sleepysuzy

I really hope they remain platonic, too. I like their friendship, and they have no spark of anything else.

I would really love to see a Step Study incorporated into this show. As other have said, they do step one (admitting the problem), and some really weak amends. Otherwise, they don't seem to do much but group shares and meet with sponsors. That is not how AA (or other 12 step programs) work in the long-term. They have set up the characters in a way where this could really work, too. I see Wendy as someone who probably is actually working the steps separately from the others. Bonnie was going to therapy, but never followed through otherwise. I think Bonnie and Jill, and maybe even Marjorie, have some signs of codependency, which is why they are more interested in each other's drama-filled lives than Wendy's responsible job and success. Wendy doesn't "need" them to "fix" her. Tammy seems to fit with the crazy/drama clique only because of her past incarceration and subsequent lack of social development. We've seen glimpses of her growing past the others as she worked with the girls in the group home. I would love to see Tammy, Wendy, and Marjorie start to pull away from Bonnie and Jill until thise two start to realize that the damage underlying their addictions still needs to really be addressed long-term.

My church is Evangelical, but not independent. I've never had specific expectations of my pastor's wife. My current pastor's wife is an agricultural teacher in a public school, and at my last church (same denomination, different location) the pastor's wife was a high level administrator for a hospital system. Priscilla reminds me more of the wives of pastors I knew as a young kid. She seems pleasant and doesn't come across as lazy. I imagine her willingly helping with children's programs, making calls on the elderly (those we used to call shut-ins), and joining whatever they have for women's ministries. I was in a church when I was in graduate school where two pastors in a row left because of conflict between their wives and the congregation. In that church, they did NOT want a pastor's wife to think she had carte blanche to take over the music/youth program/etc.

Yep, I concur. My third labor was my longest (also biggest baby). My fourth was the shortest - only nine hours! The women in ny husband's family have precipitous labors, and I actually have to leave the room when the topic comes up because I just can't listen to them talk about their short labors without getting jealous. I can't imagine Kendra doing a home birth. Hopefully Joe is up to the task as her sole support person.

Yes, he spent a day or so in the hospital if I remember correctly. We are from a rural area, too, but venomous snakes are not common there. I don't get the over-long jeans look, either. Men buy their jeans to fit. It's not like they couldn't just pick a shorter inseam. No hemming necessary.

Someone I went to high school with married a Texas girl and moved there, and the family told him to never leave the house without putting his boots and jeans on first. He didn't take it too seriously and stepped out one morning in shorts and sandals, and was promptly bitten by a rattlesnake. His mom told me no one had explained to him that the boots and jeans were protective gear. He was a law school graduate, and his wife's family were well-off and highly educated, so it wasn't an intelligence issue, just a cultural gap.

He-is-the-way

My nickname guesses: Angel or Evan.

I think of Jo March, too. Her name was Josephine, but she always used Jo. I like Evangeline Jo, but I am a hillbilly, and my kids have names that would be called redneck on these boards, although they are traditional names.

When I was in school, it was 4th grade (1989). We always seemed to have one or two early bloomers in each class, so the timing worked well. Usually by the end of fifth grade there were a handful of girls in training bras and menstruating. This was a small public school in rural WV. I didn't find the timing on this for Missy to be surprising at all.

The average age kids first see porn is 11, but increasingly kids see it earlier. Scenarios like this happen: 11-year-old finds porn, shows it to 9-year-old sibling who shows 8-year-old neighbor, who shows six-year-old cousin, who tells five-year-old classmates. I've seen it play out firsthand when I was a kid and some older neighbor kid stole a Playboy, and I have seen it as an educator over the past few years with internet porn. I think Jill being proactive is good.

Regarding shoes and pregnancy: I had horrible foot cramps from shoes when I was pregnant. Being barefoot or wearing my croc sandals (like flip-flops, but with no thing between the toes) were the only comfortable options. My neonatal provider explained that the hormones that help relax the ligaments in the pelvis for delivery can also affect other joints, such as the feet. It also got worse with each succesive pregnancy.

Dale sounded very much like a newly sober 12-stepper to me. Considering that Chuck Lorre also has Mom, which focuses on sobriety, it wouldn't surprise me.

Have they ever said how old Marjorie is supposed to be? I guessed her to be at least 10 years older than Bonnie. I know plenty of people in their 60s and 70s who have stents and various other health problems, and none of them were homeless heroin addicts at any point in time. I think it is in character for her to try to keep it all in and act out, too. It would be interesting to see the ladies "work the steps" more. We've seem amends a few times, but there are 11 other steps.

I think a big difference is the age spread. The older boys are 16, 14/15, and 11. Olivia is 9 or 10. They really only have two young ones (5 and 3) and a baby on the way. The older kids are probably fairly self-sufficient. There is such a disparity between having babies every 2 to 4 years and having one (or two) every year, like Michelle and JB. Unlike the Duggars, I also have the impression that the Caldwells actually teach their children things like housekeeping and a work ethic.

No, that's just snark. I don't think a mom with a newborn and toddler being tired and needing a break while her husband's is away is really indicative of anything being amiss. I've been there, still had more kids. Moms of newborns get tired and overwhelmed, even if they only have one baby.

Their model is unsustainable because they don't emphasize the work ethic enough. Amish and Mennonites manage with large families, but they work hard and expect the whole family to work, too. Gothardism seems to emphasize producing huge families and limiting education, but nothing about training the women in homemaking or the men to work hard at the family business. They seem to believe that just having lots of kids is all the work they have to do.

I also think that having HG during pregnancy, then having a baby to take care of, could be taking a toll on Abby. I had hyperemesis gravidarum with my pregnancies, and vomiting multiple times a day every day for several months really wears out the body.

I cheat and cook the turkey bacon and regular bacon on a pan together in the oven so the turkey bacon gets real bacon grease soaked in as it cooks. It is a cost saver more than a health thing. Turkey bacon is much cheaper where I shop.

To clarify, Nurie doesn't look like she gained weight in her belly, and certainly doesn't look pregnant. She is arching her lower back and pushing her belly forward in a pose with her hands and her husband's hands on her abdomen, which makes it look like she is pregnant because of the body language and pose. If she weren't standing like that, I'd never suspect a pregnancy. If she is pregnant, it would still be the first trimester and, since this would be her first baby, no way would she actually be showing yet.

The whole family is color coordinated in maroon/cranberry, gray, white, and black. Every picture of Nurie and Nathan has this pose, although in some it looks more like she is trying to push her belly out.

Jill just posted some family pictures. Based on this pose, I believe Nurie is there to make a pregnancy announcement.

I had young parents - my parents were 23 when I was born, and I was their second child. I vividly remember my dad throwing me in the air high like that. My husband and I were a decade older when we had our kids, and I can't imagine either of us being physically capable of doing that, and I'm sure we are both too cautious to try.

When Kaylee has a relaxed face, I think she is a beautiful young woman.

I've been thinking if this in relation to Chadwick Boseman's death and the flack he took online for his appearance beforehand because no one knew he was ill. There has been tons of speculation / snark / concern about AF losing weight and seeming frail. When I see sources guessing she has a cocaine addiction or eating disorder (both of which would also be tragedies and illnesses rather than personal failings), I also just wonder about her health.