My precious

Jonah's new favorite word for his buddy is, "my precious." And he gets a high squeaky voice when he says it! Freaks me out just a little as I think about Gullum

From The Hobbit! Hopefully Jonah won't turn into some cave monster! Ha! 

Superheroes

The kids love to dress up! We have been low on boy costumes, but grandma saved the day by getting us some male super heros! 

This morning Jonah and Selah came to me while I was feeding Heze on the couch, "we are real super heros." "Yes, what can we do for you?"

"Um... " (I was trying to think of something around the house I wanted them to do)

"Do you have a cat?"

"Stuck in a tree?"

"Why yes, yes I do!"

And off they went. 

10 Weeks

Mr. Hezekiah,

You are 10 weeks old today... and you are awesome! You are so content, happy, snuggly, and sweet. I love being your mama. And... this week you began sleeping through the night!!!! Way to go, dude! 

Fire Misconceptions

Jonah: mom, when will our house be on fire?

Me: I hope never, buddy 

Jonah: I hope soon. Then we could all run out and the fire trucks would come and I could put out the fire with the hose. 

Jonah: When will a bad guy come into our house?
Jason: hopefully never.
Jonah: Well, one will come in sometime, but it's okay, we don't have to call the fire department... I will just blow out his candle.

Actual Conversation

Havana: I know what we could invent.

Me: what? 

H: a coat 

Me: I think the coat has already been invented. 

H: oh, man! 

Beautiful Fall

Yesterday, i Really enjoyed God's masterpiece in the backyard. The kids did too! Jonah just told everyone that, "something special is at the end of the rainbow- like a Lego firetruck!"  Later when a cloud covered the rainbow Jonah said it was disappearing and Selah covered her eyes and yelled, "oh no! I can't watch!" 

Introducing (again)

"See, I have written your name on the palms of my hand." Isaiah 49:16

Shortly after we found out we were having a boy, I attached to the name Hezekiah. Jason was not so sure that was his name - although he couldn't say there was a name he liked more. For months, I continued to pray for him by that name and would speak to him calling him, "Heze." I kept telling Jason that once he saw the baby, he would feel the same way.

When our son was born, we still didn't have a good name for him. I thought Hezekiah still, but Jason still wasn't sure and we felt that Dakota was a safer choice. However, after arriving home from the hospital, it didn't take me long before I wondered if we had made the right choice in naming our son Dakota. While  I loved the name and love that he had my initials, I just couldn't help but feel that the Hezekiah I had prayed for and spoken to all those months in the womb was missing. It was very bizarre experience, but it is safe to say that I was lacking peace over it.

After a couple of weeks, I confessed to Jason that I was really struggling with it and we began to talk about the possibility of changing his name. Jason liked the name Dakota, but noticed how upset it made me and said that if changing his name would "bring mama back" that he was happy to change it. To me, that was a lot of pressure and so for two weeks, I prayed to the Lord, begging Him to reveal our baby's name to us. I said, "Lord, You have his name written on the palm of your Hand... please share it with us." Over time, we continued to believe that it was Hezekiah was the better choice.

I remember one day in the shower thinking about which name I would regret not choosing five years up the road. As I came out of the shower, I told Jason I was leaning towards Dakota... he said, "really? Cause I'm leaning more towards hezekiah." At that, I was more than happy to stick with the name Hezekiah which proved to me that it was the name I had truly wanted. We continued to seek His face until we had complete peace... Jason finally said, "I feel that Hezekiah would be OUR name for the baby rather than just a "name that ends in 'ah'" -- and he is... calling him by his name now brings me joy rather than regret.

So, long overdue, but I am so thrilled to introduce to you our fifth child:

Hezekiah Jason Dugger

It took us a couple of days to nail down the middle name. We had originally (before the baby was born) thought about Hezekiah James, but after further thought we thought giving him his daddy's name would be a great choice. I will confess, it doesn't "ring" as well as Hezekiah James, but I love that he was named after a great king and a great daddy.

Literal

Havana is a very literal girl... She once got scared when some boys in her Sunday school class said they were going to cut off her head. And another time she got scared in chapel because she thought they were going to cut off ER ears when they were taking about Peter cutting off The ear in the bible. Anyway, the other day I picked her up from Sunday school and I said, "what did you all talk about?" Her response was, "well, we didn't really talk about anything because the teachers did all the talking." 

New Name!

After much, much prayer... we have finally (almost) resolved our name dilemma.

We love the name Dakota Lincoln... it is a cute name and I loved that he had my initials, but I couldn't help but feel that it wasn't "his" name. My lack of peace wore off on Jason and he began to agree that perhaps Hezekiah would be a more personal name. We prayed for many nights - I kept telling the Lord, "You have his name written on the palm of your hand.... could you please reveal it to us?"

We would sit in bed, hold our baby, and read 2 Kings 18-20 out loud over him.

We finally came to a peace that we wanted to change his name to Hezekiah. We are still sorting out the middle name, but hopefully will have that nailed down by later tonight... (he's only 4.5 weeks old, its about time he had a name! Ha).

I'm so excited to be going with Hezekiah...

I was a little bummed because we had newborn photos taken of him and had letters that spelled Dakota, but after downloading a free trial of photoshop and watching many you tube videos to figure out how to work it... I have successfully changed the photo to make it look like we took the photo with the letter blocks of "Hezekiah"

Butler

The kids have been know role playing and the other day Havana assigned Jonah the role of "butler"-- later in the game Jonah said, "I am the buttoner!" 

So cute! 

September 13th

September 13th was a big day at our house! Havana lost her first tooth!

About her second day of school, Havana began to say she had a loose tooth... skeptical of her claim, Jason checked and he confirmed! I couldn't believe two big life changes (school and first tooth) were taking place!

Her tooth became quite loose very quickly and she was struggling to eat and brush her teeth, so one day, Jason pulled it out. She cried for a little bit, but she was (overall) very brave. We gave her a two dollars that night and she had to save one and then she could spend the other. She picked out a princess and puppy bowl with a straw from the dollar store at target. She put it on the conveyor held and handed her dollar to the sales clerk all on her own.

We wanted to give her three dollars so she could tithe, save, and spend.... but we didn't have that much cash on us! Ha. Next tooth. :)

Name Troubles...

Okay, let me start out by saying that since Dakota's birth I have been struggling with a case of the "baby blues."  I am irritable and emotional... I seem to burst out into tears more than I care to admit. I'm not depressed, but certainly not myself.

I can't really pin point why... Perhaps hormones, lack of sleep, or a combo... Whatever the reason, it's real and I'm really ready to get over it. 

I mentioned before that I wanted to name our baby Hezekiah... I called him that while he was in my womb... Well, my grief process in getting over that name coupled with my baby blues has led this mama to a semi-crisis. I am not sure we named him the right name, but I don't feel like we can change it...

I love the name Dakota Lincoln... I think it is a very cute name. I like that with that name he has my initials which he will be the 4th generation to have DLD. I really like that and fear I will regret not having that if we should change his name. I also worry it would hurt my dad's feelings. I love the little boy (now teenager) named Dakota who. Was the ring bearer in our wedding. I would feel bad if changing his name was a disappointment to that family. My only struggle with the name Dakota is i am not sure it is "his" name... 

Hezekiah is an awesome king from the Bible... That's it. No personal connection or family story. I love that it is unique (more so than Dakota) and he won't get mistaken for a girl. However, while Jason is willing to change his name for me... He would prefer Dakota. My kids know Dakota's name... So I would feel incredibly selfish to change it when I alone am feeling like we might have made the wrong choice. I can't explain my connection to the name Hezekiah, but it is intense. I feel a loss when I think about not naming my baby that, but now that we've called him Dakota for three weeks I would feel a loss over that name too. Basically, I've made this a lose-lose situation and I really have no idea what to do. Jason is willing to support officially changing his name, but I don't know what to do, but feel bad either way. 

I mentioned changing his name to the kids and Havana and Selah came up with Dakiah... At this point, i am considering all possibilities. Ha. 

 

Thoughts? 

Funnies

Jonah is a naturally funny boy... Things he says along with his expressions can just send me into hysterics. The best part is he doesn't realize how funny he is. For example, whenever he pretends he is on the phone he dials and then says, "hoes the traffic?" Which is what we asks our phones almost daily. 

The other day he came up to me with his hands behind his back and he said, "look mom, I'm a glover!" And he held up his hand to show him wearing a pink glove. He said it was so he could touch dirty things. :) 

He is also very into Legos and tying knots. Jason said, "I think he missed his calling... He could have been a executioner in the 1800's. He is constantly tying his toys up and hanging them from somewhere. And, the other night I walked upstairs to find his karate belt tied to the top of havana's bed... The other part was around HIS neck and he was on her stairs about to jump. I laugh now, but seriously he could have died if I didn't check on him. 

Dakota Update

Last Tuesday, the 9th, I took him to the doctor. I told her my concern about his tongue (it seems "tight" and short) and she said that if he latches okay, she wouldn't do anything about it right now. He latches fine and so guess we will see if he stretches it out as he grows. 

He weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce. She asked me to come back in one week for a weight check. I took him back this past Tuesday and he was up to 9 pounds, 1 ounce! 

He is such a prescheduled baby! He eats every two hours around the clock. He is pretty good about having awake time before falling asleep. Most of my babies I have had to train to get them on a regular cycle, but he just seems to think it is the norm. 

I developed mastits last week... And now all of us (except Jason) have a really nasty head cold. Praying Dakota stays healthy through it. 

We are all adjusting well. Tuesdays and Thursdays are still weird without Havana. I had a bought of the "baby blues" where I would just burst into tears and felt very disconnected with Dakota. I even asked Jason if they could have mixed up our baby at the hospital or if we could change his name to Hezekiah since I felt more connected to him by that name. Thankfully most of that has past. 

I can't believe he will be two weeks old tomorrow!! He has had his first bottle, gone to church and Bible study, went to a friends house for dinner. We even have him his first bath yesterday (much needed). 

Dance

The other day, Havana and Jonah were playing in the basement by themselves when all of a sudden I heard Jonah screaming. Havana ran up the stairs and when I asked her what happened she said,

"Well, Jonah wants to play tag and I don't want to so I told him no. He wants to play tag, but I can't play tag with him because I am just so full of dance!" 

She was dancing to music and didn't want to stop dancing to play tag. I tried to tell her the importance of playing together, but I couldn't help but chuckle at her "so full of dance," line. 

A picture of Havana from her recital this summer. 

Introducing...

Dakota Lincoln Dugger!

Our family welcomed our latest miracle into the family on Friday, Sept. 5th at 1:29pm. He was 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 21 inches long.

I arrived at the hospital at 4:30am and after all the paperwork and other essentials were out of the way, they began the induction process at 5:55am by starting me on some pitocin. At 9:55 I had progressed 4 cm and they broke my water. At 1:25pm, they checked and I was 10 cm... the nurse wanted me to push before the doctor got there but I declined. The nurse said the baby was still "high" but I repeated that I didn't feel comfortable pushing without the doctor.

I'm glad I waited because my doctor came in, and I gave a little push, and the baby was born at 1:29pm. Truly, I love birthing babies. ha.

I remember thinking the new baby looked really slimy and that he looked like all the others. "He Looks like a dugger," I said.

Jason and I really struggled to agree on a name for this baby. During the labor, we had a running list of about 8 names and we slowly began to cross them off. For several months, I prayed for this baby using the name "Hezekiah" and I would often refer to him as that in my mind. I really wanted to name him that, but Jason was never "at peace" with it but had nothing else to offer.

Finally, by 10pm on the day of his birth, we had it narrowed down to Hezekiah James or Dakota Lincoln. I was up all night with the baby... unsure what his name was, but I couldn't help but think he looks "more like a Dakota" -- I knew I would have to go through a grief process with the name Hezekiah simply because I had referred to the baby for so long under that name, but I prayed and ultimately, I wanted the name that the Lord picked out for the baby.

Dakota means "friend to all" and so I pray that our Dakota will grow up and be a friend to all so that he will be able to share Jesus with many. Giving him the name also gives him my initials, and I have my dad's initials and he has his dad's initials... so I would be able to carry on the DLD tradition. I have always loved the name Dakota since I used to babysit an incredibly cute boy by that name - he was the ring bearer in our wedding. Before we were married I always said I wanted to name my child Dakota, but over the years, I kind of moved away from that... so it was funny when Jason suggested Dakota. Lastly, and kind of silly, but Havana often asks me why her name is the only one of the Dugger children whose name is not found in the Bible. She has seen Selah, Asa, and Jonah... why not Havana? In that moment, I read to her the Great Commission and share with her that her name is "kind of" in the Bible... but it is a stretch. So, this gives us two children who have non-Biblical names rather than simply one in 5.

Lincoln comes from Abraham Lincoln... such a wonderful, God-fearing president who happens to be Jason's favorite president and a relative of mine.

Dakota is doing wonderfully... and the older children are too! I am very impressed with how well Asa has adjusted to being a big brother because I was pretty sure he was going to struggle. And Selah, well she has loved the baby since it has been in my belly. In fact, she refers to it as "my baby" and wants it to sleep with her. When she came to visit us in the hospital, she secretly packed a green ball that she thought the baby would want. I think her exact words were, "I think Baby Dakota likes balls" I was so impressed by her little heart. Havana has wanted to hold the baby often and Jonah... well, he is typical Jonah, who talks a lot about the baby, but keeps his distance as well.

I still can't get over being a mama! The Lord has truly blessed me beyond measure.

Highlands Latin

Dear Havana,

Well, you did it! You are now a Kindergartener! You began your first day of school in September 2nd! Mommy and Daddy were able to get a sitter for the other children and we walked you to your class! After we dropped you off, where you did look a little timid, we went to the chapel to wait for your opening school ceremony. You marched into bagpipes and snare drums! You were clearly very excited. 

Your teacher's name is Mrs. Driggs and you sit at a table next to Ashlin. I thought that perhaps you would be sad a little throughout the day since you have never been away from home before, but Mrs. Driggs said you had such a sweet attitude and you said that you "LOVED going to Highlands Latin" and you "can't believe you get to go back on Thursday!" 

I was so proud of you! And we chose HLS because of time you will get to spend at home. On Wednesday we completed your homework and you were also able to go to the zoo and pool with daddy! 

Thursday was another successful day at school! I dropped you off and daddy picked you up! Your first week was a success and I am so very proud of you!

 

Selah is Three

Dear Selah, 

In July, you turned three years old! I can't believe it. You asked for a Sophia the First birthday party and we gave you a My Little Pony Bike to ride since you were always jealous of Havana and Jonah's bikes. 

You are a sweet and sassy little girl. I so love your spirit and pray that God will use your unique personality to make a mark on this world. You like things your way (who doesn't) and you enjoy making people laugh. You often refer to me as, "silly goose" and your baby dolls as "my sweeties" -- you have a heart of gold. 

This year you enjoyed a vacation to Disney World where you were able to meet Cinderella, your favorite princess. You had several rounds of the stomach bug and had to endure a hard night in a hotel where mommy smashed your toe with the door. 

Your cry is heartbreaking, but it is funny. We judge how serious your injury is based on how long it takes you to let out the scream. You will open your mouth, but if you are truly hurt, it will be at least a minute before any sounds come out of your mouth. 

You love hanging out with your siblings, going to Chuck-E-Cheese, and your Sunday School class. Your teachers, Mr. Danny and Ms. Sara, just love you. It always warms my heart to see them give you special attention and make over you so much. Sara once told me, "We all love her in class. We've never seen her upset." I told her that you do get upset, but that you are still cute. ;) 

You have had a love affair with milk. We joke that you don't eat anything, but that you live off of milk alone. Your favorite color is yellow and you like to watch paw patrol, frozen, and the fresh beat band. You love to dance and learned havana's complete dance recital. We told you that you could take a class once you turned three and so we will have to look into that soon. :) 

You were part of a wednesday night program at a nearby church called "Foxter Friends" and you loved Foxter! It was certainly a highlight for you. 

I love being your mommy and I can't wait to see what God does in your life this next year. 

Sweet Prayer

I have been sick for over a week with a terrible cold. Like, I want to rip my throat out and I cough until I pee several times an hour. Anyway, tonight at dinner, Jason said a special prayer over me... and then Havana said the second prayer and thanked God for me, asked him to heal me, and said, "we love our mommy. She is our princess."

Be still my heart. Love my family!

Funny Saying

Yesterday Selah had an accident and as I was taking her pants off, she was upset and said, "pee-pees! I can't believe my eyes!" 

Don't know where she picked that phrase up but it made me giggle! 

Wedding Time!!

On June 6th, Havana, Jonah, and Selah were in a wedding!! They did so great... Selah had trouble getting down the stairs but finally scooted down on her bottom. Jonah took a round about way down the aisle, but he made it. The kids sat with me in the front row and they were awesome during the (outdoor, hot) ceremony. Havana was paying close attention and even asked, when they said their vows, if that is what daddy and I said to each other. 

After the wedding, so many people were complimentary of our kiddos and asked to take their pictures! I was so proud. They waited patiently for dinner (which was served around 9pm) and for cake (10pm). We left around 11pm and the kids were such troopers! I was so proud and loved that they got to be in a wedding!!! 

Family Time

Over the past few months we have been busy, but enjoying sweet family time at Huber's picking strawberries, spending a day a Holiday World, taking the kids to their first baseball game, and enjoying the zoo!