Abbie and John David Duggar seem to have kept their strong faith in mind while naming their firstborn daughter, Grace Annette, who was born Tuesday, Jan. 7 to the Counting On couple. The new parents first announced the littlest member of their family Thursday, telling TLC, “Our lives have changed forever with the arrival of our baby girl.”
“She is a beautiful gift from God,” they continued. “We are so blessed the Lord has given her to us. It’s still surreal to know that we are really parents but it’s a great new adventure that we are excited to take on together.”
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Born at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 20.75 inches long, little Grace Annette’s name is a double dose of beautiful, with her first and middle name meaning very similar things. According to A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman, Grace is derived from the Latin “gratia,” which refers to favor and thanks, and was popularized in the 17th century by Puritans who were making reference to God’s favor towards humans. Annette, meanwhile, comes from the French pet name for Anne, and also means grace or graceful.
The couple announced in August that they were expecting their first child, telling Us Weekly, “We are on Cloud 9 about welcoming our own little Duggar into the world. It really is amazing to think about being parents and having our own child to raise. We are thankful that God has blessed us with this new life and we look forward to taking on this new adventure!”
Abbie and John David waited just a few weeks after their official announcement before revealing the sex of their child in a reveal party that made reference heavily to John David’s love of being a pilot. Bringing in John’s twin sister, Jana Duggar, the couple threw a party for the whole family with classic airplane snacks and boarding passes that allowed party members to make their guess.
Brother Jeremiah then flew a plane overhead that revealed the sex via numbers that corresponded to the correct guesses, while confetti cannons on the ground sprayed pink streamers.
Congratulations to the family!
Photo credit: TLC
