And YOU?

To announce the gender of baby #2, Josh and Anna decided that Michelle would be the only one to find out the sex at the ultrasound. She kept it a secret for an entire week, while making arrangements for a pilot to write the gender symbol in the sky with smoke. When the big day arrived, the entire family gathered in the yard and eagerly watched the airplane.

We would love to hear what creative ways have you have used to announce the gender of your baby, or other exciting news, to family and friends! Go ahead and share your experiences and thoughts in the comments section.

"Duggars Deliver" Recap

On tonight's episode of "19 Kids and Counting" Duggars Deliver...

• Jackson and Johannah admitted that sorting clothes with Mommy is fun. Michelle knows the importance of making household chores enjoyable, especially for the little ones. 
• Michelle and several of the kids helped Jordyn search for her missing shoe, an event that occurs almost everyday in the Duggar home. "Jordyn loves shoes," explained Michelle. "She will find shoes anywhere... and she'll take one."
  
• Later on, Grandma Duggar, Michelle, Josh, Anna, and Mackynzie headed over to What's Kickin, a family-friendly ultrasound studio. While Josh and Anna kept their eyes shut, the technician snapped a photo of the their unborn child, labeled it with the baby's gender, and handed it to over to Grandma Michelle, who was grinning from ear to ear.
  
• Meanwhile, Jessa and Jinger baked cookies and cheesecake and took some of the little ones along to deliver the treats to local police and fire departments. The Duggar started this annual tradition to show appreciation to the men and women who serve their community.
  
• After keeping the gender of Grand-Duggar #2 a secret for an entire week, it was finally time for Michelle to announce it to the family. "It was really hard for me to keep the secret, especially from Jim Bob," the mom of 19 told TLC. Yep, you heard that right. As much as Jim Bob begged and pleaded, Michelle stood her ground and refused to spill the beans to him or anyone else. The camera crew took a poll, and it turned out that most of the family, including Anna, predicted that the baby would be a boy.
  
• When the big moment arrived, everyone gathered in the yard and looked up as a pilot wrote the gender symbol in the sky with smoke. The results? IT'S A BOY!

How often have you been right in predicting the gender of your baby, or of someone else's?

"GrandDuggar First Birthday" Recap

On tonight's episode of 19 Kids and Counting, "GrandDuggar First Birthday"...

• Josh and Anna took Mackynzie to Florida to visit Anna's family, where Mackynzie took her first steps! They spend a day at the beach, and Josh learned to surf from Bill the soundman. He swallowed enough water to fill a fish tank but had a blast. Mackynzie's highlight of the day was eating sand. Mmmmm, tasty!
• Josh and Anna went with Anna's dad, a volunteer chaplain, to minister to a group of women in prison. Anna, who grew up helping out in her father's ministry, has learned the importance of being real and sincere. She told the ladies about the pain of her recent miscarriage. What carried her through was remembering to give thanks to God in all circumstances.
• Anna threw a huge party for Johannah and Mackynzie's birthdays, which are three days apart. The theme was Noah's Ark, and guess who was given the task of making a Noah's Ark shaped cake? Cousin Amy! Desperate, she called on Jinger for help. Both girls rarely cook, and although the Duggars have celebrated 284 birthdays, neither of them had ever baked a cake. But what looked like a disaster soon turned into a magnificent work of art. With the added touch of a colorful backdrop, courtesy of the boys, this was the best Noah's Ark cake I have ever seen.
• All the kids put on animal costumes, and the party began. "I was talking with Mackynzie a little bit ago," announced proud father Josh, "and she told me this is her best birthday she's ever had."
• But this won't be Josh and Anna's last time celebrating a first birthday, because they are expecting another child! How did the rest of the Duggar clan take the news? Some were speechless, others knew the announcement would come sooner or later, but all were thrilled, especially Grandpa Jim Bob and Grandma Michelle.

When was the last time your family celebrated a first birthday? 

Special "19 Kids and Counting!" Episode!

Can't get enough of the Duggars? Then tune into TLC tonight at 8/7PM CST for an extra-special, hour-long episode of "19 Kids and Counting" GrandDuggar First Birthday. Bring on the cake because Mackynzie Duggar is turning one! And there's more to celebrate....Josh and Anna are expecting! You won't want to miss this episode.

Come back to the blog after the show for the highlights.