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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 13, 2007

Duggar family welcomes 17th child, plans more

By Jill Zeman
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Michelle Duggar, left, is surrounded by her children and husband, Jim Bob, third from right, while she holds her newborn daughter, Jennifer Danielle, in Rogers, Ark. Jennifer Danielle was born at 10:01 a.m. Thursday and is the 17th child born to Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar.

BETH HALL | Associated Press

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It's a girl — again — for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the proud parents of 17 children.

And after Jennifer Danielle was born Thursday morning, her parents already were talking about having more children.

"We'd love to have more," Michelle Duggar said, adding that the girls are outnumbered seven to 10 in the family. "We love the ruffles and lace."

The family's home in the northwest Arkansas town of Tontitown includes dormitory-style bedrooms for the boys and girls, nine bathrooms, a commercial kitchen, four washing machines and four dryers.

The children are home-schooled by Michelle Duggar, 40. The oldest is 19 and the youngest, before Jennifer, is almost 2 years old. The family includes two sets of twins.

"We are just so grateful to God for another gift from him," said Jim Bob Duggar, 42, a former state representative who sells real estate. "We are just so thankful to him that everything went just very well."

All of Jennifer's siblings also have names that start with J. They are: Joshua, 19; John David, 17; Janna, 17; Jill, 16; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 9; Jedidiah, 8; Jeremiah, 8; Jason 7; James 6; Justin, 4; Jackson, 3; Johannah, almost 2.

The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable's Discovery Health Network.

Among the "fun facts" listed on Discovery Health's Web page devoted to the Duggars: A baby has been born in every month except June; the family has gone through about 90,000 diapers, and Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 126 months — or 10.5 years — of her life.

ON THE NET:

Duggar family Web site: www.duggarfamily.com

Discovery Health site: http://health.discovery.com/convergence/duggars/duggarfamily.html

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