Well, the year of the great Duggar baby boom is almost an end.
Two Duggar women are still expecting, but once they deliver, we probably won't have any new pregnancies to report on for quite some time.
We're sure the occasion is bittersweet for Jim Bob and Michelle, whose joy is at its zenith when there are numerous buns in numerous ovens.
But hopefully, they're consoled by the fact that they now have roughly 4 billion grandchildren to dote on.
And with the end of the boom, the entire family can breathe a bit easier -- as, while the past 12 months have brought great joy to the Counting On Clan, all that happiness didn't come without a price.
Sadly, two Duggar women suffered miscarriages this year.
First, Joy-Anna Duggar lost her baby
Shortly thereafter, Josiah Duggar's wife, Lauren Caldwell suffered a miscarriage.
Obviously, the loss of a pregnancy is a deeply sad occasion under any circumstances, but the Duggars believe life begins at conception
And so, Joy-Anna and Lauren mourned the loss of their pregnancies in the same way that they would mourn the death of an infant.
Fortunately, Lauren's grief was transformed into joy when she found out that she was expecting once again.
Fans got to see the moment that the whole family learned of Lauren's pregnancy on a recent episode of Counting On.
“We’re expecting,” Josiah blurted out during a camping trip.
“We had been trying for quite a while after the miscarriage, and when we found out we were expecting, literally we were shocked. I couldn’t believe it and just cried," Lauren said in a confessional segment.
“We were scared, but life is very precious and we are so thankful for this. We may be a little nervous at times, but we’re just going to be grateful," she added.
Josiah and Lauren were both clearly ecstatic, but it seems Kendra Caldwell was just as excited as the expectant couple.
Apparently, Kendra had been suffering from the pregnant Duggar equivalent of survivor's guilt.
She was also expecting at the time Lauren announced her pregnancy, and it seems she felt unable to enjoy the period of anticipation due to her compassion for Swanson's plight.
“[Lauren] just had a miscarriage and it was kind of hard being excited about me expecting when I knew that they were really hoping for a baby. To find out that they were pregnant too made me feel better,” Kendra said during the episode.
“Finding out that Lauren's not just expecting but expecting and her due date was only a week after mine was super exciting.”
And the concurrent pregnancies have made for a rather exciting November.
Kendra gave birth to her second child on November fourth.
Lauren welcomed her first baby just a few days later on November 8.
The Duggars have very complex views regarding pregnancy, and it seems that Lauren's situation was regarded as especially sad due to the fact that it was her first pregnancy.
As such, she was unable to take comfort in raising her other children.
Fortunately, her grief has not been assuaged by the arrival of what the Duggars would call a little blessing.
And that enables Kendra to take joy in her little miracle, as well.
