Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Michelle and Josie Duggar, Home Sweet Home

Josie Duggar, released from the hospital in early June for the second time, is finally home! And not just to a rental house in Little Rock, but to the Duggars' rambling, 7,000 square foot home in Springdale, Arkansas.

Josie would have returned sooner, but 12 of her 18 siblings unexpectedly came down with the chickenpox. Michelle and her precious baby were forced to remain in Little Rock for 3 long weeks, while Jim Bob spent his days applying calamine lotion and reminding his kids not to scratch.

Now that everyone is home sweet home, the Duggars are getting back into the swing of things. It's hard to believe that Michelle's last day in Springdale was spent hanging Christmas ornaments and looking forward to Josie's March 18th due date, which arrived more than 3 months earlier than expected. 
"It is good to be home," remarks the mother of 19. "It is surreal to be here."

And everyone is rejoicing because Josie, who entered this world with less than 2 pounds to her name, now weighs in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce. It's no wonder that doctors call her story a fairytale!

Can you imagine having 12 children with the chickenpox? We sure can't! Have you and your kids had the chickenpox yet? 

30 comments:

  1. What a blessing and answer to prayer! Welcome home, Josie and Michelle!

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  2. Oh my goodness, a dozen kids with chicken pox at once! I'm so happy to hear that everyone's recovered, and that little Josie is finally home.

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  3. I had chicken pox when I was 4. Thank goodness Josie was away from the contagion, although hopefully in a few years she will experience it naturally. I personally do NOT support the chicken pox vaccine except in cases of weakened immune systems.

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  4. AWESOME!!! Little Josie is finally where she belongs - HOME!!! YAYYYYY May God keep blessing you Duggar family!!!

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  5. AWESOME!!! I'm soooo happy Josie is finally where she belongs - HOME with her beautiful family. May God keep blessing you Duggar's!!! :)

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  6. Have none of these children been vaccinated??

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  7. Its try not to scratch....not try not to itch...

    I am thinking that with 18 kids plus a baby at risk to infection...I would be utilizing the chicken pox vaccination.

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  8. When I only had 2, my second-born caught chicken pox, but my firstborn never did. They slept in the same room.
    Most of the kids I've known who caught chicken pox had been vaccinated against it. What a rip!
    So glad the Duggars are all over it now! Praise God!

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  9. What an awesome God we serve that has made a way for this little one to come through such an ordeal ....and to only be a little over a pound when she did it and then to finally come home to her family. Rejoice in the Lord Duggar family.......for HE is surely smiling down on you!!

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  10. The chicken pox vaccine doesn't always protect you kids 100% from the virus as kids who do get vaccinated can sometimes still come down with the virus (the same way that people who have had chicken pox get shingles). However, the case won't be as bad so, no offense, if you didn't have the kids vaccinated, I don't feel too bad that you had to take care of 12 kids with the chicken pox!

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  11. Anonymous, it's funny that you say "Don't scratch" instead of "Don't itch" because I was showing the post to a friend, and she said the same thing! I didn't want to listen to her, but I guess I will change it now =] Thanks for keeping me in line!

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  12. I wish the whole family all the love on earth! Happy you are all together again.

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  13. I can't believe that those children didn't get their chicken pox vaccine. This can be a very serious disease, especially for young children. I've never known anyone that got the disease after they had been vaccinated and I'm 75 years old. This is the reason that there are outbreaks of these diseases like whooping cough that has killed 50 babies in California as well as some adults. It is so irresponsible of parents not to take advantage of these vaccines that have saved so many children's lives such as the polio vaccine and many others. Most of these diseases had been wiped out until some parents decided it was against their religion of was too dangerous, etc. It's been scientifically proved that it's much more dangerous not to vaccinate. If little Josie had been exposed and gotten the chicken pox she probably wouldn't have survived.

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    1. Over half of the people in California that had whooping cough were up to date on the vaccine. The vaccine did not work.

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    2. The chicken pox isn't a deadly illness. In fact, Pfizer, the vaccine producer developed the vaccine for convenience. When one has the chicken pox, they are sick for an average of 2 weeks. This is a long time to have to stay away from work when caring for a child with chicken pox. In addition, the vaccine uses a cell line from lung tissue from an aborted fetus. So, do we know enough about DNA being injected into our children? I have done my research and even called Pfizer on these facts. I do not feel comfortable with the lack of evidence proving the vaccine is safe.

      So, it's certainly a personal preference whether anyone chooses to vaccinate against the chicken pox. I choose not to based on my research and as a secondary reason, I don't agree with using a cell line from an aborted fetus. If it was life or death, I would make the decision to vaccinate against chicken pox, but there are rare cases in which one's life would be threatened by getting the chicken pox disease.

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  14. I'm glad that they are all finally home together. My oldest two children had the chicken pox before the vaccine was available (though I'm not sure I would have had them get it anyway) but my grandson got them after he was vaccinated. We didn't know where he would have been exposed to them and weren't even sure that it was what he had, so we went to the dr. to confirm. They told us that while it was not common to get them after being vaccinated, it's not all that rare either.
    At any rate, I'm glad the kids are all well once again and that the whole family is happily at home.

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  15. I have a feeling that this will turn into some sort of vaccination argument. All I'm going to say is that with the whooping cough vaccine, you can also get it after being vaccinated, and it's not uncommon at all either. Hence, both me and my sister, as well as about 20 other VACCINATED children in our neighbourhood and numerous children around my dad's work got it back in 1994 when I was 4 years old. Chicken pox and whooping cough are two very different diseases. I'd definitely take the chicken pox over whooping cough any day. The rate of severe illness is much, much lower. I remember both diseases, even though I was only four. Chicken pox I was hardly bothered, just a low fever and a few spots for a few days. Whooping cough (which I developed on vacation three provinces away) was no picnic. Not only that, but it was misdiagnosed and I was given the wrong treatment. I spent close to two weeks coughing, especially at night, often so badly I would vomit. Not pleasant. I shudder to think what it would have been like without the vaccination. I probably would have died.

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  16. Now that Josie is home which of the older daughters will she be assigned to? Is she old enough to get her own jurisdiction yet? Can't help but wonder.

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  17. Glad that Josie is back in Springdale with her whole family!

    Wow, I can't imagine 12 children with chicken pox! I hope that everyone is better. My brother and I both had the chicken pox when we were little.

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  18. im so glad josie is home! lord please bless them all. i have never had chicken pox but everytime i have been pregnant (4) i have been exposed. when i was pregnant with my last my son got chicken pox from the vaccine so i had to be tested. and i found out im immune! and just having 1 with chicken pox i really feel for jim bob having a dozen. im so glad they r all better tho.

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  19. Does that mean that the Duggar family does not innoculate their children?

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  20. The Duggars have said that they make sure to keep their kids up-to-date with visits to the doctor/dentist. They have their childrens' best interests in mind, so I am sure that they get vaccines when necessary.

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  21. When you don't vaccinate your children, it is not just them that are put at risk. They become the vehicles that infect the immune- suppressed, the pregnant women and her fetus as well as other vulnerable population. Just because you don't see the harm you do by not vaccinating doesn't not absolve you of guilt. It's selfish to think only of your own.

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  22. I think in this day and age, it is outrageous not to vaccinate against chicken pox - heres zoster-especially when one has a premature infant who was at risk to begin with. Any pediatrician knows the chicken pox virus is very serious with infants, epsescially with an infant who was compromised at birth. Why does our national tv exhonorate and support this medical ignorance and put it in God's name? I had chicken pox as a child, and yes, I did have shingles - herpes zoster , when I was in my 30's. What makes having all these children a tv show and a strong unrealistic money maker.

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  23. I am glad that Josie is doing well and that the Duggars seem to be doing fairly well with the chickenpox. IMO they all should have been vaccinated prior. My adult daughter had chickenpox in elementary school and the second daughter had it worse, as is often the case. My son adult son got the chickenpox 6 months before the vaccine came out. My grandson has received the vaccine. BTW, I am a Christian, UCC, and it is not against my religion to get vaccinated. It is interesting how one can take advamtage of modern medicine to save a preemie and yet not get vaccinated. Also, I wish the name of the show would be changed to 19 and Family Complete.I think that difficult birth was a wake up call, maybe even from God, that the Duggars should stop procreating and concentrate on the kids they have. Another pregnancy could prove fatal, as this one almost did.

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  24. If any of u decided to take some time out of your busy lives, and find out the ingredients in the vaccines now , u may not vaccinate either, many people are unaware of what they put inside these shots, just ask your doctor to see the inserts, he or she may not want to show you.

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  25. I completely agree with Kate. 3 yrs later these children now have a life long immunity for chicken pox!ptl! I love the duggars!

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  26. Has anyone noticed that not a single Dugger child is autistic. Surely, statistically speaking, one would be autistic. This is because none of those children have received a single one of the 36 shots that pediatricans insist on administering in addition to the annual flu shot. The parents don't get them either. The show keeps it a secret because the ruthless pharmaceutical industry has insisted on their secrecy. Wise up America! Big pharma always wins!

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  27. Reading some of these comments really angers me who are we to decide how many children a couple should have. Shame!!! Shame!!! Shame!!! God wants us to be fruitful and multiply! Psalm 127:3-5 says behold children are a heritage from the Lord the fruit of the womb a reward. like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one youth. blessed is the man he feels his quiver with them. he shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. For the one lady who commented that Michelle having a complicated birth is a sign from God. Lady dust off your Bible and read it then you will know that your comment does not please the Lord!!!!!!! Yahweh knows each and every one of these children for HE formed them in there mothers womb!!!! Praise be to God that enriches our lives with children.

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