Growing up fast! Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard‘s son Israel Dillard is already 6 years old.
The blond-haired cutie was born on April 6, 2015, and is the Counting On couple’s first child together. After a 70-hour delivery and surprise C-section, Jill said it brought the pair closer together.
“I love our birth story because it bonded us so well. It brought us through something amazing together,” she told People in 2015, weeks after Izzy’s birth. “It was a journey that we needed to go through.”
Following the C-section, Derick sang “Jesus Loves Me” to his son as Jill recovered from surgery. “[It was] the song I’d sung to him every night when Jill was pregnant. I looked at him and thought, ‘This is my son. I love this person.'”
Over the years, fans have gotten to know Israel’s sweet personality. In April 2021, Jill penned a sweet message for the youngster’s birthday. “Happy happy birthday to our Israel man! He turns 6 today and is such a sweet boy!” she gushed. “So far, he has already had his favorite cereal for breakfast, heard his birthday announced on the radio, opened presents and given orders on birthday cake specifics lol.”
She added, “He has Taco Bell plans for later today and proudly wore his ‘birthday boy’ ribbon to school! He is such a good big brother and we’ve seen him mature so much in the last year that it makes me wish time would just slow down a little!!”
Not to mention, it sounds like he inherited his father’s genes! “He has consistently measured ahead of both @derickdillard & Uncle @justdand, so we’ll see if he ends up taller than them when he’s full grown! (6’2” & 6’3”!!) We love you Israel and pray you love Jesus more and more every day!”
Izzy became a big brother on July 8, 2017, with the arrival of Samuel Scott Dillard. These days, Samuel and Israel are best friends and have shared lots of sweet moments over the years.
Most recently, the pair made pancakes together while enjoying a lazy Saturday morning. “Saturday mornings are for pancakes with sprinkles and kids programs on the radio,” Jill captioned a cute snap of the boys at breakfast.
Keep scrolling to see photos of Israel Dillard then and now.