The Duggar Family Gossip

Tragically, there are countless babies born every day to absentee or unfit parents, and without the proper support system in place to ensure a happy childhood.

Mackynzie Renee Duggar would not be one of those babies.

She's not only the first grandchild of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, of TLC's 18 Kids and Counting fame, but she already has 17 aunts and uncles!

Oh, and she'll be older than her newest aunt or uncle who's on the way, as Jim Bob and Michelle are expecting their 19th child in spring of 2010.

Mackynzie was born at the home of her parents, Joshua (the Duggars' oldest) and his wife Anna, who, according to a friend, "are both so happy."

Josh has been front and center in his wife's first pregnancy – telling her the news that she was pregnant after she was too nervous to look at her own pregnancy test, and reading and singing to his daughter even before she was born.

"I ask Anna what she needs," Josh said.

"I talk to the baby and we involve her in our conversations. When Anna and I are talking to each other, we'll say, 'So, how do you like that, Mackynzie?'"

Although Mackynzie is his first child, Josh knows all about raising babies.

He helped out with younger siblings Jana and John-David, 19; Jill, 18; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 15; Joseph, 14; Josiah, 13; Joy-Anna, 11; twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah, 10; Jason, 9; James, 8; Justin, 6; Jackson, 5; Johanna, 3; Jennifer, 2 and Jordyn-Grace, 1.

The newest Duggar's name came, you may have noticed, is a departure from the family tradition of starting them all with J. But the couple is not necessarily committing at this time to "M" being the letter to begin all their children's names.

Mackynzie Duggar's birth will be featured on TLC's 18 Kids and Counting special, cleverly titled First Grandduggar, airing Tuesday, October 13 at 9 p.m.

Talk about a refreshing break from Jon Gosselin news, right?

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, creators of 18 kids and stars of 18 Kids and Counting on TLC, i.e. the Weird People Reality Show Cannel, really are good parents.

At least according to the National Parents' Day Council, which named the Duggars its 2009 National Parents of the Year. Congrats to the Arkansas couple!

The Council assures the public that the selection was the result of the Duggars' quality parenting, not just quantity, in praising their high standards:

"Their highly organized household centers around spiritual principles and is obviously filled with huge amounts of love, grace, joy and mutual respect."

Yes, they have a reality show, but you have to give Jim Bob and Michelle credit for at least living debt free and seemingly like fairly grounded people.

Congratulations to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar!

The Duggars picked up their accolade (and counting) at Maryland's Tontitown City Hall, with their 10 boys and 8 girls in attendance for the honor-bestowal.

Their eldest is now married and expecting a baby of his own next month, and Michelle is also pregnant with their 19th child, due early next year. Yes, 19.

Jim Bob and Michelle narrowly beat out Jon Gosselin, Octomom, Dina Lohan and Kris Kardashian. Just kidding. Those peeps weren't even nominated!

What's a typical day like for Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar, plus Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johanna, Jennifer and little Jordyn-Grace?

One thing's for sure: With 18 kids and their 19th child on the way – not to mention their first grandchild coming this fall – there's always something going on with the Duggar family, stars of TLC's hit series 18 Kids and Counting.

Michelle Duggar, 42, shared their schedule in an interview:

• 7 a.m.: Everyone gets up, gets dressed and washes up for breakfast. Older children help their "buddy" – the younger child they are responsible for.
• 8 a.m.: Breakfast, followed by a "quick clean" of the house, with everyone scurrying to do their assigned chores, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar say.
• 9 a.m.: School, taught by mom, starts around the dining table. All of the children work at their own level for phonics, math, music and more.
• 12 p.m.: Lunch. Monthly budget for groceries and household items: $3,000.
• 1:30 p.m.: The youngest Duggar kids take a nap. This is also what The Hollywood Gossip interns typically do around this time. Lazy asses.

• 2 p.m.: The older children reconvene for more school. Boo.
• 4 p.m.: More studies for the older children and free time.
• 5 p.m.: Dinner, another "quick clean," and more free time.
• 8 p.m.: Snack time (woo) then group Bible study. The family also goes around the room to talk about what is going on in each child's life.
• 8:30 p.m.: Bedtimes begin.

Sounds like a nice day. It's a stark contrast with the daily routine of Jon Gosselin, who spends his time traveling the world, boozing at clubs, hitting on mediocre girls and giving contradictory interviews to celebrity gossip magazines.

The marriage of Kate and Jon Gosselin cracked under the pressure of raising many kids and changing priorities under the bright lights of low-rent reality TV.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar says they won't follow the same path.

The couple, who have 18 kids together and are expecting #19 next year, want people to understand that everlasting happiness in a marriage can survive.

No matter how many kids you have.

"One of our goals is to encourage families and parents that marriage can be strong even if they have kids," Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, 44 and 42, say.

Jim Bob, Michelle and the absolutely enormous Duggar family.

The Tontitown, Ark., couple credit a few key relationship rules:

• Make time for each other. "We have a weekly date, even if it is just to take a walk in the park," says Jim Bob. "We will go out to lunch or dinner and talk together about the kids, upcoming events, what we have coming up."
• Try not to be critical. "It is easy to think of things that are bothering you more often than things that are wonderful," Michelle says. "It's important to remember those things about your spouse and think about those things."
• Forgiveness is essential: "We asked an Amish couple who had been married 50 years what the most important thing to know was, and they told us, the most important thing to say is, 'I was wrong and will you please forgive me.'"

Jim Bob praises Michelle Duggar for her "soft response" and kind nature in raising their 18 children, and anyone who has seen the Duggars on 18 Kids and Counting (Tuesdays on TLC) knows their home is filled with praise and encouragement.

"We have purposed to compliment our children – we do that on outward beauty and what is wonderful about them inside. We do that with each other as well."

The Duggars have written a book about their experiences with raising lots of children, living debt free and home-schooling, The Duggars: 20 and Counting!

Sometimes, 18 kids is simply not enough, so Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of Tonitown, Ark., are expecting a new addition to their household this spring.

That's right, at that point they will have five more children than Nadya "Octomom" Suleman and 11 more children than Jon and Kate Gosselin. Wow.

"We are so thrilled," says Michelle, 42. "We just can't believe it is happening."

You can't, Michelle? Not after the previous 18 times you were pregnant?

Her husband, Jim Bob Duggar, 44, agrees: "I never gets old. We are so grateful for each child. We look forward to our first grand baby and 19th child."

Their first grandchild is due soon, as their oldest son Joshua, 21, is apparently getting a fast start in joining the family profession of making humans.

He and his wife are expecting a daughter next month, who will be older than her new aunt or uncle: "I think it is going to be awesome," Josh said.

THAT'S A LOTTA KIDS: The Duggar family is still growing, too.

Ridiculous as it seems to have 19 children, at least the Duggars live debt-free (cough, Octomom) in a house they built themselves with their kids.

Their names all begin with J, naturally. Yep, all 18 of them.

There's Joshua, twins Jana and John-David, 19; Jill, 18; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 15; Joseph, 14; Josiah, 13; Joy-Anna, 11; twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah, 10; Jason, 9; James, 8; Justin, 6; Jackson, 5; Johanna, 3; Jennifer, 2, and Jordyn-Grace, 8 months.

Eat your hearts out, Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian.

Like Jon and Kate Plus 8, the Duggar family's TLC series, 18 Kids and Counting, may have to be renamed in light of these recent life-changing events.