cereality

The "let me show you how to kiss" promo is gross, and frankly why stop there. Why not keep going with -- "well I'm not going to drop trou to demonstrate wedding night activities, but Ben - when you put it in my baby girl for the first time - you need to make sure to . . . ." I liked Jana's honesty on more than one occasion saying -- we usually eat things like TTC. It was also nice to see her enjoy a fresh meal full of veggies, since I have a feeling they don't get that too often at the Duggar home. Sad to say -- she looked miserable though. She had the same look the whole time she was cooking as she did when she was altering the bridesmaid dresses -- the -- others can cook/sew, I'm not sure why I have to do this. It also seemed to me like her and Jill aren't close and had nothing to say to each other. I know a lot of this show now is just playing a part for the cameras, but I think they are allowed to/encouraged to talk and if the cameras don't want to use that -- they edit out that section. I feel like sisters who used to live together up until a few months and now they don't -- when they see each other, they chatter. I just don't sense that "easy" relationship between her and Jill -- the way I see between Jessa and Jinger or Joy and Amy or Amy and Grandma; it's like the only times they spoke, it was about the recipe/the task at hand.

Looks like Derick's side is coming through with the baby showers and gifts -- first WMT and now a pic of a shower at Olive Garden thrown by HIS church family. Does Jill go to church with Derick? Interesting that she refers to it as his church; I'm guessing hers is still at JB's house? To the poster above who said Derick looks scared -- I'm sure he's terrified. He wanted to chat it up with a cute Godly girl via Skype. Not even a yr later, he's courted her, proposed, married her, had sex, and got her pregnant on the first shot - not to mention returning from Nepal, his first corporate job, a new house, and mom being diagnosed with cancer. Who wouldn't be terrified?? I mean I'm not saying that absent the Duggars lunacy he'd be shacking up with a girlfriend for the next 3 yrs -- but I'd say with a different girl, he'd likely be getting engaged around now after a yr of dating. I mean he's conservative, but he has seen his friends and his own brother have girlfriends for months or years at a time, so I'm sure there's a small part of him wonders if he should've slowed down the Duggars' insistent race to the altar and told his wife they need to be on BC for at least a yr as a honeymoon baby would be too much too soon nj a new relationship.

I don't see them saving a name that is as "important" to them as Charles Stephen IV for the next blessing. Given the amount of trouble they had getting and staying pregnant this time around, I don't think they feel comfortable counting on a next pregnancy. I mean I'm sure they'll have more kids -- but it may not be too many more and it may turn out that they have a few girls and then they're done. So if they don't use Charles Stephen IV now, they are risking not using it ever.

I came here to post the same thing -- Chad's father and grandfather are doctors?? I'm surprised. I poked around Chad's blog to see if he has any education. Back in 2010 he was posting about taking midterms in finance and then he posted a "praise God, I'm done school kind of thing." No mention of where he went -- so I don't know if he studied finance at a Crown College type of place from a "biblical" perspective or at a Wharton School/UPenn kind of place from a "we're prepping you for Wall Street" perspective. He has SOME education -- even if it's only AA or a BS from an unaccredited school, and he does work in a white collar capacity as a manager for the metals company he's at -- not as a factory floor employee. It's just that I'd expect more from someone coming from 2 generations of MDs . . . .

I think the main reason JD isn't married is because he doesn't want to be -- either not yet or not at all. Sure he's a doofus and kind of ugly. BUT there are fundie dads out there (like Pa Keller) who'd dance the jig if the Duggar's second son came calling -- with his own house, a pilot's license, making money in construction, AND a volunteer cop. To us -- we think -- he works construction here and there; is still a pilot in training (always shown flying with someone else I believe); and a volunteer cop is far from the real thing and can't just join a paying PD. But to an uneducated fundie with 9 kids living in a 3 bedroom house who has 6 girls to marry off, I think they'd be salivating at the possibility of a young man from a wealthy fundie family that has "so much" at such a young age. While I think most girls wouldn't find him attractive (esp given that there are fundies out there looking like Chad Paine and Ben), I bet there is more than one girl who could put his looks aside bc she is dying to get out of her trailer with 9 siblings and wants to start her own family instead of cooking and cleaning for her siblings all day and would also be blown away by his "wealth" -- i.e. a whole house for just 2 of us to live in!? I don't know if JD travels with the family as much now (though I think he does) -- but certainly in the last 5 yrs he's gone to lots of book tours, fundie political rallies, and homeschool conferences -- so the fundie girls and their dads know who he is, and I wouldn't be surprised if a few have put some feelers out there through JB and JD has said no. It has been said before that he is friendly with Zach Bates (apparently Zach leaned on him when his first girl broke up with him); knowing Zach's story, it's possible JD is thinking he can meet a fundie lite girl in town somewhere as opposed to marrying a fundie like Anna in an arranged marriage and having to deal with a wife who wants a kid every year until she can't anymore. Though if he wants to meet someone on his own -- I suggest he start working on his looks and personality . . . a waitress in town who earns her own paycheck and is maybe going to school is not going to be as enamored by a 35 yr old looking pudgy, dorky guy just bc he has a house and works construction -- as a fundie dad would be.

I think when it was announced that she was courting Derick -- lots of us (including me) had high hopes that a guy who went to a state u, studied accounting, was into school activities (at least went to every football game), and took a job with corporate America just fell for a cute girl and decided he'd appease her parents enough to get a ring on it, and then they'd live the type of life HE was raised in -- i.e. 2 working parents; 2-3 kids; Christian but not quiverful; friends, football, movies/music/events/traveling etc. Turns out he's a dud and is perfectly ok living HER life -- pregnant on the honeymoon; aspiring to fill that quiver; Jill is never going to work; forget him hanging with friends - she won't let him drive to work alone; overbearing inlaws; HER siblings over all the freaking time; his mom is an after thought. Quite the disappointment. I think the only think on which he may be influencing her is that he took her to Broadway and they seem to go to UA football games -- so maybe he's opening her mind a tiny bit, but I still don't think they're the type of couple that can turn on CNN and meaningfully talk about the world beyond "it's God's will." He demonstrated in this episode that whatever dumb activity her family had going on in that timeframe came before his own mother heading to another state as ill as she was . . . .

I think they should have chosen one portrayal of JD and stuck with it -- is he a construction worker or a cop? Clearly he's not a real cop -- just a volunteer, despite the uniform and badge -- so that's not making any money. Why not hold him out as a construction guy -- those guys can do well financially, can often own their own businesses etc. I think he has some equipment and takes on construction projects here and there, but I'm not clear whether that's a 40 hr/wk gig for him; nothing wrong with taking on projects here and there -- I think he mentioned once that he was clearing land for a bank -- after all that's how solo businesses often get started, but you'd think by age 25 he'd have such a business established already with his name on an office and/or trucks some place and a few guys working for him. After all - he was done home schooling at age 18, if not earlier -- what's he been doing for the last 7 yrs?? I felt bad for Cathy when she said -- hopefully you can visit and got a stunned silence type of response, incl from her own son -- and then quickly changed to "but Facetime/Skype is good too." I'm surprised Derick didn't jump out there and say "yes Jill's starting to feel a bit better so we're going to come in the next 2 weeks, we'll Facetime w you once you're in Omaha to pick the dates." I mean isn't that what spouses sometimes do - volunteer the other spouse for some family commitment (and the woman is his ONLY parent with cancer, it's not like he's volunteering to help great aunt Judy with a bake sale) and then the other spouse goes along or maybe they fight about it a bit and then the other spouse goes along or the spouse who did the talking takes care of the commitment alone??

Not sure if it was this episode or the next but when Josh took the kids to the music shop, he was wearing a t shirt w a college name on it -- not U of Arkansas. Did anyone catch it or can you make it out on DVR? I was watching on a tiny tv and couldn't read it. Would love to know what school -- wonder if Josh is taking online classes somewhere? I think it's sweet that he thinks -- Bach started around age 3, that's Michael's age, go for it. We all know it's unlikely but it's nice to see someone on that show with some notion of having a dream for a child; though who knows-- maybe Josh will bc his own parents denied him a very basic education and thus closed off lots of options that would've interested him.

Glad I walked away with the same impression -- that it was a dating commercial for JD. I mean how much more obvious did they need to be -- line up here ladies, he's a great fella with a JOB (which is not a criteria for us when we marry off our daughters but your dads may care) and a steady personality, so he's not likely to be a wife beater . . . . Jill seems at ease around Cathy which is nice. Nice to see her make those pies and care baskets even though she's had morning sickness herself. When Derick was walking in, I swear that behind the basket he had a 6 pack -- though as he put everything down, it became clear that it was a 6 pack of dr. pepper bottles. It would have been nice if Jill and Derick had gone to Omaha to visit; maybe they did but if they did, I would have expected them to say something on social media; I know there was a pic of Dan in Nebraska at some point. I mean it looks like a 9-10 hr drive which they could do if Derick took a Monday and Friday off from work -- which he doesn't seem to mind doing for Duggar things; or they aren't hurting for money -- they could have flown up on a Friday night after work and stayed the weekend.

Finally got around to seeing last week's episode -- it's pathetic that Guinn had more emotion re Jessa trying on dresses than her own mom did. She wiped away tears a few times. And at the end when the dress was chosen, all Michelle said was her standard line about it being so special/precious, while Guinn said -- that dress is Jessa, it has clean lines, the beading is so elegant etc. As for grandkids -- I think Guinn and her husband are fundie crazy too, but I think the economic reality for the family is more what is typical for fundies who don't have TLC paychecks rolling in. Her husband was in the prefab home business which I think went under with the recession and now works like 70 hrs a week at windshield repair to support a family. I think they fully understand that a 19 yr old without an education, a trade, or military commitment should not be actively making babies; if God "blesses" them then fine -- but if God doesn't for a while bc their son is withdrawing or if the couple is doing NFP and avoiding Jessa's fertile time or whatever -- that's also fine.

Anyone else think it's surprising that Dan just now got baptized? I know in certain faiths when YOU choose to receive the faith, not when the parents decide for you that you will be x religion at birth. It's just that Derick and Cathy seem religious enough that I assumed he would have felt family pressure to receive the faith as a teen at the latest. Anyone know if the Dillards or Duggars do godparents? I wonder if Derick wants Dan as godfather to baby Dilly and Jill decided it would only be acceptable if Dan was a Christian first? Re his coworkers -- I'm sure some to snicker or roll their eyes at the guy who met his wife less than one yr ago, didn't actually date her - just married her and got her pregnant 2 days later and now said wife texts him all day long and when she doesn't it's bc she's driving him to or from work or having lunch with him. But keep in mind -- these people have known him for all of one yr; it's unlikely that he has the deep friendships at work that develop from years of working with the same people. So they really are ONLY coworkers, and while they may snicker - they probably don't care about him that much. Plus this is a company in the conservative south and Derick is like 25-26 yrs old; in these places it isn't odd to marry your college sweetheart a month after graduation and have 2 kids by 26, so while Derick's courtship process and clingy wife may stand out -- it's not weird that he's married with a baby coming.

I agree. Television ministry is a million+ dollar industry. The minor leaguers may only have regional radio shows, but they can live and pay their bills off of that. And then there are the ones like the Osteens -- national syndication, preaching in the Compaq center, book deals, and I believe they live in a $10 million home in Texas. Jessa may have an eye on that prize -- after all they are a young attractive couple so they have the look for TV and she has media saavy from her years of being on TV, being around production, the Today Show and now magazines; all they have to do is show that they have the goods as far as faith is concerned. And I believe that's what she's doing right now on social media -- many a career has been launched on social media in the last 5 yrs, so why not a TV ministry career?

I am not Christian so I can't speak to whether Jessa is right or wrong re her postings, but I'm wondering - why are she/Ben/Pa Seewald writing and posting these things? I have religious friends who do post Bible quotes/uplifting religious quotes on Twitter and I think that's totally fine. But this kind of in-depth "teaching" seems over the top for social media. Are they trying to get noticed by someone for this? Do she and Ben think they'll be the next Joel and Victoria Osteen? After all, Osteen has an empire and he also did not go to college or any kind of seminary. Or are thinking some seminary (like the one Chad's bro went to or wherever Derick is getting an M. Div) will notice how Godly Ben is and accept him? Or are they trying to get their own show on something like UPTV? I mean their followers already agree with everything they say, so it isn't being posted for their benefits. And the ones that snark on them aren't about to convert or change their religious views bc Jessa said so -- I mean what education and training does she even have in faith -- she can't even say that she was taught by the minister of a major church; she was taught whatever her parents believe, and who knows if that's accurate or not.

Agreed. It helps that Jessa has always had an independent streak -- not a kool aid drinker like Jill, so she wants to rebel and she married a guy who she can control a bit. Plus he seems a lot more "manly" than Derick in that I can see him wanting to be the headship and do things his way -- Jessa will just convince him that HER ideas are actually HIS or THEIRS. With Jill -- you have someone who 100% wants to stick to the lifestyle married to a man who is willing to change himself and ignore his own upbringing entirely in order to make his wife happy.

Can someone post a link to the video w Dan and Cathy's reaction? I'm curious. I'm sure she knew they'd announce a pregnancy quick given that they don't believe in BC -- I don't think it's shocking to her that her son would not be using a condom w a Duggar daughter. But even then, not everyone has a honeymoon baby. Even healthy young adults end up trying for a few months to conceive, so I'm guessing it was shocking to her that they announced a pregnancy before a 1 month anniversary though likely I'm sure she expected an announcement in 6 months. Little does she know that I wouldn't have put it past Jill if she timed her wedding such that it fell in her most fertile time of the month.

Agree with this -- she will get worked up (I mean who wouldn't) but will deal with this home birth. I think we may see her using an epi for subsequent kids though, even if they don't broadcast that. Though for someone who knows herself -- that she can't deal with pain or needles -- and has seen the birth process many many times with different women who have different pain tolerances, you'd think she'd do whatever it takes to make herself comfortable -- having seen what birth is really like, not just reading some sanitized version in a doctors office pamphlet. Why isn't she birthing at a hospital where she can at least have an option of an epidural or some other pain relief, should she need it?? Is her mother/parents' expectation that she just squat down and birth at home more important than her own physical pain? I mean I know women who are MDs -- esp OB -- when it was time to have their own kids, they preemptively scheduled c sections bc knowing how much can go wrong and how much damage there can be down there, they wanted a more "controlled" experience to safely birth their kids. That's their choice -- I'm not pushing C-sections - I'm just saying that knowledge of intimate things that people really don't talk about in depth realistically empowers people to make "better" decisions for themselves than the general public who pretty much just does what the doctors recommend.

I haven't given birth and I don't have a sense of how patriarchal Derick really is -- bc I do think he is far more conservative than what he and his family have let on -- but I would hope he would do whatever she wanted in that moment. If she labors for an hour or two and decides that it's too much already and she can't imagine doing that for another 2 or 5 or 20 hours and asks to go to the hospital, I'd hope he'd be grabbing his keys as she spoke. Same for an epidural -- if she gets far enough in that she can't take it and is begging for pain relief, I'd expect him to work on getting her to the hospital asap -- as she'd have to likely go into through the emergency room and then go up to OB and then wait for an anesthesiologist for an epi and all of that can take time, esp when you're not a patient of any dr. group at any hospital. I really hope he wouldn't do what I've heard in more patriarchal cultures where the husband will sit there "convincing" his wife she's fine and that they agreed to a home birth and that they agreed not to use an epi and he doesn't want one for his son's birth. At the end of the day, Jill is the one who is going to be doing all the hard work and suffering all the pain -- it is her right to change her mind and I'd hope Derick would want what is most comfortable for her.

I personally don't see Ben and Jessa adopting. It's a patriarchal culture, where the men want to brag about "I made that baby," can't exactly do that with adoption. But I think they're probably talking about adoption publicly to drag out the baby making process -- even if it's just by months or years. If JB does his "hardy har why haven't you knocked up my baby girl yet," it's easier to say -- well we're praying on it because we want to adopt so we're trying to figure out if it's better to have our own now or later. Lots of prayer I tell you -- who has time for baby making. In one of the previews Gwen looked utterly shocked when Michelle said she could be a grandma next yr and deflected by saying "one thing at a time." Maybe it's occurred to her and Mike that while early marriage is good so you can have sex without sinning, their 19 yr old uneducated, unemployed son need not make babies immediately. They've gotten to know Jessa a bit and probably realize she isn't a kool aid drinker like Jill who'd want her own 2 dozen kids; I wouldn't be surprised if they've said or hinted to the couple or maybe to just their son, that they should enjoy being a married couple for a bit and figure out their lives, and there's no rush for babies as that'll just strain a new marriage. I kind of feel bad for Ben but I kind of don't. In a way -- it isn't fair that he gets the nasty run down house while Derick gets a mansion. But I don't feel bad because the reality is that house was renovated -- all of the shots of their omelets and protein shakes on IG always show granite countertops and stainless steel fixtures, so while the house isn't huge like Derick's -- it's a newly renovated small home and how many people just get one handed to them upon marriage at age 19!? I almost wish Ben would get pissed off about something in his own mind re how he is treated and that inspires him to realize that he has to rely on himself and look out for his own family. It can be done. I know he's not college educated and I kind of doubt that he's seriously pursuing his coursework online (though who knows), but it is still possible to have a middle/lower middle class life in the U.S. without college. There are all kinds of guys who work hard in construction, manufacturing, truck driving and driving for carriers like UPS who make decent money. I know the Duggars have a "you should own your own business and never work for anyone bc they may not be Christian," but Ben is the headship of his own family now and if working for a company makes him money, he doesn't need JB's approval. I know he seems more like a white collar/office work guy, but it is possible to start at a factory or in construction and work your way up to management. I really don't think Chad Paine has a college degree, but he's an office manager for a metals company in Tn; he's probably 6-7 yrs older than Ben, but I imagine he first had to gain experience in metals/manufacturing on the factory floor and then worked his way up so that when he moved to Tn for Erin, he was able to go into management rather than factory work.

I haven't followed this part closely -- have they said they're having a home birth or a birthing center rather than a hospital? I feel like in the clips from the season, they showed Jill and Derick sitting down in the office of some kind of dr (maybe it was a midwife)? If you deliver at home, I imagine you still have regular appointments some place up until delivery and then those same caretakers come to your home? I'm kind of surprised that Derick as a first time father who hasn't seen his own mother birthing dozens of miracles (like most normal people he was probably like 3 when his bro was born and then never had to think about his mom being pregnant again) is ok with a home birth. I mean most first time dads freak out a little even if they're in a hospital that can provide the best care in the world to their wife and kid. I imagine seeing your wife go through that kind of pain -- esp transition -- is panic inducing to most guys as they wonder if something is truly wrong, but there's nothing they can do. You'd think for the first one, he'd insist on a hospital -- just in case an epidural or a c section or special monitors or a NICU or even reassurance from 2 dozen nurses/doctors is needed; I mean I know a birthing center can't provide all that, but from a reassurance perspective -- it may still be better than home where I imagine they'd only have 1-2 staff members come to the house. After they've done it a few times and know how Jill handles labor, then it's different. But a home birth right off the bat seems irresponsible. I mean for Josh to be ok with it -- not surprised. He's seen his broodmare mother pop out a kid yearly and he has Duggar intelligence -- he probably doesn't know how many things can go wrong. But for Derick -- a college educated guy from a modern family that isn't squatting down giving birth daily who is in a profession that is very risk averse -- I'm surprised he's being so risk seeking with his wife and son.

Good to know that Cathy and Dan had a normal reaction to the pregnancy announcement. I know there was speculation on here that they rushed to have a honeymoon baby because Cathy was so sick that they wanted to make sure they had a grandchild for her quick. But I honestly think that wasn't the rush -- the rush was marrying a Duggar and expecting to be trying, pregnant or immediately postpartum for every cycle until there are no more cycles. I do think Cathy is more religious than the Dillards let on initially, BUT at the end of the day -- she isn't fundie; she obviously practiced some kind of BC having had 2 kids instead of two dozen. Dan already wasn't pleased with his brother getting involved with the Duggars, now I'm sure he's wondering if his brother will have 10+ kids in the next decade. I'm sure Cathy is probably thinking the same thing, but as the mother of a son who has married into a large, overbearing family -- I'm sure she is trying to be as supportive as possible and is likely genuinely excited for a first grandchild (while hoping that there won't be a dozen more) because I'm sure she realizes that any hint of judgment or suggestion that they slow down or gasp -- not have as many as God wills -- will likely result in Cathy and Dan being pushed further to the side in favor of the large, loud family that wants to talk to Jill and Derick about their sex life. Shocking how "recent" that was when you think about it. I'm guessing it was like 5 yrs ago that she was so scared to be at the dr. that she was crying on JB's shoulder. And 5 yrs later -- she is the same little girl but with a ring on it -- she gets pregnant on her honeymoon and is eager to bear it all with cameras watching as she screams through transition.

They definitely won't be interesting, which is why Jill and JB are milking it now. Now is the "exciting" time -- courtships, engagements and weddings for a couple girls so that's all brand new. The girls' first few kids will be a big deal as well -- VSEs showing every disgusting detail of delivery; showing how the daughters are raising their own kids to be part of the fundie army etc. But just like the original 19 got old and the show was fading until a few courtships popped up, the same will happen after Jill and Jessa have babies 1 and 2 and maybe after courtship for Jana and JD or Joseph and maybe showing Joseph at college a bit. Not so sure what happens to the show afterward.

I imagine they're just posting pics of what they're eating and what they are eating (as opposed to say Josh and Anna) is healthier. I have to imagine Derick and Ben demand or expect some healthy fare, so Jill and Jessa have had to adapt. Ben is a bit work out guy -- I'm guessing he was drinking/eating smoothies, omelets and pasta in his own home as those are staples for people trying to get in protein and carbs for weight lifting or running; so now he expects to eat those in his own home. As for Derick, he doesn't seem to be as big on working out and looking at the registry maybe he's into junk to some extent like all young people, but he was also raised in a middle/upper middle class home, so I'm guessing he's used to veggies and fruit at every meal -- not just packaged food. The poster above is right -- the picnic lunch he packed consisted of things like hummus, figs and cheese. Jill has also said that he enjoyed Nepali food, which is usually pretty heavy on veggies, and she's said his favorite dinner is something like stuffed squash or peppers. While TTC may be a novelty for him every so often, I expect that he wants meals to include veggies etc. Hence the food pics from both couples end up being healthier, while they've got TLC showing Josh and Anna going to some deep fried chicken place on their road trip.

What was her response, if anyone remembers generally? I wonder if she got some pressure from her family? I mean why fold to fundie pressure generally at this point? She's married and pregnant, so if John has no problem with her wearing a regular dress with shoulders and knees showing -- why does it matter what the other fundies think. I mean it's not like she has to worry about her reputation on the fundie courting market anymore.

Nice to see someone making dinner for Jessa. I'm sure it doesn't happen often or ever bc I'm sure wants to maintain a traditional household, but I'm glad Ben's willing to do this even once in a while. Living with Ben I'm assuming will allow some "normalcy" for Ben and Jessa and their eventual family -- in that, I assume his family did a traditional, sit down dinner time with the family -- as most people do. The Duggars are odd in that sense as it seems like Jana and the older daughters are responsible for preparing the meal sometime during the day and then everyone wanders through whenever and helps themselves with their paper plates. I'm sure Ben found it weird when he lived with them that he'd eat with Jessa and whoever else wanted to eat right then, as other people wandered in at various times and joined the meal. I imagine his home involved all 7 or 8 or whatever siblings sitting down with mom and dad, eating a meal prepared by the mom and served with real utensils and I imagine that's what he expects in his own home too.

Am I the only one who thinks John-Alyssa together don't look right? They're both fine looking -- he has a nice smile/face, but he looks awkwardly huge -- esp next to a girl like Alyssa who is so petite. I don't usually think tall guys with short girls looks bad, but there's something about him with her that just doesn't look right together. Though they've gotten the selfie thing down pat. Even at the Bates' home during the pregnancy announcement when he looked totally uncomfortable around the huge family, someone asked for a pic and he got into the stand behind her w - arm across her body and flash the grin selfie pose - in 2 seconds flat.