their family through adoption

Michelle said it was something the family discussed.  “They inspired us and it is something we’ve been praying about because we do love children. Each child really is a gift and that just doesn’t mean just our children.  We asked the Lord to give us a love of children the way he loves children.  That is something that we’ve prayed about and we’ll just see what the Lord has in store for our family in the future.”