It's a BOY! Baby number seven arrived on the Fourth of July weighing 7 lbs. 9 oz. and measuring 20 inches.
We left home at 11p Thursday night and baby was born at 3:03a Friday morning, July 4th, 2008. I was 5 cm when we arrived at the hospital, so all those annoying contractions the days before must've done some good after all.
The hospital stay was like a luxury vacation and I was able to get lots of rest. We are home now and the kids are ecstatic about their new baby.
We are so thankful for a successful VBAC and a healthy little boy!
I fell down a step two weeks ago and sprained the soft tissues in my foot. The doctor told me to stay off it for three weeks. I suspect any mom of many will join me in laughing at such impossible advice. It's difficult to find time to sit down for a meal let alone for several hours at a time.
My wonderful mother didn't laugh. Instead, she jumped up the next morning at 3:30a and drove nine hours to come take care of my family of eight. For more than a week she did dishes, laundry, diaper duty, meal preparation, grocery shopping, and all other tasks involved in caring for six young children while I put my foot up and iced my sprain. I don't think she sat down the entire time she was here, but I was able to rest and let my foot heal . Hubby was able to go to work and did not have to use up every bit of leave we have left prior to baby number seven's arrival. I sure hope I will be such a help to my own children when they are adults and need assistance.
(The book "Mulkeys of America" is no longer in print. However, xerox copies of the book are available from the author's nephew.) Contact: Chris Houghton at
cvh@twofirs.com
My great-grandmother left a typewritten booklet of fun family facts for us. It is such a treasure to have this careful recording of our family's history. I wish my ancestors could have been bloggers so I would know what daily life was like for them!
With the family tree info she recorded and a bit of searching on the internet I've been able to marvel at God's Covenant blessings throughout the generations of one side of my family.
FAMILY LINEAGE:
Lila Gearheart was the daughter of Ollie Quinby(daughter of John Quinby) and James Haden Gearheart. James Haden Gearheart was the youngest of the eleven children of Valentine Alexander Gearheart and Harriet Jane Mulkey. Harriet Jane Mulkey was the daughter of Sarah Martin and James Harlan Mulkey. James Harlan Mulkey was one of the sons of the Pioneer Preacher, the Reverend John Mulkey and Elizabeth Hays. The Reverend John Mulkey was the son of Jonathan Mulkey and Nancy Howard.
SOLDIERS:
Jonathan Mulkey (1752) was a soldier in the American Revolution. His grandson James Harlan Mulkey was a chaplain and a physician for the Confederate Army in the War Between the States. One of James Harlan Mulkey's sons was in the Confederate Army and one of his sons was a Union soldier! Val Gearheart and John Quinby were Union soldiers. So Harriet Mulkey Gearheart had her husband and one brother on the Union side and her father and one brother on the Confederate side.
MEN OF FAITH:
According to ncbible.org, the Puritan John Newton personally taught and greatly influenced Philip Mulkey, the father figure for the largest known branch of the Mulkey family. (Throughout my family line, the influence of John Newton can be see as many male children were named after him.) Philip's preaching son, Jonathan is referred to as the first Baptist minister in the state of Tennessee. Jonathan's son, John, began preaching by the age of 20. (Two other brothers also became Baptist preachers.) Several Mulkeys were Pioneer Preachers with the wagon trains heading west to Oregon. John did not go west, but had a great influence preaching to many who did.
My great-grandmother records that her father told her of going with his grandfather, James Harlan Mulkey, as he ministered to the people of the Ozarks "both spiritually and physically." She writes "he learned a great deal from him that was never forgotten. He could quote Scripture, chapter and verse, till the day he died. He also knew every kind of medicine (except newly discovered), where it came from, and what its use was."
COVENANTAL BLESSINGS THROUGH THE GENERATIONS:
It is such a blessing to be able to trace men and women of faith back several generations in my family. The Bible tells us that the Lord works in families and promises to bless those who love Him to a thousand generations.
May we always remember . . . to live and to think . . . generationally and covenantally!
The kids and I made a banner that says "We Love Dad!" It is decorated with stickers, drawings, handprints, and quotes the kids wanted me to write for him. Our two year old's quote is "Where Daddy Go?" and the three year old said "Thank you for giving me food." The four year old said "I play with Dad so much he gets tired every day."
They told me to put it on the kitchen wall near the ceiling. Dad seemed very tickled and surprised when he came home to find a banner just for him that was made just because . . . We Love Dad!
My six year old was telling me about the X-Ray machine at the airport. "They X-Ray you to see if you have a gun or knife or toothpaste. Because you could have a bullet in the toothpaste and squeeze it out to shoot someone."
For more of our favorite family quotes click the link on the sidebar for Our Family Blog.
I usually put in a video for the children while I nurse the baby, prepare a meal, or need a few minutes of peace and quiet. We do not have cable so the only kid-friendly channel we pick up is PBS (and we watch it, too).
Over the years we have acquired a collection of DVDs that the children (and I) enjoy watching over and over and over again:
I was just reminded from some TV clips concerning John Stossel's bestselling book, "Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity" about a good myth for moms in particular to realize so we can chill out about how our kids are dressed during winter. He reports that major medical research is currently saying that: GETTING COLD DOES NOT GIVE YOU A COLD!
But even though there is no medical reason to bundle our children like eskimos to prevent getting a cold, I am reminded that everyone has their own "house rules" based on personal preferences.
Some of ours . . .
Having to wear coats, mittens, or even socks/shoes to play outside during winter is not a battle we pick. If the kids want to be cold, that is fine with me! (Frostbite is not an issue where we live, of course.)
We currently do not allow food and drink anywhere but in the kitchen (excepting the toddler's no-spill sippy cup). Crumbs, stains, and critters are not something I want to deal with in my living room or bedrooms.
We don't allow standing on furniture, but the kids are literally allowed to RUN around downstairs.
I hope I remember when visiting others' homes to find out what their house rules are that I may be considerate. I also hope as a grandma I make sure to find out what my children's house rules are, that I may not add to or take away from them while there.
For the past few years my husband has taken the kids for one weekend per year so that I could get away to rest and relax. This weekend I am joining another homeschooling mom friend for time away on a mountain! Of course, as we have type-A personalities, we are each bringing multiple projects to work on while in the room (Christmas cards, recipes, homeschooling materials). But we will enjoy not having to cook or clean or take care of children as a nice break from our usual routines. And we intend to eat well at some local restaurants. :o)
I try to have all the laundry caught up as well as several meals prepared before I leave. And I have always come home to a tidy house, clean kids, and an exhausted saint of a husband.
Saturday my husband raked the yard and we asked the kids (ages six and under) if they'd like to make some money helping bag the leaves. They honestly were a big help! We paid each one $1.20. We first taught them to pull out 10% to tithe at church the next morning and then took them to the store where everything costs just one dollar. Each one picked out the toy of their choice and paid the cashier $1.06.
Our plan is to soon begin paying them for little jobs around the house. We intend to start a chart and make check marks when they complete the work. For now, our thought is that each check will be worth .05.
We often get stares, glares, and rude comments from strangers about the size of our family, but we were shocked on Saturday by the comment one lady made.
We were all at the park and my husband and I were sitting on a bench with our one year old. Our six, five, four, and two year old were playing together several feet away. From across the way, a lady rose from a bench and headed straight for us. She had a grave expression and my husband and I both braced ourselves for the comments that we knew were coming.
"I'm sorry," she said "but I just have to say something to you." We both took deep breaths..."I am so pleased to see your large family! Most young couples today just have pets. Are you Christians?" We nodded, now in complete shock as we tried to process what was being said. "You are doing the Lord's work and I hope you will not get discouraged no matter what people say to you. I consider you to be the pioneers of our day." And she continued with several other kind remarks about our children but I was getting teary-eyed at this point and it was hard to concentrate.
It was very encouraging to meet a fellow Christian who shares our beliefs about children and it was so kind of her to go out of her way to speak encouraging words to us! I hope that I will remember to encourage other large families that I see in public. I suspect they rarely hear kind words from strangers.
My faith teaches me that the calling of Christian homemaker, wife, or mother is just as holy as one to "full-time ministry."
I am a mom of six children ages eight and under (plus baby number seven on the way) seeking and sharing helpful tidbits learned during this season of life. May we glorify and enjoy Him each day!
:o),
Moms4Psalms
