S09.E05: Breast Intentions

[greekmom]

Quote

Kobe and Emily argue over her breastfeeding habits in front of her parents; Bilal introduces Shaeeda to his kids; Thais lies to her dad and travels to America; Kara's family grills Guillermo; Mohamed meets Yve's son.

First Look: 13/5/22; TLC: 15/5/22; Discovery+: 15/5/22

[Frozendiva]

Dull preview.

Bilal brings his kids to meet Shaeeda. I dunno if he expects her to be an insta-bonus-mom or if they become the Bilal Bunch. It is going to take time for all to connect and become a family. The kids also need to understand that their new stepmom to be may not be interested in pool or basketball and have no ability in either. Yeah, let her watch a few times and slowly, she may develop an interest. Get to know her first.

I also don't know if Bilal just expects her to be a housewife and cook and maid. What about what he does in terms of chores.

Then we move on to Patrick and Thais. She hasn't told her dad that she is getting married and moving to the US. She does have a much younger step sister. She says she will come back if she doesn't like US life and life with Patrick.

Patrick has adopted a puppy! Not the best idea. Wait til Thais gets to the US, starts her new life here, and *then* both of you can go to a shelter or breeder and get a pet. I would not be happy if my fiance just springs a puppy or other animal on me so I have something to do and someone to keep me company. This is a mutual decision. He may be learning that he will be training and taking care of the puppy.

[renatae]

Bilal already has me gritting my teeth. When the kids asked if she wanted more children, she deferred to him. Then he nastily and loudly said, "They're asking you, not me." Very confrontational and he's already on my crap list.

Edited May 15, 2022 by renatae

[Frozendiva]

It is not that hard to inform potential partners that you have no interest in having more children. Don’t waste someone’s time.

[magemaud]

18 hours ago, renatae said:

Bilal already has me gritting my teeth. When the kids asked if she wanted more children. She deferred to him. Then he nastily and loudly said, "They're asking you, not me." Very confrontational and he's already on my crap list.

He obviously doesn't want to answer the question himself and tries to weasel out of it every time he is asked. 

I thought Shaeeda came across as kind of a wet blanket when the kids asked her about playing a game. I realize there are people who are just not into sports or video, card or board games but for her to haughtily announce "I don't like games. I don't PLAY games..." instead of "I've never played such and such but would love to watch you play and learn about it" was a real buzzkill. She's in for a rude awakening when the kids expect her to be on the sidelines at their sports games or in the audience for a dance recital or school band concert. That's just what parents do! 

It also pointed out just how little Bilal knows about her, he didn't realize she's not playful and hated his family "prank." 

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by magemaud

[Nilo]

Oh man, Yve with the profoundly special needs child has somehow acquired another one.  “I expected breakfast in bed.  Usually my mother prepares my breakfast and I expected Yve to do the same.”

I just can’t.

[renatae]

On 5/14/2022 at 12:42 AM, Frozendiva said:

It is not that hard to inform potential partners that you have no interest in having more children. Don’t waste someone’s time.

Yes. I think it's reprehensible. She's 37 years old and childless. He looks like just another one of those oafs who lead someone along until she's in his grip, then becomes immovable on the issue of children.

Edited May 16, 2022 by renatae

[greekmom]

4 hours ago, Nilo said:

Oh man, Yve with the profoundly special needs child has somehow acquired another one.  “I expected breakfast in bed.  Usually my mother prepares my breakfast and I expected Yve to do the same.”

I just can’t.

It's her own damn fault.

She could have gotten some local peen.  But nooo.... she had to import.

[Adeejay]

I can’t get over how ungrateful Ari is. I blame her parents.  The idea that she will have to somehow earn her keeps like most adults do, never seemed to have crossed her mind. I believe the reason she doesn’t want a 2-bedroom apartment is because someone is going to have to take care of it and it doesn’t come with a maid or nanny. 

Emily is another ungrateful one.  She is going to breastfeed her son until he is ready to go to kindergarten because she doesn’t want to get a job.  Her father acts like she is a delicate flower, when she has two exes that are currently incarcerated.

Yve and Mohamed's situation makes me nervous. He appears to be a misogynist.  I wish her son wasn't involved.  

Edited May 18, 2022 by Adeejay

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

I can't figure out if Mohamed's slow speech and simple syntax are caused by his unfamiliarity with speaking English in day-to-day life, or if he has a legit mental deficiency. Either way, it's beyond ridiculous to expect a working woman to get him breakfast when it should be the other way around.

OTOH, Yve appears to just assume Mohamed will be her new babysitter. The first time Mohamed has to put a catheter in her son, he'll run for the hills. Taking care of a child with this level of special needs is not something to entrust to a guy who may never have done a chore in his life.

Emily sure does love to whip her boobs out. Koban is well over a year old: it's way, way past time to get him off the nipple (literally) and into his own room. Oh, and Koban's only a holy terror because Emily and her enabling family allow it. Children will behave the way you allow them to behave: part of growing up is testing their limits. If you allow them to be wild and rambunctious, they'll behave that way. If you respectfully but firmly demand appropriate behavior, you'll usually get that as well. Now of course every child is different and some will tend to misbehave no matter what you do, but I've seen zero effort by Emily or her family to set ANY limits for Koban.

Shaeeda should have just asked Bilal's children to address her using her first name. Demanding a title anywhere near "mother" at this point is just going to antagonize them.

Edited May 16, 2022 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Grifter Lives]

It looks like Shaeda failed several tests in the kitchen of Bile's "modern, spacious home," as she had to let us know. (It did take them 2 minutes to get from the front door to the kitchen.)  Or, maybe she was just pranking him with his OCD:

• She moved the fruit bowl, which included just a pineapple & a coconut, but not the grapes that they were eating.
• She didn't reset the microwave clock.  It was showing 59 seconds of cook time remaining.
• They must have stood in the kitchen for 5 minutes, staring at each other, after the group hug, according to the oven and big-digit clocks.  
• The refrigerator was full of styrofoam take-out containers.
• The one overhead cabinet she opened was full of pill bottles.

In case we forgot to hate Bile for one moment, he decorated with a big, Hobby Lobby "Man Cave" sign, carrying the word art theme through from the cutting boards and a few other kitchen items.

[anoninrva]

1 hour ago, Adeejay said:

I can’t get over how ungrateful Ari is. I blame her parents.  The idea that she will have to somehow earn her keeps like most adults do, never seemed to have crossed her mind. I believe the reason she doesn’t want a 2-bedroom apartment is because someone is going to have to take care of it and it doesn’t come with a maid or nanny. 

Emily is another ungrateful one.  She is going to breastfeed her son until he is ready to go to kindergarten because she doesn’t want to get a job.  The father acts like she is a delicate flower, when she has two exes that are current incarcerated.

Yve and Mohamed's situation makes me nervous. He appears to be a misogynist.  I wish her son wasn't involved.  

Yes, but.  As much as it pains me to defend Ari on anything, expecting her to be able to float a NJ apartment on what income may be a bit much.  I thought the bed and full fridge were a great touch, and honestly, I expected them to be with her parents.   Still, that's a bit of a mixed bag with having rent hanging over you head with no way to pay it.  Granted, they could have talked all this out before they left, but Ari gets what Ari wants.

[anoninrva]

The spoiler for Kara's blackout drunkness next week seems to put some flavor on how they hooked up.  It's one thing to have a spark with a random stranger.  It's another thing entirely to have the local drunk bug you every night at work until you finally give in and see her outside work.

[JeanJean]

How would Kara feel if she met Guillermo's family overseas and he told her that one of his family might F her up?

[Adeejay]

1 hour ago, anoninrva said:

Yes, but.  As much as it pains me to defend Ari on anything, expecting her to be able to float a NJ apartment on what income may be a bit much.  

So I guess we are just going to pretend that Ari and Bini aren’t being paid by TLC. They are commanding at least $4,000 per episode. They will be fine.

[JeanJean]

18 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

So I guess we are just going to pretend that Ari and Bini aren’t being paid by TLC. They are commanding at least $4,000 per episode. They will be fine.

Wow, really? I though it was about $1500 per episode.

[gingerella]

4 hours ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

I can't figure out if Mohamed's slow speech and simple syntax are caused by his unfamiliarity with speaking English in day-to-day life, or if he has a legit mental deficiency. Either way, it's behind ridiculous to expect a working woman to get him breakfast when it should be the other way around.

OTOH, Yve appears to just assume Mohamed will be her new babysitter. The first time Mohamed has to put a catheter in her son, he'll run for the hills. Taking care of a child with this level of special needs is not something to entrust to a guy who may never have done a chore in his life.

Emily sure does love to whip her boobs out. Koban is well over a year old: it's way, way past time to get him off the nipple (literally) and into his own room.

It's her way of having control.over Koban. Sick and twisted? Yup. But you can see how she's using that to control how much access Kobe has with his own son. She's got serious issues.

[Welshman in Ca]

7 hours ago, Adeejay said:

So I guess we are just going to pretend that Ari and Bini aren’t being paid by TLC. They are commanding at least $4,000 per episode. They will be fine.

Not even close to that from what I've read. $1,500 for her & zero for him as they cannot pay him anything due to not being able to earn money while waiting for his green card/work permit.

[Shauna]

Interesting the way Emily said Kobe wants Koben to stop nursing because Kobe wants the bond that Emily and the baby share.  Um, no.  Kobe straight up said he cannot share boobs with his son.  This is about sex, not a bond, stupid.

Good for Yve, she's adopted another child. 

 

[Spectator]

Geez - Ari and Emily sure are two peas in a pod. Both are fully dependent on their parents. Both seem entirely ungrateful for the generosity of their parents. Both are clueless that their parents generosity is actually enabling their own bad behavior. Both insist on bossing their partners around, despite having terrible judgement themselves. Both use their children to maintain control over their partners, restricting access to the children when it benefits their own agenda (ex: Ari refusing to give Avi to Bini at the airport to spite his sisters, Emily restricting Kobe’s access to Koban almost ALL the time to satisfy her own insecurities…the woman needs to feel important and in control and that selfishly trumps the need for her child to bond with his dad). Both need to be the center of attention despite offering nothing to earn that position (ex: recall how Ari abruptly went to bed when bini and avi were first reunited in the US after Avi’s procedure - father and son were obviously very excited to be together and Ari wasn’t having it; Emily repeatedly blocks Kobe’s contact with Koban so that she can remain “top parent”).  

Emily is Ari 2.0. Yikes. I really hope these two are the exception to this generation and not the new norm, otherwise this country is toast! 

[1011101010001]

These helicopter parents like Ari’s and Emily’s probably think they are paragons of parenting but in actuality they are harming their kids by not teaching them independence and life skills.  If the parents die soon the child is left stranded.  If they have long lives there will be decades of codependency.  Neither option is attractive.  Ari has “worked” for her dad before so I’m sure that is the “job” she will end up with.  And because of the “expensive” apartment he will “have to” increase her salary.  

Edited May 16, 2022 by MrBuhBye

[suzeecat]

Koban can have Emily's boobees.  From what I saw (and she made sure I saw it all), they were flat and floppy, like undercooked pancakes.  Yuck. 

And, way to make your boytoy feel comfortable and welcome, by letting your family threaten him. Kara.  Good times.

Question:  Is that Ari's bio father?  How old is he?  He looks like he's in his 80s.

Edited May 16, 2022 by suzeecat
additional thought

[Stuckathome]

Emily had me FUMING last night. Kobe seems like a nice, decent dude who is super excited to be a part of his son's life and try to make a life with Emily. She is the one who fretted non stop about hoping it was like it was back in China wrt their sex life and chemistry. Was she a nagging hag in China? I doubt it and it has ZERO to do with "I am a mother now" and all about her wanting control, control, control. The gram said it best at dinner, they all do what she tells them to do. She is an entitled selfish brat who is now passing that on to her sweet son. Her parents really needed to STFU and stay out of their business. I usually am all about telling men to STFU when it comes to issues with a woman's body, but I have to say, I am Team Kobe on this one. First, the kid is too old to still be nursing. He doesn't even seem to want it as much as she was forcing him. Second, it IS strange (at least to me) for her to sit an pump in front of her father. Feeding the baby is one thing, but she could go pump in her room or somewhere else. And she knew Kobe was on his way so she should have started to get the baby used to sleeping on his own in his own room or even just a crib in her room. That was ridiculous and the way she was shouting orders at Kobe, I felt so bad for him----and he stayed calm, polite and respectful throughout. 

Yve......how she can realistically think that this love rat will step in as a nurse/babysitter for her son is beyond me. She seems to know a bit about Muslim culture and was ready to toss her booty shorts, but thinks a man raised in that culture will be happy to sit home and cook and care for a young adult with special needs?? No, just no. Egyptian Tim doesn't seem capable of speaking in anything but a monotone though, so I don't think we will see the fireworks and explosive arguments TLC probably hopes for. I predict he will pack up and leave or find another member of her Yoga tribe to support him. Someone mentioned she could have found local dick and save herself the heartache....the thing is, yes, she could have if she was just looking to get laid. But I think at this point, after being on her own for a few years, Yve really does want a partner. And there probably arent that many guys in NM looking to be with a woman her age with a special needs kid and a younger guy in her area isn't looking to settle down with that "burden" either. So.....import it is........

 

 

[JeanJean]

1 hour ago, suzeecat said:

Question:  Is that Ari's bio father?  How old is he?  He looks like he's in his 80s.

I think he is. I think Ari's mom is his second wife, but I'm not sure.

[Pepper Mostly]

37 minutes ago, Stuckathome said:

I usually am all about telling men to STFU when it comes to issues with a woman's body, but I have to say, I am Team Kobe on this one. First, the kid is too old to still be nursing. He doesn't even seem to want it as much as she was forcing him. Second, it IS strange (at least to me) for her to sit an pump in front of her father. Feeding the baby is one thing, but she could go pump in her room or somewhere else. And she knew Kobe was on his way so she should have started to get the baby used to sleeping on his own in his own room or even just a crib in her room.

I have a lot of thoughts on this. I agree that Kobe is bending over backwards. He clearly loves the baby and wants to interact with him. Gatekeeper Emily will have no part of that. She will be on cloud nine in the coming weeks, telling Kobe everything he's doing wrong. I mean, she wasn't wrong when she said not to wind him up and play with him so energetically before bed. But the WAY she told him! She barked it out like an order. No reason why she just couldn't say calmly "we don't want to get Koben all wound up and hyper at bedtime. Do you want to sit quietly and read him a story?" NOOOOOOO. Besides, I'm willing to bet a shiny American quarter that Koben's "bedtime routine" is strictly mommy jamming a boob into his mouth. And I agree that she seems far more invested in nursing than Koben is at this point. Even if he turns his head she's intent on him taking it. 

I didn't nurse myself but I am all for nursing, and extended nursing. though at Koben's age I would think it would be more of a comfort thing, not a constant. I mean, no one BF's a toddler every two hours, do they? Emily's boobs were constantly flapping in the breeze. Kalani did the same thing, getting up in the middle of the night to BF toddlers. I have no beef with co-sleeping either. BUT Emily should have invested (hahaha, I kill me. I mean, should have had her long suffering father invest) in a king size bed so everyone would be comfortable. And speaking of her long suffering father, I agree that pumping in front of her parents was, well, odd. And I don't get why she has to pump for a 17 month old. He's eating solid food at this point, he's not dependent on breast milk for nutrition or antibodies. Is she donating her milk? (hahahaha, I kill me again.) Emily's found a way to hijack the attention of the whole family at all times. She's daring anyone to say a word about it. She reminds me of the women I used to see on a usenet group I hung out on in the 90's, who'd post things like "I sat down on the edge of the frozen food case at Walmart and breastfed my 3 year old! I got so many dirty looks! Its my baby's right to breastfeed and when she's hungry I'm going to!" Its not about her baby. Its about her. 

I suppose her parents are just relieved that she didn't spawn with one of her now incarcerated former boyfriends, and that she's not bringing their grandchild to the state pen for visits every Sunday. 

[Stuckathome]

8 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Its not about her baby. Its about her. 

Exactly! Her parents should count their blessings that she didn't procreate with the jailed exes as you mentioned, or that her vacation lay wasn't a lazy or sketchy bum....Kobe seems to be level headed, educated and polite and totally into being present in his kid's life. He is one of the few I truly believe is in the US to be with his child and woman, not to chase a green card. If Emily was from Mexico, he would be there.....Canada, same. I did have a glimmer of hope/respect for her father when the issue of the engagement ring came up at dinner and he said (but very weakly) that it was the thought that counted more than the cost of the actual ring. 

[jabRI]

Ari needs to grow up, period.  She's an adult, her mom picking out the larger apartment is her not taking charge of her own life.  And her choice to bring the baby's father here unable to work for 3 months is again, her choice.  She is college educated, did she start looking for a job before moving back? Is Emily working? And Yve, no way I'd trust Mohammed with my kid, he can't install a bidet or make an egg.  And to hear him talk about 'women's work'  just no.

 

 

 

[magemaud]

13 hours ago, Grifter Lives said:

They must have stood in the kitchen for 5 minutes, staring at each other, after the group hug, according to the oven and big-digit clocks.  

it was probably the third "take" on the meeting when production reset the camera angles. 

 

56 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

2 hours ago, suzeecat said:

Question:  Is that Ari's bio father?  How old is he?  He looks like he's in his 80s.

I think he is. I think Ari's mom is his second wife, but I'm not sure.

"Fred" is 70. I'm not sure if he was married before Janice but she was definitely married and had kids before him. (Ari's two half brothers and half sister Kristen) Ari is their only bio child. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by magemaud

[bichonblitz]

12 hours ago, Grifter Lives said:

In case we forgot to hate Bile for one moment

Perfect name for him!

Emily is horrible, bossy and spoiled. I blame her dad. Grandma said it best. They do what ever Emily tells them to do. Scary and sick.  

I also blame Ari's parents. They are paying 3 months rent, deposit and set up utilities. Why can't Ari go to work for her dad again until she finds something else? Dad is looking old, maybe he's retired now? 

Mohammad expects Yve to cater to him. She has a son to cater to and he comes first. Such a sweet kid, too.  Did these two not discuss anything before deciding to uproot him from Egypt or was it strictly dickly for Yve? Not defending Mo at all but Yve could have arranged to take the next day off to make Mo feel more comfortable. Your KING just arrived to a foreign country!  Instead she has to throw pots and pans on the counter, show him where the frige is and run out the door. She must have known the guy can't cook! Maybe wake up early and make the guy breakfast before work just for that one day, explain to him on work days she won't be making many breakfasts but they will eat as a family on her days off.

[magemaud]

44 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

And I don't get why she has to pump for a 17 month old. He's eating solid food at this point, he's not dependent on breast milk for nutrition or antibodies.

I wonder if he IS eating solid food, again like Kalani not feeding her kids anything but breast milk. She said she was pumping because Koban was taking a long nap, then as soon as he woke up she stuck her boob in his mouth. Couldn't she have handed him off to Kobe to try and give him a bottle or cup instead? At dinner there was a sippy cup on the table (I guess it was the expressed milk) but he was still pawing at her breast and she nonchalantly obliged. 

I get the feeling that Emily does what she wants, when she wants, because the entire family is afraid of her or what she might do if they confront her about anything. Now that she has Koban it's another weapon to use to get her way. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by magemaud

[Adeejay]

4 hours ago, Welshman in Ca said:

Not even close to that from what I've read. $1,500 for her & zero for him as they cannot pay him anything due to not being able to earn money while waiting for his green card/work permit.

That is what they would have us believe.  I don't buy it.  Someone in the know also stated that the rate goes up the longer they do the show.  

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

1 minute ago, Adeejay said:

That is what they would have us believe.  I don't buy it.  Someone in the know also stated that the rate goes up the longer they do the show.  

I read somewhere that the Pillow Talks are where the real money is: $2,500 per episode (not sure if that's per person or per couple). If you're looking to get rich off the 90-Day franchise, you want the audience to like you enough that you become a PT regular and get a lot of Cameo requests.

As for the regular 90-Day couples: I'm sure that in addition to the $1,500 or whatever per ep, they're also getting help with the expen$ive K1 visa fees.

[Shelbie]

I think Emily has decided that her identity is breasts. She whips them out every other minute and almost dares other people not to be uncomfortable.  I think she used her previous dating life to shock everyone and now uses her boobs.

Nursing at 17 months is her choice but I don’t understand why she is still pumping. Her supply should be well established now but maybe her son doesn’t want to nurse as much but she wants him to so she pumps as a reason not to do anything else.

[Pepper Mostly]

3 minutes ago, Shelbie said:

I think Emily has decided that her identity is breasts. She whips them out every other minute and almost dares other people not to be uncomfortable.  I think she used her previous dating life to shock everyone and now uses her boobs.

Nursing at 17 months is her choice but I don’t understand why she is still pumping. Her supply should be well established now but maybe her son doesn’t want to nurse as much but she wants him to so she pumps as a reason not to do anything else.

"Her identity is breasts". Nailed it. 

She can nurse as long as she and Koben want to, agreed. But does he really want to? I'm not so sure. She's lazy, and puts him to the breast as soon as he makes a peep. He's accustomed to it. She's probably had windows of opportunity to wean him but she doesn't want to. Her identity is breasts. 

WRT payment, these people have side hustles, Only Fans, Cameo. That's where they make money. I can't imagine anyone ponying up for Emily's Only Fans but it takes all kinds.

[Pepper Mostly]

47 minutes ago, magemaud said:

I wonder if he IS eating solid food, again like Kalani not feeding her kids anything but breast milk.

Isn't it unhealthy to feed a toddler exclusively on breast milk? At that age they should be eating whatever the adults are eating. The kid has teeth! How could he get enough nourishment? 

I wonder if Emily will sing a different tune when Koben is five and asking for the titty in complete sentences. 

[Shauna]

Ari looked a mess when she got off that plane.  Yes, I realize it was a really long flight, but she looked pretty bad. 

Wonder who will care for her child now that she doesn't have a full time nanny?  Mama, who lives just five minutes away?

[magemaud]

3 minutes ago, Shauna said:

Wonder who will care for her child now that she doesn't have a full time nanny?

I am absolutely convinced that Nanny Mimi will be coming here on a work visa. In fact, I'm thinking she was on the plane, just not photographed. Who else could have braided Ari's hair like that? When Ari boarded the flight she had two braids, when she got off it was one that wrapped around her head. 

 

27 minutes ago, Shelbie said:

Nursing at 17 months is her choice but I don’t understand why she is still pumping.

I also noticed she had a glass of wine with dinner. Isn't that a no-no while nursing? 

[1011101010001]

3 hours ago, Stuckathome said:

And she knew Kobe was on his way so she should have started to get the baby used to sleeping on his own in his own room or even just a crib in her room.

I thought cosleeping is discouraged.  A parent rolls over and it could be fatal.

[1011101010001]

1 hour ago, bichonblitz said:

Dad is looking old, maybe he's retired now?

He’s definitely pulling up his pants to his ribcage like geezers do.

42 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

That's where they make money. I can't imagine anyone ponying up for Emily's Only Fans but it takes all kinds.

Hey Ella could probably do it.  There are all kinds of freaks out there.

[Inga]

Wow Emily is just horrible. I can’t believe how rude she is being to Kobe. I would never tell my boyfriend to go help my mom in the kitchen the first time he came over. How uncomfortable is that. And personally, i would not pump in front of my father or father in law, that would just be weird for me. And Emily’s boobs??? Omg! They are not looking good, i can’t believe she wore that outfit at the dinner table, gross. I mean, my boobs aren’t great either but i don’t show them like that. If i was Kobe, I’d be like, that’s okay Koben, you can have those. 

[torontomeridith]

2 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I didn't nurse myself but I am all for nursing, and extended nursing. though at Koben's age I would think it would be more of a comfort thing, not a constant. I mean, no one BF's a toddler every two hours, do they?-

I hesitate to bring this up, since I know it's not terribly common, but I did extended nursing and co-sleeping with my two children. At age two, nursing was strictly a comfort or sleep-related activity for them. I certainly wasn't pumping when they were age two and I wouldn't have pumped ever if I wasn't working outside the home.  Incidentally, my husband deferred to me the entire time and if he thought it was out of line, he kept those thoughts to himself. BTW, my kids are both teenagers now and are as normal as one can expect in these times.

[RoxiP]

There are many thoughts on cosleeping.  As a single parent I coslept with my daughter for longer because it worked for both of us, and I never rolled over and smothered her.  The negative flip side of that is your child gets used to sleeping with you and when you choose to return them to their own room it is a beating...LOL!  

I'm thinking at 17 months the child could still be nursing but also taking in baby food or toddler food.  To me it looked like she was drinking water by the way - just from a wine glass.  I do agree - her parents should let them have discussions about their relationship in private and not get all in their business...especially not on the first day!  And no, pumping in front of other people is just nasty.  How long she breastfeeds is between her, her pediatrician and her baby...it is none of her parents' business.  Her son shouldn't even be on formula at this point.  Did anybody notice that the bed that Kobe went to sleep in looked like it was at least a queen or a king - much bigger than the bed that Emily was sleeping in?

Why did Ari have on a weird yellow ensemble when she got off the plane?  Was it raining?  Was there a n'easter?  She had the hood pulled up over her head like she was expecting a monsoon!  I understand why Bini was wearing a vividly color ensemble - it is part of his culture - but a Jewish girl from New Jersey?  Watching her dad play with Avi was cute though.

[Breedom]

2 hours ago, jabRI said:

Ari needs to grow up, period.  She's an adult, her mom picking out the larger apartment is her not taking charge of her own life.  And her choice to bring the baby's father here unable to work for 3 months is again, her choice.  She is college educated, did she start looking for a job before moving back? Is Emily working?

I don't get this. If Janice and Ari are so close, why was this not discussed before her arrival back to the US? Ari made it clear that a one bedroom would be better AFTER THEY ARRIVED. So there was no plan or conversation in place as to where they would go? Who would pay? How to pay ongoing rent, etc.? I think that Janice couldn't bare the thought renting a one bedroom where her daughter would have to be inconvenienced, having all three of them sleep in the one bedroom. I think the thought pained her. Daddy will just have to increase her salary and that would be the solution. But still - the rent is probably not going to be cheap and along with all their other expenses, all paid for by one person, is going to be a challenge. Enter: Leandro. Ari probably can't wait to call him and cry on his shoulder. Bini will be miserable.

Why did Janice tell Bini after the flight that they have a "crazy" family? Other than the obvious dysfunction, saying that to someone usually means, "we have a super fun and 'special' family, so be prepared for all our fun antics! We're all crazy!" NOT. Is Janice trying to be a "fun" crazy mom with the sign and silly glasses? Oh . . . how terribly fun and special.

I do think, as much as I can't stand Janice, she was nice to set up the apartment with things they will need in the kitchen, getting the bed, food, etc. Ari and Bini didn't seem particularly grateful, though.

 

[anoninrva]

2 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I didn't nurse myself but I am all for nursing, and extended nursing. though at Koben's age I would think it would be more of a comfort thing, not a constant. I mean, no one BF's a toddler every two hours, do they? Emily's boobs were constantly flapping in the breeze. Kalani did the same thing, getting up in the middle of the night to BF toddlers. I have no beef with co-sleeping either. BUT Emily should have invested (hahaha, I kill me. I mean, should have had her long suffering father invest) in a king size bed so everyone would be comfortable. And speaking of her long suffering father, I agree that pumping in front of her parents was, well, odd. And I don't get why she has to pump for a 17 month old. He's eating solid food at this point, he's not dependent on breast milk for nutrition or antibodies. Is she donating her milk? (hahahaha, I kill me again.) Emily's found a way to hijack the attention of the whole family at all times. She's daring anyone to say a word about it. She reminds me of the women I used to see on a usenet group I hung out on in the 90's, who'd post things like "I sat down on the edge of the frozen food case at Walmart and breastfed my 3 year old! I got so many dirty looks! Its my baby's right to breastfeed and when she's hungry I'm going to!" Its not about her baby. Its about her. 

She mentioned having issues with breastfeeding initially (many women do), as her justification for constant pumping.  I agree about the king sized bed.  Kobe's bed looked bigger to me, but that may have just been the headboard.  Our fed until 5 and 4, by which time they'd both lost interest.  Night-weening can be a struggle, which it doesn't look like she's planned on yet.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I don't understand why Bini was asked about being in America for the first time.    The first time he was in the U.S. was several years ago, for months with the first wife.   

[Auntie Anxiety]

This Week’s Winners and Losers:

Winner: This week’s winner is Covid Koban, who will never have to worry about where his next meal is coming from, at least not unless or until he goes off to college. Perhaps Emily can supplement her “nanny” salary by being a wet nurse to her young charges, thus forcing Kobe to share her titties with all the toddlers in the neighborhood as well as his own son.

Losers: Areola’s siblings, who are watching their hopes for an already meager inheritance dwindling away because Janice and Dr. Fred decided to underwrite Areola and Bunion’s existence by securing an apartment in which Areola couldn't help but sing “Moving On Up” upon first entering it. Areola was shocked, SHOCKED, that Janice and Dr. Fred expect her and her ne’er-do-well sperm donor to pick up the rent and utility bills sooner rather than later. Bunion, realizing that he brings absolutely nothing to the table, thanked them and whispered, “Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen” in broken English to no one in particular.

Next Week: Patrick mistakenly injects the new pocket puppy with steroids and over night, the tiny dog morphs into the size of a standard poodle.

Edited May 16, 2022 by Auntie Anxiety

[bichonblitz]

5 hours ago, Stuckathome said:

But I think at this point, after being on her own for a few years, Yve really does want a partner. baby sitter, housekeeper.

Fixed that for ya. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

6 hours ago, MrBuhBye said:

These helicopter parents like Ari’s and Emily’s probably think they are paragons of parenting but in actuality they are harming their kids by not teaching them independence and life skills.  If the parents die soon the child is left stranded.  If they have long lives there will be decades of codependency.  Neither option is attractive.  Ari has “worked” for her dad before so I’m sure that is the “job” she will end up with.  And because of the “expensive” apartment he will “have to” increase her salary.  

Areola has extorted them for years with her emotional fragility and snowflake sensibilities. And they have allowed (I’m looking at you, Janice). The job of being an parent is to do whatever it takes to make your child become an independent, productive, responsible member of society. Kids are on loan to you until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Treating a 30yo daughter like she’s a tweener is the same as Emily shoving her breast into Koban’s mouth, whether he really wants it or not. Infantilizing your kid is emotionally abusive, in my opinion.

[Adeejay]

3 hours ago, Shelbie said:

I think Emily has decided that her identity is breasts. She whips them out every other minute and almost dares other people not to be uncomfortable.  I think she used her previous dating life to shock everyone and now uses her boobs.

I breast fed three children: in the presence of my father, but always discreetly.  I can't imagine having the girls out in full view of my dad and ten cameramen/assistants/production guys.  But that's me.  To each their own.  

It never ceases to amaze me when people use their religion like an ala carte menu.  I’ll abide by this, but not that.  According to Mohamid, it is against Islam for a man and a woman who aren’t related to be together, alone.  However, it appears to be okay for an unmarried woman and an unmarried man to share the same bed. 

[JeanJean]

3 hours ago, Shauna said:

Ari looked a mess when she got off that plane.  Yes, I realize it was a really long flight, but she looked pretty bad. 

Wonder who will care for her child now that she doesn't have a full time nanny?  Mama, who lives just five minutes away?

I didn't understand why she was so tired since she just slept through the 24-hour flight, leaving Binyam to care for the baby. Although, granted, it probably wasn't as good a sleep as one would have in a bed.