While not many people in the world feel like now's the right time to buy a home, it was difficult for many of us to predict the turn that 2020 ended up taking. Some lucky individuals happened to move right before stay-at-home orders were announced. One of those people? Joy-Anna Duggar.
Joy-Anna Duggar is the ninth child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Like most of her family members, she's a middle child. In 2017, she married Austin Forsyth, and nine months later they had a baby named Gideon.
Both Austin and Joy-Anna have an interest in homes. Prior to buying their own, they flipped a few for additional income. They also had no problems doing all of the renovations they needed on their own home, which they initially revealed to fans back in November. The couple figured that now might be the perfect time to unveil all of the changes they've made. And let's just say we may be looking at our own homes a little differently after seeing everything that was completed.
Fans of the Duggar family may be a little suspicious of Austin Forsyth. Although the two of them make a happy couple, there are rumors that Joy-Anna wasn't the sister he initially meant to court. People feel like he initially had his eyes on Jinger, who's closer to his age.
Born in 1993, Austin is currently 26. Jinger was born the same year. Joy-Anna, however, was born in 1997, making her 22 years old. While it's not a huge age gap, it's definitely something to note. The couple made it official with marriage on May 26, 2017.
That August, the couple revealed that they were expecting their first child, leading many to believe that Joy-Anna might have been pregnant before their wedding. To the Duggar family, that's a big deal. No matter what, they had Gideon in February of 2018. However, they also had some sad news the next year.
Joy-Anna was expecting a second baby, due in November 2019, but unfortunately had a miscarriage at 20 weeks. While a miscarriage or still birth is devastating at any point in time, most women feel their pregnancies are safe well before the 20-week mark. But there was some good news to follow.
The couple is pregnant again, and they've announced that the baby is a girl. The new baby is expected in August 2020. Having interviews about the arrival may be tough after experiencing a loss, but the pair remain optimistic. This time, they shared the news at 21 weeks.
"I’m pretty nervous about raising a girl," Austin said to People magazine. "They are going to take a little more work than the boys. I feel like Gideon, he’s tough and he’ll eat anything, but I feel like a girl, we’re going to have to pamper a little bit more. But I am so excited."
She still has plenty of love for the baby she lost. "We only had her for 20 weeks, Life is fragile and precious," Joy-Anna wrote on Instagram, along with a picture. "So thankful the Lord gave her to us for that short time! She will be in our hearts forever!" The photo is both heartbreaking and touching.
Taking on a new home in the midst of a loss and a new pregnancy may have been a challenge, but Joy-Anna is staying positive. The house features an open floor plan. The kitchen is already ready with island stools for four. Of course, they might need to add a few more if they're not done expanding their family.
The tour was given the best and safest way possible — by YouTube. Surely seeing where Austin, Gideon, and Joy-Anna are comfortably hunkered down is a nice treat for their fans. And speaking of Gideon, his room was one of the most exciting.
It seems as if Joy-Anna and Austin's firstborn is officially out of the crib and into a toddler bed. He's also got plenty of place to play. The family isn't done with their renovations just yet, but it seems like a wonderful place for children to grow up.
As for Joy-Anna's favorite parts of the home? She said in the video that she's absolutely in love with the floor-to-ceiling drapes in the living room. "I really love how the white just brightens up the whole room," she says. She's also proud of their shoe nook by the front door, which keeps shoes organized and out of the way.
All in all, Joy-Anna seems proud of most of the design choices she and her husband made. Even the granite countertops bring her joy. Who knows? Maybe with some time, the two of them can score a new show together on HGTV. They seem to know a lot about houses.
And judging from the video, Joy-Anna also knows how to properly balance her house tour with parenting. Midway through, Gideon walks in and asks to wash his hands in the kitchen. Joy helps him out literally without skipping a beat. Even though Gideon is her firstborn, surely she's had a lot of practice around younger children.
Even if your own home-buying plans have been canceled for now, at least you can live through Joy-Anna and Austin. Despite everything happening, they have a lot of good stuff to look forward to this year. And as for Gideon, he's going to make a wonderful big brother.
