It seems like there is room for one more in Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's brood of 19 kids, since the Christian couple from the former TLC show "19 Kids and Counting" are reportedly in the process of adopting an eight-year-old boy.
On Aug. 31, Jim Bob and Michelle were granted temporary guardianship of the unnamed young boy, who is the son of Michelle's niece Rachel Hutchins, according to In Touch. Hutchins, 23, has been having a tough time raising her son because she is homeless and unemployed. The young woman has suffered from a lot of financial setbacks over the years and has a troublesome record with the law.
Based on the public records obtained by the publication, Hutchins gave birth to her son when she was just a teenager. She is currently on probation for three years after she was arrested in April. She was slapped with felony charges for breaking and entering at a tow truck business in Springdale, Arkansas and stealing a pocket knife and $2 in change.
Because of her current situation, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar decided to help her out by taking in her son. They are due back in court on Nov. 14 to make the guardianship permanent. "There's a strong hope that once that happens they will be able to adopt him," an insider says.
With this development, it seems Jim Bob and Michelle have beaten their daughter Jessa and her husband Ben Seewald with their adoption plans. Before Jessa and Ben even gave birth to their son Spurgeon Elliot, they were already planning to adopt several kids into their family.
Jessa is currently pregnant with their second child. But even with a second child on the way, Jessa has revealed that they still plan to adopt a child. "As we are praying towards a future adoption, it's great to have other families around that have walked this road and can give us good advice. At this point, we're planning for a domestic adoption, but I don't think we really have a preference either way for a boy or girl," Jessa said in a recent episode of "Counting On."
