Pushing beyond your comfort zone is rewarding … and nerve-wracking — just ask the Duggars. On the Tuesday, March 29, episode of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, many members of the family found themselves in unfamiliar territory, whether it be at the car auction lot, a foreign country or their own living room. Working together, however, they all made it through with flying colors — for the most part, at least.
It’s Not Babysitting When It’s Your Own Kid
It had been about six weeks since Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald welcomed baby Spurgeon into their lives, but this would be the first time that Ben had been left alone with the infant. Jessa headed out for coffee with Jana Duggar and Anna Duggar (and Anna’s daughter, Meredith), optimistic that she would have a good time but nervous about how her better half would do on his own.
When an equally nervous Ben commented that it would be his first time “babysitting,” Jessa corrected him. “Technically, it’s not babysitting if it’s your own baby,” she said.
For his part, Ben was mainly concerned about having a “diaper disaster” or being unable to get Spurgeon to stop crying. Jessa was near tears as she left her newborn son for the first time.
“My husband’s not available to babysit today, so I’m bringing Meredith along!” Anna joked. (Note: Anna made a joke.)
At the coffee shop, Jessa clearly enjoyed bonding with the girls, but couldn’t quite stop wondering how things were going back home. Anna suggested Jessa check Ben’s social media accounts to see if he was posting on them or if he was actually paying attention to Spurgeon. It didn’t seem like Jessa bothered to do that, but she smiled at the suggestion.
Though it was supposed to give Jessa a break from motherhood, the main topic of conversation was Spurgeon and how “advanced” he was. Apparently, by two weeks old he was laughing, and apparently that makes him advanced.
Ben Tries to Keep Spurgeon Happy Back Home
Meanwhile, back home Ben admitted how worried he was when he first heard he was going to be left unattended with his son. “I guess my first thought was, ‘Well, come back before too long!'” he laughed to the camera.
He conquered his first fear when he changed Spurgeon’s diaper without any major “disaster,” and seemed to relax even more after his son fell asleep in his arms while being rocked. After gently placing Spurgeon on the couch, Ben got some reading done and was clearly pretty impressed with himself.
“I think next time this situation comes up, I’ll be a little more confident because I’ll have done it before,” he said. Jessa also praised his success. “I had nothing to worry about,” she said when she returned home. “Ben had everything under control.”
Jinger Flips (a Car)
While Ben and Jessa pushed out of their comfort zone in their personal life, Jinger Dugger pushed out of her comfort zone in her professional life by flipping her first car. Having watched many of her brothers flip cars in the past, she got the bug to try it herself. With John David, Joseph, Jed and Jeremy by her side, she hit up a car auction where she purchased her very first vehicle to flip.
Her first order of business after bringing the car home was to enlist some help. Conveniently, Joy had just finished a car-detailing class, and Justin had improved his mechanic skills, so the two of them got to work right away.
Once the car was ready, Jinger connected with a potential buyer — but this was the part she found most intimidating. “I think it’s a challenge when people try and negotiate,” Jinger explained. “It can pose its challenges talking to a complete stranger, and they’re asking you [to] lower your price.”
Fortunately, her brothers were on hand to help with the negotiation (i.e., to make sure Jinger didn’t just give the car away because she’s too nice). Once all was said and done, she sold the car for $500 profit a few weeks after it was ready to go … not so bad for her first time at the rodeo.
Jill and Derick Discover an Unintended Benefit of Raising Their Son Abroad
Still out of the country for their missionary work, Jill and Derick Dillard watched as their son, Israel, continued to grow up. “Israel is making new friends,” Jill reported. “There are friends at church that he gets to play with. He’s already got a love for football, so he might be a little soccer player!”
He might be a budding soccer player, but he wasn’t walking yet. He was standing, though, while holding onto furniture. Another recent discovery for Israel? Licking the fan. Since his teeth had started to come in, he liked the way the vibrating fan felt on his gums, Jill explained. Hey, whatever works.
Speaking of the fan, Jill and Derick might still have been out of their comfort zone, but they had discovered an unintended benefit of raising Israel abroad: He didn’t expect air conditioning. “Air conditioning is a luxury to him, so he doesn’t know that that’s normal in the U.S.,” Derick explained. “He’s used to sleeping with a fan on you.” In other words, these two new parents are set to save on their energy bill for a long, long time. Sometimes, it’s the little things.
Jana and John-David Want to Help Each Other Find Love
The only problem with the siblings’ aspirations for matchmaking was that they didn’t know how to execute the plan. Asked if she would let her twin brother help pick out a man for her, Jana didn’t hesitate. “John would be great at finding somebody. He has a lot of wisdom in that area, so I’ll give him advice — he gives me advice,” she mused. “We can help each other out.” (Indeed, earlier in the episode, they began working on a project together to build a giant treehouse for the younger kids to play in — more on that next week.)
John admitted he had “checked out” some guys for Jana, but none of them had fit the bill. As for himself, “I don’t know what I’m looking for, really,” he lamented. “I’m just looking for the one.”
He said he didn’t know who would be the next Duggar to enter courtship. “There is probably somebody out there on the horizon waiting for each of us,” he reasoned. “You’ve just got to locate them.” Jana agreed.
Tell Us: Who do you think will be the next Duggar to find love?
Jill & Jessa: Counting On airs on TLC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
