Jinger Duggar's Quotes About Motherhood Show She's Realistic About The Journey Ahead

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time I turn around, yet another Duggar is announcing a courtship, an engagement, or a pregnancy? I guess when your family stars in reality TV shows titled, 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, it shouldn't exactly be a surprise. (Now, if a Duggar announced they only wanted a set amount of children, that would be a scandal.) Although Michelle and Jim Bob's sixth child, Jinger, hasn't come out and said if she wants a large family or not, she and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo "waited" for over a year after marrying to announce their first pregnancy — which is definitely not the norm for newlywed Duggars. And Jinger Duggar's quotes about motherhood show that she's realistic about the challenges ahead.

But first, let's back it up a little, here, and take a look at Jeremy and Jinger's relationship. The couple officially announced they were courting in June 2016, Jeremy proposed in October, and they exchanged vows the very next month, as People reported. Talk about a whirl-wind romance, right? But if you take a closer look at other Duggar relationships, it's a fairly normal timeline. Jinger and Jeremey announced in January that they are expected their first child. Along with a TLC video announcement, the Vuolos announced the happy news on their website on Jan. 3 "The past 14 months have been the best of our lives as we have had the wonderful privilege of beginning our journey through life together in marriage,” the couple wrote on their blog. "We both looked forward to the joys of marriage but neither one of us fully understood just how amazing the start of this journey would be." They continued:

Truly, the Lord’s mercies are new every morning! Now, the journey has taken an exciting turn: We are expecting our first child! We are praising God for this beautiful gift and ask that you join us in praying for a safe and healthy pregnancy.

In the TLC pregnancy reveal video, Jinger also shared what she's most looking forward to during this exciting time in their lives. "I think we're most looking forward to just having this little one in our arms and being parents — and learning how to multi-task," she said. "That's going to be fun." Jeremy added to this sentiment, interjecting, "And sleep less." (From a mom of three, amen to both multi-tasking and surviving on abysmal amounts of sleep.) Of course, since Jinger grew up with 18 siblings, it's safe to say she has a decent grasp of what parenthood entails.

Since the big announcement, both Jeremy and Jinger have kept their Instagram followers updated on their pregnancy journey — including periodic bump photos with a chalkboard countdown from the mom-to-be, as People reported.

It wasn't until last week, however, that Jinger opened up about her pregnancy and impending motherhood during an interview with Us Weekly. “I wasn’t super nervous until Joy had her baby and then I thought, ‘Oh my. What if I have a 10-pounder?’” she told the publication. “That’s probably the only thing that makes me nervous, is just thinking of the size of the baby and going through labor, but at this point, I’m trying not to think about that." She added:

I’m trying to just enjoy the pregnancy and I know that when that baby comes I’m going to be super excited to see it.

For a first-time mom, this are very insightful words. It's easy to look ahead with anxiety about the actual childbirth part — and forget to focus on enjoying the journey. Another sign of Jinger's realism when it comes to her impending motherhood: The fact that birth plans don't always go as expected. Although she has invited her mom, Michelle — as well as her two sisters, Jana and Jill — to witness the birth, Jinger realizes it might not all come together because of the distance between them. "So they’re invited, but I don’t know how many will be able to make it,” she told Us Weekly. “My mom, at this point, is the only one who’s probably going to be able to make it for the birth.”

Even before Jinger and Jeremy knew they were expecting their first child, Jinger indicated she wanted kids in the future. During an episode of Counting On that premiered in August, Jinger was shopping for baby clothes with her older sister, Jessa, when she held up a pair of tiny shoes. “As I look at the little shoes, it’s like, ‘Oh, these are so cute!'” she said, according to In Touch Weekly.

I’m thinking, well, whenever — if the Lord would bless us with kids, it would be amazing. Now I know where I can do my shopping

As In Touch Weekly reported, Jinger's approximate due date was actually revealed via Grace Community Church's website — on Jeremy's pastor bio page.

Jeremy and his wife Jinger were married in November 2016 and now reside together in Laredo, Texas, on the border of the United States and Mexico, as Jeremy continues to serve as the pastor of Grace Community Church. They are expecting their first child in July of 2018.

This means we only have about three months left before the countdown to baby Vuolo starts getting serious. Until then, I hope to hear even more of Jinger's thoughts on motherhood — whether it's on Counting On, via Instagram, or through interviews with Us Weekly. Because out of all of the adult Duggar children, Jinger is the one that seems the most unlike the rest.