Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell's First Child Will Be a Boy (2024)

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It’s a baby boy for Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell.

The Counting On star, 23, and his wife revealed on Saturday through the Duggar family website that their firstborn will be a son.

“We’re having a son!💙 I’m especially excited to develop a mother son relationship with my little man. We’re so excited to step into this new stage in life. Pray for us for a safe delivery and healthy baby,” Kendra captioned an Instagram photo of the couple standing in front of a cloud of blue dust, adding the hashtags “#itsaboy” and “#babyDuggar.”

Joseph teased fans by sharing the same photo in black and white, prompting them to check the next image for the big announcement.

“Wow! We are so happy to learn that our firstborn is a boy!” the couple said in a statement on the Duggar family website. “Our minds are already racing toward all the future memories to be made with this little guy! Most of all, we are already asking God to bless him and help us grow him into a loving and faithful follower of Christ!”

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Joseph’s parents, added, “We are so excited for Joe and Kendra! We know they will be great parents and this little one will be such a blessing! We are thankful for all of our precious grandchildren!!”

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The duo announced they were expecting in December through a video message on the family website, where they made their predictions on if they would welcome a son or daughter.

“I’ve always dreamed of having my own family and it’s really just kind of surreal that it’s actually here,” said Joseph. “I kind of think it’s going to be a boy, but either way, I’m happy just to have a baby.”

“I think it could be a girl,” added Kendra, 19. “You never know!”

Joseph said he hopes the baby will have his wife’s laugh, and she said she hopes their little one will be “patient like Joe.”

Joseph and Kendra first met through their church and began courting in March. Joseph later popped the question at his sister Joy-Anna‘s wedding in May.

After throwing joint a bachelor and bachelorette party in July, the couple went on to tie the knot on Sep. 8 at the First Baptist Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They were married by her father, who is a pastor.

The 22-person wedding party included Joseph’s brother Josiah as the best man, joined by John David, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James and Justin as groomsmen. Kendra’s sister Lauren was her maid of honor, and her 10 bridesmaids included her mother Christina and the groom’s sisters Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joy-Anna, Johannah and Jennifer.

“It is an amazing feeling to be husband and wife,” Joseph told PEOPLE exclusively at the time. “It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of to have a wife and to raise a family in a way that honors the lord. We are to very excited to see what God has in the future for us.”

In October, fans got to watch the nuptials unfold in an episode of the family’s TLC show, Counting On — including their much-anticipated first kiss. (The Duggar family’s conservative version of dating bans kissing until marriage and generally limits physical contact to “side-hugs.”)

Following their “I dos,” Joseph and Kendra jetted off to Greece for their honeymoon.

“It’s really an amazing feeling to know it’s official and we’re really married,” Joseph told PEOPLE exclusively. “Once we were engaged, time seemed to move so slowly and now here we are — married! We’re just enjoying every bit of it.”

“One of the most enjoyable things about being married to Joe is just being together so much,” said Kendra. “I can hug him, kiss him, talk with and be with him all the time. Being with your best friend make marriage amazing. Here in Greece, we’re looking forward to having dinner in the sky, walking through the market, making sandals, going parasailing and paddle boarding!”