The “Counting On” Duggar family is growing. Jessa Duggar Seewald and husband Ben Seewald just announced that they are expecting their third child together.
“We are overjoyed that God has blessed us with a baby, due late this Spring!” J. Seewald said in her blog, The Seewald Family, on Jan. 9. The baby will join the Seewald’s two other sons, 3-year-old Spurgeon Elliot and 23-month-old Henry Wilberforce.
The couple, who stars on TLC’s reality show “Counting On,” was married in November 2014, according to PageSix. Their first son, Spurgeon, followed about a year later.
In July last year, J. Seewald said: “I definitely have baby fever,” after meeting her new niece Felicity, according to US Weekly. She said she and husband Ben Seewald “would be overjoyed if we were to find out we were expecting again. It would be sweet to have a baby girl.”
The only downside she could foresee about having a girl is that “we’d probably feel like we were having to start again from ground zero if we had a girl thrown in the mix!” With their two sons, for now, “it seems like we’re getting this boy thing down pat,” she told Us Weekly.
As they thought about expanding their family, the couple considered many options. “The desire to adopt or possibly foster is one that continues to weigh heavily in our hearts,” J. Seewald said at the time.
However, it seems fostering will be put on hold for a little longer as the pair are expecting again.
“From the day we found out we were expecting, we both guessed boy, and if our predictions are right then we already have a ton [of] the clothing and accessories ready to pass down!” J. Seewald wrote in her blogpost.
Parenting two boys already involves a lot of love and a little chaos at times, J. Seewald noted to US Weekly. While their son Spurgeon is “cautious and thoughtful” who loves “creating things out of play clay, building towers and car tracks,” younger brother Henry “is one of those kids who has no fear,” she said. “He’s a climber and he’s fast! We have to watch that kid like a hawk!”
The parents seem to have their hands full with the boys.
“At the same time, we would absolutely love it if we found out we were having a girl—though we’ve joked that we’d be starting from square one and might have to learn a few things,” she added in her blogpost.
B. Seewald said that while Spurgeon understands there’s a baby coming, Henry is still clueless.
“Seeing our boys meet their new sibling for the first time is something we are really looking forward to!” he said.
The father also said he understands what a third child will bring in terms of workload.
“We realize that, going from two to three kids, we’re about to switch from man-to-man to zone coverages, so we’ve definitely been taking advice from friends who are already in this stage!” he said.
No matter how much workload there might be, he said “we love being parents and are really looking forward to this new arrival!”
While the couple hasn’t revealed any possible names for their newest little one on the way, it is likely that they will choose names that hold special meaning and have a Christian connection, according to PopCulture. Spurgeon Elliot was named after Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon and Christian missionary Jim Elliot, while Henry Wilberforce got his namesake from minister and author Matthew Henry and abolitionist William Wilberforce.
“Counting On” returns to TLC on Monday, Feb. 11 at 9/8c.
The “19 Kids & Counting” spinoff stars the oldest Duggar children and their new parenting and life adventures. According to Bustle.com, perhaps the reason people love to watch the Duggar family grow on TV is because the experiences documented by the shows are simple and relatable, aside from having siblings who number in the double-digits.
According to the DuggarFamily.com, the “19 Kids & Counting” began with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar who married on July 21, 1984. At the time they chose to use the birth control pill, thinking “We don’t want children right now. We can’t afford them. We want children in our timing, when we’re ready.”
Four years later they decided to have their first child. Then they went back to the pill. However, this time, Michelle Duggar miscarried. When they spoke to a Christian medical doctor, they learned to read the fine print in the contraceptive package—while taking the pill you can get pregnant and then miscarry. They were devastated. As Christians, they were pro-life. They realized their selfish actions had taken the life of their child.
From then on they never used birth control, and 19 children later, they became reality TV stars.
