3 is enough

Here's a question for Erin: If Chad never goes back to work how will they support their 3 children, plus afford the expensive drugs they will need to maintain the next upmteen pregnancies? She needs to grow up and get real.

I have a nephew with the same condition as the Rodrigues baby. He is 18. There are both physical and intellectual symptoms due to his condition. Oh, and he is autistic. Doctors can't definitively say it is due to his condition. It may have happened regardless. So here is a condensed version of his life: Looked like a happy, normal baby. Had some issues with breastfeeding and swallowing . By 10 months he was not sitting unassisted or crawling. Parents were concerned. Doctor said he had CP, but subsequent testing revealed the brain malformation. At that point brother and sister-in-law went into action. Physical, occupational, speech therapy. He was sitting within a couple of months. Walking by 2. Special diet, leg braces, you name it. Went to school at 5. Mainstreaming with an aide did not work. School was not cooperative or equipped to help him. They ended up suing the school district, and winning. As a result he was placed in a private special education school. He "graduated" last year, but will still go to school until he turns 22. Therapists come after school every day. At this point it is mostly life skills. They live in a state where services for disabled adults are not optimal, so they know that they may have to move when he turns 22. He will never be self sufficient. They never had any other children. There was a significant chance that any other children would have the same condition, and they could not take the chance. He is the sweetest kid. He is very intelligent. He loves to read and do puzzles and watch movies and sports. He swims. He knows he is "different". My brother and his wife have gone above and beyond. I highly doubt Stormy and Chimpy will commit to doing one hundredth of the hard work they do and will continue to do.

I just love Lucille. That is all.

I think they will start shooting season 3 in the summer. It takes a good 6 months to film. I don't imagine they will be back until next January. I think that once Fixer Upper became popular they filmed all year long- it seemed to have more episodes per season or two seasons each year. Honestly I can't see Erin and Ben doing that- I think their daughter is their first priority. They have a lot of things going on now with the show, the store, the new furniture business, and their work with Downtown Laurel. Somehow I doubt they will expand their empire to the extent the Gaines did. I would imagine that once they have a couple more seasons done HGTV will plug the reruns into the daytime rotation, but there are only 20 episodes right now. Good on Ben for not selling out. Have to admire his devotion to the cause. I bought a candle too. It is really nice- not overly floral or sweet. There is a slight citrusy-spicy smell to it. I don't like really heavily scented candles, but this is fresh and subtle.

So here's a question: What if the infertility was the fault of the husband? Would he keep on getting newer, younger wives and failing to impregnate them? Would there be an "aha moment" at some point? Just wondering.

Maybe I am just overly superstitious, but she's due in July. Isn't it a bit early for a shower? My first grandchild is due in August. I have told people, but I have not said a word on Facebook yet. Not that I don't want to, I just can't bring myself to do it yet.

Yes, Sew Sumi, it was an instastory.

No, definitely Henry. Curly blond hair.

I see they brought Peter Pan...oops...Jackson along. Still lumped with the younger kids even though he is almost 14. Who is the boy with the unfortunate haircut holding the green ball?

Henry was there. There was a shot of him in the stroller on Instagram. The black and white photo: Michelle was there with them. I would recognize that hair and those fugly shoes anywhere. So much for a fun trip... WTF was Anna wearing on her feet? They look like boats. I am not a fan of Chip and Joanna. But I give them credit for having college educations, and a very strong work ethic. Plus, the have the sense to separate their personal religious beliefs from their show. The Duggars can barely string a sentence together without adding the word "Jesus" to it.

If I am correct, Jason will "graduate" this spring. That leaves only 7 left in the SOTDRT: the three youngest howlers, the lost girls, and Miracle Josie. I remember some vague references to James having some learning issues a few years back. Poor kid is almost 17- I hope he was able to progress. Maybe with only 7 students, an "outside " teacher and the loss of the distraction of constant filming, they will be able to master the admittedly narrow curriculum. Sad to say, but if they come out being able to read beyond elementary level and do basic math it would be quite an accomplishment.

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, and now you can't see it, but a couple of days ago Jessa had one of those 24 hour stories on her Instagram page. It showed her, Jana, and Henry at the new Magnolia restaurant in Waco. Man, they are really OBSESSED with that place!

You know, there have been reports of "Zombie raccoons" in Ohio. Evidently they have lost their fear of humans, bare their teeth, and then fall over. Maybe Derick infected them?

Does that tag around Jill's bump say "To Jill and Derick From God"? These people...

Can anyone tell me who played Jamie's boyfriend? He looked so familiar, but I could not place him. TIA.

Unless Derick took the photo. They probably had breakfast together and then he left for the scheduled activities. Jill was alone yesterday for the Chik-Fil-A fiasco, right? I don't get it. My DH started travelling for work right after we were transferred to the US from Canada. I had a 2 year old and a six month old, and was expecting the third 8 months later. No family nearby and I barely knew a soul, but I never would have dreamed of suggesting that we accompany him. We just did what we had to do, and we survived.

So sad for these boys. The odds are that some of them are going to resemble Josh- the are brothers after all. That can't be helped, and it is not their fault, but because Josh is such a vile human being, people look at them and get bad vibes. Looks like they all are paying the price for Josh's sins...

Ok. I'm going to be that mother... He's 3. He's appears to be on the higher end of the growth scale. And he is still in a high chair, and has a sippy cup and an uncomfortable looking plastic bib? My kids are 2 years apart. By the time the new baby needed the high chair (around 5-6 months) they were at the table in a booster seat. Partly because I only had one highchair, and partly because it was time. When they were big enough to sit at the table, they had regular (child sized) glasses. Because they had to learn to drink like big kids. Did we have spills? Of course, but it is part of the learning process. I think the bibs stopped at that time too- maybe occasionally when we had something that stained like tomato sauce. Certainly not the plastic contraption designed for babies learning to feed themselves. Again, if you are old enough to sit at the table, you are old enough to eat without smearing your food everywhere. Jill and Derick read books about government and finance to Israel, yet treat him like a baby at meal times. SMH.

Did anyone else think that Jack seemed to have a hard time hiding his distaste when he answered “National Rifle Association”?

I have read about Buddhist nuns. Should have included that in my post.

First of all, shame on PBS for cutting the scene where Magda tells the story of her escape from Hungary. Usually the cut scenes are more "filler", but this was integral to the plot. Seriously, what were they thinking? Second, on a more frivolous note, am I the only one who thinks the 60's hair and makeup are making Violet look washed out and almost sickly looking? I keep wondering what is wrong with her every time I see her. She looked more vibrant in previous seasons with the 50's style hair and makeup.

So there is confirmation that the furniture in the reveal is merely staging- apart from anything Ben builds of course. One of the latest journal entries was written by the homeowner of the season 2 premiere episode. She talks about still having no table in their dining room, and how as newlyweds their furniture is a mixture of hand-me-downs, estate sale items, and the odd new purchase. There are pictures of some of the rooms and they do not look like they did in the reveal. I know Erin used some of the pastor's own antiques in that episode, and I think that she uses the homeowners' own photos, art, and maybe some smaller personal items on the shelves. And I strongly suspect that the items she is shown buying in the shopping segments stay in the house- free merchandise in exchange for free advertising for the stores she visits on film. Or else the production company pays for the items in return for being allowed to film at said businesses. I know there has been some speculation about this in earlier posts. Home Town seems to be following the Fixer Upper model with regards to staging the finished home.

I feel the same way. Maybe it's a generational thing. I look forward to hearing about your trip. Curious to know if the whole town is as picturesque as seen on the show or if it is just a very small section. I live on the other side of the country so will probably never get to see it. My kids and extended family are scattered all over the US and Canada so that affects my travel choices, and no one lives anywhere near Mississippi.

@BckpckFullaNinjas, I have too! Looking forward to discussing the book with you. ;)

The Erin we see on tv is not the same as the Erin who writes the journal. I imagine the majority of Home Town viewers do not read the journal or follow her on Instagram and just see her as the decorator/artist. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to a poor choice of words which can change context so easily. But I suspect she is a bit of a perfectionist and that extends to any journal entries or social media posts. It's a good example of the dangers of sharing too much about yourself online. People will react in ways you may not have anticipated. In her case that is particularly sad because she seems to really want everyone to like her. Still at the end of the day she and Ben seem very happy together, which is really all that matters.