Photo: Courtesy Jessa Seewald via Instagram
The Duggar family is just getting bigger! Just a few months after the exciting news broke of another Duggar wedding in the works, former 19 Kids and Counting star Jessa (Duggar) Seewald and her husband Ben Seewald have their own happy news to break — they’re expecting their second child!
“We are overjoyed to announce that Spurgeon has a new title in life as ‘big brother!'” the stars of the TLC spin-off Counting On, who are parents to 9-month-old Spurgeon Elliot, told People. “We are so thankful that God is adding to our family.”
The couple added that “2017 is shaping up to be a wonderful year already, and we know Spurgeon will do a great job in his new role. Having Spurgeon has been such a wonderful blessing, and we cannot wait to see the face of this sweet new baby (or babies!).”
Jessa, 23, who married Ben, 21, in a televised religious wedding in November 2014, is one of 19 children from the TLC-famous Duggar family. Every child in the controversial clan has a name that begins with the letter “J”, so when the Seewalds announced the unique name of their baby boy back in November, we were slightly shocked that it wasn’t in line with the family’s tradition. The origin of Spurgeon Elliot’s name comes from a British Baptist who was considered the best-known preacher in England, Charles Spurgeon. “One guy that has really impacted my life is a great preacher of the past, Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” Ben revealed to People at the time. Jessa added that the couple wanted to choose a “strong name, with a lot of meaning,” that favored, “heroes from the Christian faith.”
See more: WATCH: Get a Glimpse of Jessa Duggar in Her Wedding Dress Moments Before She Walked Down the Aisle!
The finalization of Baby Seewald’s exclusive title, came after a whirlwind pregnancy — and the result of being a two-day labor — having taken over 100,000 suggestions from eager fans on ideas for the name of the newest Duggar grandchild. Shortly after Baby Seewald’s birth, the new parents revealed that they were already thinking about baby number two but “would love it if [their] next baby is adopted,” a source told People. “When I was in labor, I told Ben, ‘Babe we are not having any more kids after this,'” Jessa confessed, only to laugh about the “teasing” later saying, “we will have more kids. But in that moment of pain, I believed it!”
And Jessa’s not the only Duggar who’s basking in the “new mom” glow. Jill Dillard, Jessa’s older sister, gave birth to a baby boy, Israel David Dillard in April 2015, after marrying husband, Derick Dillard, in an on-air “Duggar I Do!” special the previous year.
In a sneak peek video of Counting On‘s second season, we learned that, not so surprisingly, Jessa and Ben won’t be the only Duggars looking to expand the family this year. At one point in the series, Derick tells Jill that he’s set on “trying to have another baby before next year.” Twin pregnancies for these two sisters? It’s always a possibility with the Duggars!
And, of course, that’s not the only exciting news for this ever-growing family! Daughter Jinger Duggar is set to wed soccer player Jeremy Vuolo after only a one-month-long official courtship. Jinger, 22, announced that she was being courted — the Duggar family-approved form of dating that consists of no sex, no kissing, chaperoned dates, and side-hugs only — by Vuolo earlier this summer after meeting the pro athlete in May 2015 and attending a mission trip together. The bride-to-be shared the celebratory news that her beau popped the question in July, stating, “I cannot believe that I’m engaged to the man of my dreams, the man that I’ve asked God for. God is so kind and I just cannot believe it!” But can her parents? After all, they’ve only been courting for a month. Was that enough time for Jim Bob to get to know his future son-in-law during those chaperoned dates?
See More: The 4 Most Tearjerking Moments from Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald’s Wedding