My name is Nadine Rivers. I live in Bethel, Alaska, with my husband, Harold, and our eight children. All of our children are adopted; all but one have special needs.
Our children are named Aqsamirq (12), Martha (10), Yennedi (9), Koda (7), Sitka (6), Simik (5), Jasmine (4), and the baby of the family, two-year-old Igri.
They are the lights of our lives; if it weren't for the Great Spirit and his goodness to us, we wouldn't have the family we have today. Our children came to us because nobody else wanted them. They were either "too old", or were born with problems that their families couldn't cope with.
We are Inuk. Y'upik Eskimo, for a lack of a better term. We are very proud of our Inuk/Inuit heritage; we want our children to be proud of who they are too, so we are teaching them the old ways of our ancestors.
Our children, as I mentioned, are disabled. Aqsamirq, Martha, and Yennedi have Down syndrome: they are mentally slow and need help in their learning. They go to a special school for retarded children and have come a long way. Koda is deaf/mute; he wears hearing aids and talks with his hands. Sitka is blind; she is learning to get around, thanks to a guide dog we got from the local Lion's Club. Simik has autism and doesn't talk; he has problems relating to people. He goes to the same school that Aq, Martha, and Yen do. Jasmine cannot walk because she was born with part of her brain missing. She needs a lot of care. And the baby, Igri, he is "developmentally delayed"; he gets therapy, thanks to the local Easter Seals organization.
The children have brought much value and joy to our lives. The more able-bodied ones help out with the chores and with the dogs, and help in caring for Igri, Jasmine, Sitka, and Simik. They are very good with their brothers and sisters. We are most proud of them.
I stay at home with the children. Harold works at a factory six days a week. He's only home on Sunday. He works hard, so I let him sleep in until noon on his day off, which he appreciates! That is, if the kids don't wake him up first.
If I feel overwhelmed with the kids, Mother comes over; she lives across the street from us. Mother and the kids adore each other, and she is a great blessing.
We live in an area of Alaska that's fairly cold most of the year: snow stays on the ground from September to May. During the winter, we don't see the sun shine for weeks. In summer, the sun doesn't set except for a few hours, and that's barely. It's still light out. It is a very harsh place and takes getting used to, but I've been here all my life, so I'm used to it.
It is the Inuit way. We've always learned to adapt to the conditions. You must, in order to survive.
Some day, I hope to pass this heritage on to our children.
Well, I must go now. Igri and Simik sound like they are about to kill each other. Before there is bloodshed, I better see what's going on --
~Nadine :)
*to be continued*
