Duggar Digest: Jessa Duggar shows off engagement ring, parents do the Ice Bucket Challenge and Jill Dillard displays baby bump
I know we talk about the Duggars a lot around here… But, the thing is, the interest is there: Last week’s season premiere episode of 19 Kids and Counting set a series record with 3.29 million viewers and was the No. 3 program on television for the night. In comparison, the season finale of Keeping Up With the Kardashians pulled 2.85 million viewers.
That being said, there is a lot going on with the Duggars right now. From Jill Dillard’s pregnancy to Jessa Duggar’s engagement to everything going on with the other 17 siblings, it’s almost too much to keep up with. So, in an effort to avoid complete Duggar overload, we thought it would be fun to try out a weekly digest. (Big developments will still earn individual posts.)
Jessa Duggar shows off engagement ring, talks wedding plans
With less than two months to go until 19 Kids and Counting‘s Jessa and Ben Seewald tie the knot, the bride-to-be seems right on track with planning.
“We have the bridal party picked and the colors are done,” Jessa, 21, told People this week. “The bridesmaids dresses are selected.”
Even more essentially, Jessa just said “yes” to the dress.
“I picked out my wedding dress a couple of days ago. I went with the second dress I tried on – I love it,” she said. (I bet the Duggar ladies returned to Ava Laurénne Bride and that Jessa will likely have her dress altered for added modesty, just like Jill Dillard did.)
No doubt the gown will look great paired with Jessa’s engagement ring, which features a .75-carat diamond and 18-karat gold band.
The young couple previously revealed they plan to reuse some of Jill and Derick Dillard’s wedding decorations so they can apply the saved money to a honeymoon. Ben told People they are applying a similarly laid-back approach to wedding planning in general.
“When you’re planning a wedding, you can make it complicated or make it simple, and we are trying to make ours simple,” said Ben, 19. There are some things that have to be done right before the wedding, but for the most part, we’re ready.”
The Duggar family officially joins Facebook
Although the Duggar family still swears off most secular forms of entertainment, they are coming around with social media: In addition to active Twitter and Instagram pages, they now have a Facebook fan page. They marked the occasion by participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge. (Jim Bob and Michelle noted they were donating to the University of Kansas’ Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, which does non-embryonic research.)
Jill Dillard displays 11-week baby bump
Expectant mother Jill marked 11 weeks (and two days!) of pregnancy by showing off her growing baby bump on the family’s Facebook page. Someone — presumably Michelle Duggar — said of the picture, “We thought you might enjoy keeping up with this sweet new development in our family. We are so happy about this new baby. Life is a beautiful thing. This little one of ours now has hair follicles, shaped ears, distinct digits and has now begun to yawn and is about the size of a lime! Amazing!”
Watch the Duggar family in action on a new episode of 19 Kids and Counting, airing on TLC tonight at 9/8c.
