The youngest of the '19 Kids and Counting' brood has come a long way.
Josie Brooklyn Duggar, who was born at only 25 weeks weighing a mere 1 lb., 6 oz., turned five just this Wednesday.
To celebrate the occasion, Josie, together with her parents, grandmother, cousin Amy, Jill, Derick, Ben, and Jessa, had lunch at her favourite place, McDonald's. They then headed to Boingo Bounce, an inflatable bounce house park, for some playtime fun.
A sweet message on the family's official Facebook page summed up their gratitude for the gift of Josie: "Today this precious girl is 5 years old! Time does fly. We love you, Josie and are so thankful the Lord brought you to us!"
Mother Michelle Duggar was diagnosed with preeclampsia during her pregnancy with Josie. The pregnancy complication, which causes high blood pressure and often kidney damage, made an emergency C-section necessary for the mother and daughter's survival.
Michelle told People at the time, "This baby is so small, I don't think she can survive."
Thankfully, Josie is a fighter.
Jim Bob, told People, his daughter was "pretty fragile" for the first six months in particular, but even the first couple years.
"But she's gotten stronger and stronger, and it's hard to hold her down now! We are thrilled with her progress and so thankful to God that she is alive and doing so well," he said.
In September, Michelle wrote on her TLC blog that Josie was doing "miraculously well".
"You look at her and you'd never know there was anything different at the beginning of her life ... It is so sweet to see this little one with so much joy and energy and love for life," she said.
Michelle spoke warmly of how much her young daughter means to her and the gratitude she felt for the people who prayed for her during her precarious start in life.
"I still meet people to this day that say, 'I prayed for that little girl.' And Josie will go up and give them a heartfelt hug. We have such gratitude in our hearts that she's here and we don't take for granted a day that we get with her."
