American couple and reality TV stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are expecting their 19th child together in Spring 2010.

“We are so thrilled,” says Michelle, 42. “We just couldn’t believe it is happening.”

Jim Bob agrees: “This never gets old. We are so grateful for each child. We are looking forward to our first grand baby and our 19th child.”

The pair’s oldest son Joshua, 21 and his wife Anna are expecting daughter Mackynzie Renée next month, so she will be older than her new aunt or uncle.

“I think it is going to be awesome, it is going to be great,” says Josh about the news that his parents are expecting. “We have been looking forward to the arrival of my little girl and to now get to celebrate for my parents, it’s a wonderful thing.”

“I love all of this, it is so fun,” says Michelle. “Anna and I will have babies five months apart. My mother and my sister were pregnant at the same time and it was really wonderful. The kids were really close and still are. I have a nephew who grew up with me, we’re just three months apart.”

The Duggars live in in a house that they built themselves with their kids, all whose names begin with J: after Josh there are 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.

To read why the 19th time was a lovely shocking surprise pregnancy for Michelle click

Despite being pregnant 18 times before, Michelle says this pregnancy came as a shock, although her daughters wondered why she was eating more pickles than usual.

“I was wanting pickles and the older girls were saying, ‘Mom, you only crave these at the very beginning of being pregnant, You kept it from us before, now tell us. Are you?'” Michelle says. “And I kept telling them I wasn’t. I just wanted some pickles.”

But when she couldn’t lose weight on her diet, she did start to wonder.

“I was in Weight Watchers with Jim Bob and I wasn’t losing any weight. I couldn’t figure it out. I was doing what I should. And the baby, who was nursing, was fussy. I kept thinking, ‘This isn’t right. She isn’t teething, she doesn’t have an ear infection. I’m not cheating on my diet, I should be losing weight.’ Then, I put two and two together and wondered if I could possibly be pregnant.”

She took out one of two tests she had in the house and it was immediately positive.

“I told Jim Bob and he couldn’t keep it in, he was so excited.  The kids were outside playing on a water slide and he gathered them together and had to share the news. There was all this screaming and yelling.”

Michelle says that since she was 36 years old, her doctor has given her and Jim Bob pamphlets about prenatal testing since there is an increase of risk of health problems in babies with older mothers. But, she says they don’t worry about those risks and don’t take the tests.

“We know what could happen. We read through the information. If the Lord chooses to give us challenges along the way, we know His grace will be there, so we don’t opt to do the testing.”

She says she’s just glad for every day that she gets to enjoy being with her kids, even as she endures a 19th round of morning sickness.

“I’m feeling nauseous right now and I’m tired. I am happy for the feelings of morning sickness and I’m happy for every day I get to play with my kids. We don’t know what tomorrow holds and so I try to enjoy every moment.”

The Duggar’s TV series 18 kids and Counting is aired on Tuesday nights on TLC

Article: People, photo by: Beth Hall/AP