Jessa (Duggar) Seewald and husband Ben announced the arrival of their second child on Monday—and it’s a boy!
“We are so happy to announce the arrival of our sweet second son,” the happy parents wrote on The Seewalds Blog. “He was born at 4:26 a.m. this morning, weighing 8 lbs. and 11 oz., and measuring 21 3/4 in. long.” While they didn’t announce the name of the new addition to their family, they said that “Mom and baby are both doing well” and added, “We are so thankful to God for this precious new gift of life and are excited to be a family of four! Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes!”
This is the seventh grandchild of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, parents of 19 children plus a rapidly growing crowd of in-laws, which means that holidays around the Duggar family table look more like something you’d see in a Bob Evans restaurant than a normal (whatever that means) family dining room. But it kind of sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
The precious baby boy joins brother Spurgeon, the Seewald’s adorable, chubby-cheeked 14-months-old son. The family recently shared a video of the cutie playing his new favorite game:
Will the Duggars choose another preacher’s name for their new baby? Spurgeon, after all, is named for the Prince of Preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon. There are plenty of options. Perhaps they’ll go for Whitefield (George Whitefield), Moody (or Dwight, for D.L. Moody), Luther (Martin Luther, the famous Reformer), or even Washer, after Paul Washer, a modern-day Jonathan Edwards (ok, Washer would be a weird name for a baby…but Ben Seewald did share a video by Paul Washer on his Facebook page recently, so you never know!) There are just so many tantalizing choices!
Last fall Jessa answered some questions about parenting and her hopes for Baby No. 2 on the Duggar Family Blog. On the one trait she hopes her children will inherit from Ben, Jessa wrote:
I hope that our kids will inherit Ben’s love for people and his compassionate heart. His heart truly aches when he sees people going through a difficult time, and he hurts with the hurting. He is especially alert and attentive to the emotions of others. Often times, he’s calling people on the phone or writing notes of encouragement and support to those in need. His love for people is so deep and genuine. He desires to share the hope of Christ with those who are lost. He draws inspiration from studying the Bible, and he has the heart of an evangelist. His heroes are men like Charles Spurgeon and Paul Washer, and he is constantly reading books and listening to sermons. His passion for the Gospel is so inspiring, and he continually motivates me to draw closer to Christ!
When asked about a parent’s most important role she listed three things that she’s seen in her own parents’ lives.
First off, their love for God. It was and is so evident by the way they live! God is their rock in hard times. They seek wisdom through His Word (the Bible) and prayer before making any big decisions. They pray for each one of us kids by name, daily. We attended church together on Sundays, and we would study the Bible together as a family most every evening. These times are a precious memory for me!
Secondly, their love for one other. They have been such a wonderful example to me of what a godly, Christian couple should look like! Like every couple, I know that there are times when they have disagreements, but they calmly talk through things in private—and not in front of the kids. We never had insecurities of wondering if they loved each other, and I never remember seeing them fight or argue. When we were young, Grandma would often babysit us on Thursday evenings so they could keep a weekly date night. Even through times when finances have been tight, they would go out and do something together– even if it was swinging through a drive-thru for a 0.99 cent ice cream cone and then taking an evening stroll in the park—they would make sure they had that time to communicate and catch up.
The third important item that Jessa noted was how her parents pursued the hearts of their children. She said they were very purposeful about it and she felt like her parents knew her better than anyone else, that they cared deeply about her, and they would always be there for her, all of which gave her confidence as a young person. To say that’s quite an accomplishments for parents who had to spread their time and energy amongst 19 children is an understatement!
We wish Ben, Jessa, Spurgeon, and their new little one (we’re hoping for Luther!) all the best!
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