Josh and Anna Welcome Baby #6

Maryella Hope Duggar

Another day, another Duggar baby! Well, not quite, but it sure feels that way. Josh and Anna Duggar welcomed Maryella Hope Duggar today at 9:12am. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and measured 20.5 inches long. She fits right in with her five older siblings, both in appearance and size.

Marcus Anthony Duggar: 9 lbs, 3 oz (21 inches long)
Mason Garrett Duggar: 9 lbs, 1 oz (22 inches long)
Michael James Duggar: 8 lbs, 5 oz (21 inches long)
Mackynzie Renee Duggar: 8 lbs (19.5 inches long)
Meredith Grace Duggar: 7 lbs, 14 oz (20.5 inches long)

Photo courtesy duggarfamily.com

'Marriage Bootcamp' Recap

Counting On "Marriage Bootcamp"

• Five of the married Duggar couples (the Seewalds, the Forsyths, John and Abbie, Joe and Kendra, and Josiah and Lauren) embark on a marriage retreat at a lake house. The retreat was coordinated by Jim Bob and Michelle and is being led by Pastor Caldwell (Kendra’s dad and the Duggars’ pastor).
• “I think it’s so important for each one of our kids to have a strong marriage,” says Jim Bob. “And when they have a strong marriage, that makes a strong family, and it makes our whole extended family stronger.” Spurgeon and Henry stay home with Jim Bob and Michelle, but Gideon and Garrett come along and are babysat by Lauren and Kendra’s younger sisters.
• “I am hoping to learn a lot, just in every aspect in our marriage, because I need a lot of work,” says Joy. Austin says that he wants to get their marriage “off of autopilot and start actively investing into it.”
• The first topic is communication. “Something I have to do is close my mouth so [Ben] can actually talk,” says Jessa. “I’ve learned that when he does talk, I will try to guess what he’s saying and try to say it for him.” “I realize that’s one of the most frustrating things,” says Ben. “You have to give the other person the opportunity to explain themselves…”
• Most of the women, like Kendra and Jessa, say that they talk more than their husbands, but Josiah admits that he often talks more than Lauren.   
• Later, Pastor Paul takes the couples outside for a challenge involving walkie-talkies, blindfolds, and boats. It was not intended to turn into a race, but rather to be an exercise in communication, but with the Duggars, it quickly becomes competitive. The guys each get into an inflatable boat and have to fetch a duck decoy while blindfolded. Their wives give them instructions via walkie-talkies. 
• Josiah wins the competition because Lauren makes it sound like someone is right on his heels. Jessa admits that she struggles with directions and keeps telling Ben to turn the wrong way. Austin ditches the paddles and uses his arms. He finds that easier.
• The next topic is compromise. “I grew up very structured,” says Abbie. “My mom had a schedule. John-Boy grew up, more fly by the seat of your pants, so trying to combine those two [has] been a little challenging for us.”
• “I think when you don’t compromise, it causes…tension,” says Kendra.
• The challenge for this topic is working together to build a nest that will hold marbles. “Sometimes it’s a little hard to do a project together,” says Lauren. “We’re both pretty stubborn.” Lauren says she knows that Josiah’s idea won’t work, but she decides to let him figure it out on his own rather than nag him. Lauren ends up laying down on the couch because she has a headache.
• “We work together pretty well, and we’re always willing to listen to each other’s ideas,” says Joy. “What helps me is the fact that I trust her,” says Austin. “I know I can compromise to somebody that I trust. And I know that she does have good ideas, and she does have good plans, and if I’ll listen to her, it’ll work out.”
• Jessa and Ben start off doing their own thing, which, they say, is what they often do in life. “Thankfully we were able to merge our ideas, and it actually turned out really good,” says Ben.
• On the last morning of the retreat, Lauren stays in bed because she is feeling tired and nauseous. The couples rewrite their wedding vows to show their commitment to each other. Then they stand up in front of everyone and recite them. Pastor Caldwell even has a veil, flowers, and candles. “For some reason, I was pretty giddy and nervous the second time around,” says Abbie.
• “For me it wasn’t quite as emotional as our wedding day,” says Joseph. “There’s definitely emotion in it, I just wasn’t bawling.” Kendra says it was more emotional for her to hear Joseph recite his vows the second time than it was on their wedding day. Josiah videos his vows to show to Lauren later. He even kisses the phone screen.
• “I’m very grateful that my parents set this up to where we could all come out here and have this little marriage retreat together,” says John-David.
• In Laredo, Jinger and Jeremy are preparing for their moving sale. “I’m looking forward to being a little more minimalistic in LA,” says Jeremy, who has been more sentimental in the past. 
• On the morning of the sale, Jeremy gets up at 6:30 to put the sign up. At 7:00, the Vuolos open their garage door, and people start pouring in. “One woman almost jumped out of her moving car,” says Jeremy. “They are expert garage shoppers. I almost got caught up in it.”
• Some of the shoppers don’t speak English, so the Vuolos’ bilingual friend comes over to help translate.
• The Duggars all agree that Jim Bob is the best negotiator. “He can sell ice to an Eskimo,” says Jedidiah. “I’m the worst negotiator,” says Jeremy. “I don’t have negotiating skills. I have not attended Jim Bob’s school of negotiating, that’s for sure.” He lets cans of paint go for $15, and Jinger tells him that he should have asked double. The Vuolos end up making $379.

Meet Baby Bella Duggar

Josiah Duggar, Lauren Duggar, Bella Duggar

Josiah Duggar: "I think one of the most exciting things about having a daughter is you can shop for her. There's so many different shades of pink. I had no idea."

Lauren Duggar: "I actually think he's has had more fun dressing her than I have."

A few days ago, we shared the link to Joe and Kendra's newborn photo shoot with Addison Duggar, as well as the link to the first video featuring Addison. Now, it's time to introduce the world to Josiah and Lauren Duggar's sweet baby, Bella Milagro Duggar. In the video (link below), the parents show off their little blessing, share the meaning behind her name, and talk about live as parents.

Bella's Introduction Video
Bella's Newborn Shoot 

Photo courtesy TLC

Addison Duggar's Birth Special

Joseph Duggar, Kendra Duggar, Addison Duggar

Addison Duggar is only three weeks old, and her birth special has already been released. You can watch it on the TLC website (links below--each part is just 10 minutes). We have also posted a brief recap, but we still encourage you to tune in.

Joe and Kendra's Baby Girl Part 1
Joe and Kendra's Baby Girl Part 2

Recap

• Kendra is at home timing her contractions. After taking some castor oil, they are about four minutes apart, so she packs for the hospital. She says that the pain is still very manageable.
• Joe and Kendra drop Garrett off at the Caldwell home. They head to the hospital at 1am, and Kendra’s water breaks after she spends some time walking. Kendra’s sister Lauren and mom, Christina, join the couple at the hospital to help.
• At 5:20am, Kendra has been in active labor for about an hour. When she is ready to push, she is instructed to wait for her doctor, who is delivering another baby. Addison Renee Duggar arrives at 5:33am, weighing 7 lbs 12 oz and measuring 20.5 inches.
• Michelle arrives to meet the new addition. Kendra’s dad comes later with Garrett, as does Jim Bob. 

Photo courtesy TLC

Jessa and Ivy

Ivy Seewald is six months old today! We think she is a perfect mix between Duggar and Seewald, and she definitely has Jessa's eyes. For those wondering, Spurgeon Seewald and Henry Seewald are 15 months and one day apart, while Henry is two years and almost four months older than Ivy.

Jessa Seewald and Ivy Seewald

Photo courtesy theseewaldfamily.com

Josie Loses a Tooth

Jim Bob Duggar and Josie Duggar

"So after we offered Josie a dollar to help her get her tooth out, then Jenni came up and said, 'Hey I just lost a tooth yesterday.' So then I gave her a dollar. And then it looked like Jordyn was over there working on a few of her teeth trying to wiggle them out. I'm not even sure it they're supposed to be coming out."
-Jim Bob Duggar

Josie Duggar is approaching her 10th birthday, which means that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar will soon have no children left with ages in the single digits. In honor of her upcoming birthday, we thought we would share this new video featuring the youngest Duggar child. With help from her parents and moral support from her siblings, Josie is determined to pull one of her baby teeth out.

Photo/video courtesy TLC

7, Soon to Be 8

Josh Duggar, Anna Duggar, Marcus Duggar (2013), Mackynzie Duggar (2009)

Michael Duggar (2011), Meredith Duggar (2015), Mason Duggar (2017)

The first two November Duggar babies have already arrived. Joseph and Kendra Duggar welcomed Addison Duggar on November 2nd, and Josiah and Lauren Duggar met Bella Duggar on November 8th. Anna Duggar is due with the final November baby next week. This photo could very well be the last picture that Josh and Anna Duggar take with their kiddos before the new addition joins the clan. It was taken yesterday at Silver Dollar City.

Photo courtesy duggarfamily.com

'Baby Number Two...But Who?' Recap

Counting On "Baby Number Two...But Who?"

• In Laredo, Jeremy sets up a canvas and paint on the porch and lets Felicity go wild to create a Mother’s Day gift for Jinger. Felicity gets paint all over herself, even on her mouth. “This is the newest things in modern art,” says Jeremy. “It’s called body art.”
• Meanwhile, a speech pathologist friend stops by the Seewalds’ house to evaluate Henry’s speech. “There are definitely times where I just think, ‘Am I doing something wrong as a mom?’” admits Jessa.
• “…I’m thankful there’s experts,” says Jim Bob. “And they can help us get through those challenges and be able to help our children thrive,” adds Michelle.
• Henry is two years old and only has a few words. “I would say, when Henry can’t express what he wants and he just screams, in hopes that we will realize what he wants, that can really be draining to us as parents,” says Ben. “That’s a time when maybe you have to go in the other room, step out of the room for a minute, pray for patience. It’s easier said than done sometimes, but that’s what we shoot for.”
• The speech pathologist determines that Henry is in the sixth percentile with his speech. She recommends that they wait another four to six weeks to see how many words Henry picks up.
• Before the Vuolos make their big move to Los Angeles, Joseph, Kendra, and Garrett travel to Laredo for a visit for the first time. The goal is to get the house ready to put on the market. The guys do some small repairs, while the ladies organize and set aside items to sell or donate.
• Out of the married Duggars, which ones are packrats, and which ones like to let things go?
• Michelle: “I like to let things go. It gives me energy to let things go.”
• Jim Bob: “I enjoy hanging onto things and collecting them. I’m a collector.”
• Joseph: “I like to accumulate. I’m not hoarding. I’m just accumulating.”
• Josiah: “Lauren is a minimalist. I’m very much like, ‘There’s space, let’s fill it.’”
• Kendra, who is pregnant with her second child, asks Jinger if she and Jeremy are planning to have another child. Jinger says that she gets that question a lot from the Duggars. “Definitely in any other family, if someone asks you, ‘Are you expecting?’ it could be taken as offensive…but in our family, it’s just a given,” says Jinger.
• As a thank you, the Vuolos take Joe and Kendra and Garrett to Border Foundry, their favorite restaurant. Everyone dresses up for the occasion. “As a mom…I’m always worried that [Garrett] is going to disrupt the peace,” says Kendra.
• Neither the Duggars nor the Caldwells have much experience eating at fancy restaurants. “I thought fine dining was, instead of going through the drive-thru, you go inside,” says Jeremiah. “That’s fine, right there,” agrees Jedidiah.
• The owner has a waiter bring out appetizers on the house. Everyone enjoys the fried frog legs, knowing what they are. Next, the couples eat grasshopper without knowing what it is. It isn’t too bad, but none of them are eager to eat it again.
• At the Duggar home, the younger kids are taking on new chores as the older ones are away from the home at their respective jobs. “It feels more busy, and sometimes chaotic, getting more responsibilities,” says Johannah.
• The Duggars have a few cows, as well as ducks, chickens, rabbits, cats, and dogs. One of the Duggars’ cows had a calf, named Paco. Sadly, the mother cow passed away. As a homeschool project, Michelle and Anna, who recently told the family that she is pregnant, show the kids how to care for Paco.
• Later, it’s family night at the Duggar house. After dinner, everyone sits down to paint while watching a tutorial by Clive5Art. In the middle of the painting class, Joy and Austin put their pregnancy announcement picture up on the screen. It takes a few moments for people to see it. “My dad did not look at the screen right away because he wasn’t even following the instructions,” says Joy. “He was just painting whatever he wanted.” As always, the family is excited.