Surprising news out of Arkansas today, as Joy-Anna Duggar has revealed that she’s pregnant with her first child!
Joy-Anna married Austin Forsyth in May, and the couple made their big announcement in a statement issued this morning.
Joy-Anna shared the news with a clever photo that shows her holding an ice cream bowl emblazoned with the words “Eating for two!”
“We’re so happy and thankful to announce that we’re expecting a baby!” Joy-Anna tells People magazine.
“Every child is such a precious gift from God. I’m most looking forward to watching Austin as a dad and raising children together with him.”
While it’s customary for Duggar women to get pregnant soon after getting married, many believed that Joy-Anna and Austin would wait longer than her older sisters did.
Joy-Anna is only 19, and the couple’s jet-setting European honeymoon prompted reports that she and Austin planned to travel extensively and possibly perform missionary work abroad before starting a family.
Adding to the surprise is the fact that a new season of the Duggars’ reality show, Counting On, premieres on September 11.
Pregnancy announcements equal big ratings for the Duggars, but it seems Joy-Anna and Austin simply couldn’t keep their excitement to themselves.
In an interview with People, Joy-Anna stated that she’s been looking forward to motherhood since she was a child herself.
“I have a lot of good memories of my mom teaching us and the quality time we spent together, and I’m really looking forward to doing that with my own children. It’s such an amazing thing to be a parent and raise children,” she tells the outlet.
As for Austin, he says he’s eager not only for the joys of fatherhood, but also for the privilege of supporting Joy-Anna during her pregnancy.
“I’m really looking forward to the journey of this pregnancy and all the different stages it will bring,” he says.
“It’s really exciting and I feel so blessed to be a dad! We are beyond thankful!”
Asked how large of a family they’d like to have, Joy-Anna and Austin tell People that there’s a chance they’ll follow in her parents’ footsteps and raise a massive brood of their own:
“We want as many as the Lord thinks we can handle,” Joy-Anna says.
“And we are putting it into his hands.”
No word on how far along Joy-Anna is or when she’s due, but we’ll keep you posted as that information becomes available.
Our heartfelt congratulations go out to Joy-Anna and Austin on their joyous news.
As always, you can watch Counting On online to relive the young couple’s romantic adventure together.
