Josh and Anna Duggar Expecting Third Baby

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Josh and Anna Duggar Expecting Third Baby

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The pitter-patter of little feet may sound more like a stampede at a Duggar get-together – and this summer the volume is due to increase.

The famously fertile family of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting have another baby on the way. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's oldest child, Josh, and his wife, Anna, tell PEOPLE they are expecting their third child. They are already parents to daughter Mackynzie, 3, and son Michael, 21 months.

"It is very exciting," says Josh, 25. "It's fun for Michael and Mackynzie being so close in age and this baby will be, too. We feel very blessed and happy."

Anna, 24, had taken a pregnancy test when the family visited Asia for 19 Kids and Counting: Duggars Do Asia (premiering Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on TLC), but it was negative. "I thought for sure I was pregnant and so I was a little disappointed," she says. "But two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant."

After confirming the pregnancy and telling Josh, Anna and Duggar cousin Amy planned a family meal with baby carrots, baby corn and tiny cherry tomatoes to break the news to everyone else.

"Josh and Anna are great parents," says Jim Bob, 47. "It is neat to see their family expanding. I remember those days when Michelle and I went from one to three because we had Josh and then we had twins. It is a great start."
Feeling Great
About six months into her pregnancy, Anna says she's feeling great.

"I got sick overseas and then when I returned home, I was then into the morning sickness," she says. "But now, I have more energy than I ever had before."

Josh says that after his parents' miscarriage in 2011 and the pain of losing the baby girl they named Jubilee, he hoped for a happy outcome for this pregnancy.

"With my mom's last pregnancy there are questions and the fear of every expectant parent that this could end," says Josh. He and Anna have also went through their own miscarriage in 2010. "There is always some sort of risk with pregnancy and you never really know."

Anna says that the losses have made her remember to be grateful for each day.

"We have learned to cherish each day," she says. "Jubilee has affected our lives, and every child is so special regardless of how long their life is."
Another M?
With two names starting with M in their family, will Josh and Anna continue the naming tradition?

"We've been throwing around name ideas and we are pretty certain we have it down to two," Josh says. "We will have to see."

As for the gender of the baby, the couple knows but is not sharing – for now. Until then, the whole Duggar clan is getting involved. Josh's sister, Jill, 21, is a student midwife and has been assisting the couple and will be on-hand for their birth at an area birthing center.

Meanwhile, Jim Bob and Michelle, 46, are preparing to be grandparents again. "Being a grandpa is really special because Josh and Anna live only eight miles away and our kids and their kids almost consider themselves brothers and sisters," he says. "They love playing together."

Posted 3/11/13 9:20 AM