| Connor, Juliana's son, is the first great-grandbaby of his family. |
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| The family lives in Cibecue, a community in the White Mountain Apache tribe. |
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| Juliana appreciated the items provided in the Cradle Club basket. |
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| Connor’s uncle lovingly held his small nephew’s hand. |
Juliana recently delivered her son, Connor — the first great-grandbaby of the family.
We met with Juliana and Connor, along with Juliana’s siblings, and Connor’s very, very proud grandmother, Neva. The family lives in Cibecue, a community in the White Mountain Apache tribe. Connor is 3 months old and weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces when he was born.
Connor is growing quickly and is the first great-grandchild, representing four, proud generations of his family. His great-grandmother teaches Arts and Crafts at the community school. She wasn’t available for the visit, because she was responsible for educating and supervising other children in the community while we visited.
It was almost as complicated to slow Juliana down to talk with her about being a new mother and receiving her new baby basket from the Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC) Program. As a new, young mother, Juliana appreciated the items provided in the Cradle Club basket that welcomes babies to their communities, families, and hearts. Grandma Neva estimates that a case of diapers will take them through the month for now. Baby formula is another difficult expense. One can of formula can cost $15.00 at a discount store in one of the larger cities, but jumps to $27.00 a can, if they decide that the 100-mile round trip is not worth the savings.
None of this seems to deter Juliana from her goal of attending college at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. She is quiet, but attentive to her son and siblings. As the afternoon progressed, she started to become anxious. She was going to be late for track practice, so we had to wrap up the visit quickly! She is a thrower mostly — discus and shot put, but she also runs the relays.
Juliana is able to share with us in the most brief and simple terms what it means to graduate high school, saying she looked forward to ”not having to wake up early.” Her biggest challenge is trying to get some sleep, which is very common for a new mother. Connor’s father watches him while Juliana finishes her secondary education — again supporting one another to achieve goals for the next generation.
We were privileged to witness the shared love the family has for one another during our brief visit. We fondly remembered the special bond between Connor and his young uncle. Connor’s uncle lovingly held his small nephew’s hand while his mother rocked him softly to sleep. Meanwhile, Grandma Neva softly talked about the love they have for their first great-grandchild.
It was crystal clear that everyone’s focus was on their family. Connor was surrounded by love in so many precious ways.
Thank you for making this service possible!
