S08.E04: Zoey's Birthday Party

[wrestlesflamingos]

 

 

 

I couldn't find the episode description. Does anyone have a source? Please have mercy on us for this chistmas eve eve episode.

[CPP83]

Oh poor little Zoey, heh, one might have thought she was being tortured during those doctor visits.

 

I thought it was good to hear that she does indeed have the type of dwarfism as they first thought because, as Bill said, it'll actually be a little easier on her physically to handle than if she had the same type as he and Jen do.

 

I thought the birthday party was cute but one of these days Jen is going to find herself being a "Live and Learn and then Get Luvs" mom, heh, where she figures out all the hustle and fuss and muss really isn't necessary to give the kids a good time.

 

Give them candy, cake, ice cream and some kind of carb with chicken on the side and you'll be a god. Added points if you also give them stuff, heh. But the pony was cute.

 

I liked how when Will just wasn't having those cowboy boots Jen didn't make him wear them. 

 

Knowing just how badly damaged Bill's back was during that time and seeing how he just kept letting those kids pile on him...what a trooper. 

[Bamamom]

I really enjoyed seeing an episode "all about zoey" for a change! Don't get me wrong I just love Will but his big personality puts a shadow on Zoey it seems. It's always nice to be made special sometimes. Bill & Jen are amazing parents but I think they get so wrapped up in Will at times (esp bill). I never see or hear them mention security guards but with all the exposure & fans I hope they have some protection. Love the show!!!

[joanne3482]

Not being a watcher of the early seasons, for some reason I thought the adults also had achondroplasia. I also thought Will did, but maybe he does. This show is like a piece of candy (or cake!) to me. I enjoy it while watching, but forget the details once an episode is done.

Loved Zoey's party. I loved the idea of petit fours for a cake. Even easier to eat than cupcakes, and can be individually decorated so many different ways!

I saw some of the kids with her and had two thoughts. One, were some of those kids her age? I would guess so since they were from "her class." It really highlighted how tiny she is. My second thought was how hard it will be for other children to be convinced to not pick her up. I thought I saw one try, and wondered if some will be trying that on her in the future. In my experience, there's an age bracket of maybe 7-10 year olds that seem to love to pick up littler kids, even when they shouldn't.

[Lillybee]

Zoey is absolutely beautiful. If I were Padma from Top Chef, I might be worried about some competition in about 15 years.

 

I got a little teary when the girl in the aqua dot dress bent down to hug Zoey.

[Micks Picks]

I caught part of this episode and some of another tonight.  I just can't sit still for long enough.  And my attention drifts.  But when Zoey cries she gets my dog's attention and he goes up to the TV and watches.  He also watched the pony at the house.  Cute.

 

I'm kind of over the birthday parties though.  They are over the top for these reality shows and it has become boring with all of them.  Well, except for my dog enjoying the pony, of course.  

[Honey]

It was so cute that Will was calling Bill "Beel" instead of Daddy.  Beel Beel Beel.

[Ceruleana]

It was so cute that Will was calling Bill "Beel" instead of Daddy.  Beel Beel Beel.

 

My mom and I were like, "Oh Lord, he's learned Baba's real name!"  Him constantly going, "Beel, Beel" was totally funny, though.  Typical four year-old.

 

Jen is way OTT, but I loved Zoey's party.  Her pink boots and bandanna were everything, what a living doll.  Ugh, such ovary-jumpage!  I also cracked up at how Dave and Judy sort of hold Zoey in a doll-like sort of way.

 

How funny was Zoey going, "Ooh, horse!" then seemingly over it five minutes later?  Like CPP83 said, these kids don't require a lot but I realize that this is more about Jen fulfilling her dreams of having a darling daughter to dote on and dress up, so we'll just let the good doctor have it, lol.  And was it Bill that said that you begin wondering how you'll top the party scale for the next year?  Keep it simple with kids, I say, unless it's a milestone birthday (5th, 10th, 13th, 16th, etc.)  I only remember having one party as a kid--my 8th to be exact.  I was raised in a very conservative background, and it was the only time I was allowed to wear a shorter skirt, and I felt like a princess in my floral print.  Plus, my mom made two strawberry shortcakes from scratch, she made us kids some buttermilk fried chicken, lavender iced tea, and served vanilla ice cream topped with peaches.  We had a good old time too, between the food and playing jumprope and freeze tag and throwing glitter--not a single pony was necessary!

 

I wonder why Will looks like more typically achondroplastic than Zoey does?  I was surprised to hear Jen placing a wager on what her diagnosis would be.  Zoey appears to just look really small like the world's smallest woman Jyoti Amge from American Horror Story.  I mistakenly thought Jyoti was a primordial dwarf, but she actually has achondroplasia as well.

Edited December 24, 2014 by BizBuzz
Removed Link ... was being sent to a 404 Forbidden Page.

[Jellybeans]

Fun party, fun times. I had ONE party like this and will always remember it. Loved the little cakes. Double love on Jen and kids riding in the buggy. So sweet. Happy Jen has her girl. Equally happy Bill has his boy. Yeah it usually ends up that way.

Happy birthday Zoey!

[trimthatfat]

I definitely think Zoey's party was more for mommy than Zoey. That's almost always how it goes with birthday parties for toddlers, but the party was very adorable. You can tell Jen loves a good, well-planned party. If she didn't have a mind for medicine, she'd make a great event planner.

 

Bill...ugh, I just feel for him and his back issues. You never hear him say 'Daddy can't play with you because he's hurt and needs to rest'. He's a really good father.

[Bellalisa]

Yes, it's true Zoey does not seem to have the disproportionate head and big forehead typical of her type of dwarfism.  Do these kids eat non-stop or is it just the editing? I was shocked they could eat that big cookie after all those worms and cakes. Will loves his food.  I thought we were going to have another GoldfishGate there with the worms. She tells him not to eat them- did he pay one bit of attention? 

[Ceruleana]

Will certainly is more...willful, but still in all, just barely out of toddlerhood so the defiance bits are par for the course. 

 

I will say that I think that the constant presence of the film crew can't foster an environment where Will can be disciplined consistently and learn healthy boundaries.  I mean, forget the audience at home, having to do time-outs in front of a whole crew watching and filming?  That would probably be really humiliating for a young boy.  And nowadays, you can't even publicly tap your child on the rear or the hand without someone taking offense to it.  In the instance of Goldfish-gate, I can see Jen also not wanting to perceived by the viewers as a stressed/overwhelmed/meanie mom by taking the snacks away from Will, although she probably should have.  You know, always gotta be aware of the cameras!  That's the downside of rearing the children on camera--they don't have a lot of privacy and they can't/won't allow themselves to make disciplinary (among other) mistakes for the world to see.  IMO, they don't have the luxury of having alone time to grow as a family and growing as well-rounded parents.  I can see food being used as a bribe to keep the kids content and even "up".

 

I saw the promos for the new season of Kate Plus 8.  One of the 14 year-old walks away from Kate in disgust and Kate flashes a "Great, she hates me again, I failed" look at the camera.  I don't think the Arnold-Kleins won't descend that far, though--I can see them bowing out gracefully and instead using their platform for other endeavors.

[CPP83]

I wonder why Will looks like more typically achondroplastic than Zoey does?  I was surprised to hear Jen placing a wager on what her diagnosis would be.  Zoey appears to just look really small like the world's smallest woman Jyoti Amge from American Horror Story.  I mistakenly thought Jyoti was a primordial dwarf, but she actually has achondroplasia as well.

 

 

 

Achondroplasia can often present with a large head, such as in the case of Will, but the first diagnosis is through skeletal growth and the shortness of the limbs, fingers and toes. '

 

Looking at their actual bodies and how their legs and arms look and move Zoey and Will share a lot of similarities, in how they run and walk and even sit or stand. She can't just pop up off the ground like he can so quickly but she comes close. He has a little more length than she does which I think makes it easier for him to do that.

 

 

 

I realize that this is more about Jen fulfilling her dreams of having a darling daughter to dote on and dress up, so we'll just let the good doctor have it, lol

 

 

 

 

I definitely think Jen went all out, yet again, because this is her first time getting to plan for her little girl's special day. She had a huge party for Will and now she's had one for Zoey, and they certainly can't claim they were jipped compared to the other when they get older, so i think she'll start to scale back now and take it a little easier, hopefully, on herself with all the planning and arrangements and the kids too . Maybe not so many animals next time, heh.

 

My thinking is that also Jen is still just coming off of cancer recovery so, imo, she's even more inclined to make a big deal about getting to celebrate watching her child turn another year older.

 

She's made it very clear that she knows just how blessed she is to get to be there to see it and witness it all and join in the celebration and she doesn't have to worried about getting treatments or hospital visits or worse case scenarios.

 

To me this time in her life Jen's not taking anything for granted. She wanted to give Zoey a standout, wow 'em party for her to remember, especially as she mentioned that she isn't even sure Zoey's ever had a birthday party just for her before.

 

 

ETA:

 

I mean, forget the audience at home, having to do time-outs in front of a whole crew watching and filming?

 

 

 

 

They could easily take Will into a private room, his bedroom, without cameras or anyone else present to discipline him. Jen and Bill have a pretty big house, heh, I don't think they lack in personal space.

 

They seem to take great care with the kids' privacy. I mean we've never even seen a diaper change on camera before, and thank god for that because I always felt that's so intrusive for the child. Thee same goes for potty training in my book, there's no need to expose your child in such a way.

 

Plus I think the camera crew can easily shut off their cameras when asked and they do go home, They don't film them around the clock every single day and there aren't installed cameras recording the family's movements 24/7.

 

I actually think Bill and Jen don't film nearly as much content as many reality families do. It's why the show can seem staged a lot of the time, because I don't get the feeling we see tons of daily content but more so they pick certain days, or certain events to really focus on.

 

In the first day of school episode last week blink and you missed it, we saw the kids prepped for their first day, then they had a swimming lesson, then not too long after we see them at the dinner table Jen mentions how it's been a week since they started school when she asked Will about making friends and crying for them, so to me that was a good example of just how much time we don't see and they don't film for the show, and I think it's a good thing.

Edited December 24, 2014 by CPP83

[trimthatfat]

Will also disobeyed Jen when she told him to give her the dog food. He said "just one piece" and threw it over the gate. He doesn't do anything she tells him.

I cringed at that part and him throwing Jen's purse over the gate and into the kitchen. Totally not okay. From what I see, Will is very bright and he knows exactly what he is doing when he misbehaves. When he spilled the suntan lotion, he rushed to find something to clean it up before he got caught. So IDK, maybe he just really enjoys testing boundaries.

 

I wonder if Jen and Bill have the option of saying 'cameras off, we need a second with our kids'. I definitely wouldn't want to discipline my kids on camera.

Edited December 24, 2014 by trimthatfat

[bichonblitz]

 

I'm kind of over the birthday parties though.  They are over the top for these reality shows and it has become boring with all of them.  

Get ready because from watching the previews there is going to be another one for Bill next week.  

[toodles]

Will is four.  Boundary testing is what they do. I've said it before, but we only see a small peek at their lives.  I'm pretty sure they make him behave.

 

Off topic a little.  When my brother was about that age, he called my mom Ev.  Her name was Evelyn, but my dad called her Ev.  The Bill thing with Will was pretty funny.  It made me laugh.  

 

I thought the party was fun.  Over the top, yes.  Is Jen an A personality?  Oh yes.  But to come as far as she has with her career, you have to be.  Her mom cracked me up with the 14 page booklet and the meeting.

[CPP83]

So IDK, maybe he just really enjoys testing boundaries

 

 

 

Well he's a five year old year kid, heh, testing boundaries is basically his job for the next...15 years give or take, heh.

 

I actually thought the whole Will hurrying to clean up his mess before "Mama sees me" act is actual proof that he knows he can get into "trouble" if he's been naughty.

 

A child who isn't afraid of punishment, or doesn't even believe that he will be punished, one who doesn't think that Mama or Baba might take away my toys or put me in time out if they find me doing this wouldn't react the way Will did, imo. 

 

To me that was a classic "Uh-oh, I am going to get in trouble now" response. He couldn't scrub up that suntan lotion fast enough, heh. And then when Jen asked if he was cleaning up a mess he answered in the affirmative, as if to assure her he'd "fixed" what he'd done. Even though he was cleaning up with a piece of paper, heh, so I'm sure there was work still to be done but at least he tried.

 

 

ETA:

 

I wonder if Jen and Bill have the option of saying 'cameras off, we need a second with our kids'. I definitely wouldn't want to discipline my kids on camera

 

 

 

Just going off of all the time we lose between episodes and even in the episodes themselves, there are chunks of days missing if not weeks at a time, I personally believe they're off camera far more than they're actually on and being filmed.

Edited December 24, 2014 by CPP83

[trimthatfat]

Will is four.  Boundary testing is what they do. I've said it before, but we only see a small peek at their lives.  I'm pretty sure they make him behave.

 

I feel like I need to disclaim this, but I'm not making judgments either way about Jen or Bill's parenting. I know this is a small peek at their lives. I'm not suggesting they don't encourage him to behave. So nevermind...

Edited December 24, 2014 by trimthatfat

[toodles]

I'm sure you weren't suggesting that.  This is a no judgment zone from me too.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

 

 

I feel like I need to disclaim this, but I'm not making judgments either way about Jen or Bill's parenting. I know this is a small peek at their lives. I'm not suggesting they don't encourage him to behave. So nevermind...

[TEEVEE]

I am still of the mindset that while the children are in a better environment then where they were, they are not living  normal life being on a reality show. That coupled with the Klein's materialistic and shallow approach to living large, is so very unrelateable for me. The kids being so little and cute should not be sold as entertainment. I fear as they get older we will see the physical and intellectual limitations played out on TV and that makes me cringe. I don't how one can say they are good, responsible parents when they have a show on TLC. Those 2 things just don't line up for me.

[Jellybeans]

What physical (other than the obvious which Bill, Jen, Matt and Amy Roloff have repeatedly shown us how they overcome...) and intellectual limitations?? Who is showing limitations???

Sure they have money but shallow living is subjective at best. A certain Kim K. comes to mind. Jen and Bill would never leave "Disney on Ice" in the middle of the show. They would be as excited as Will and Zoey, unlike Kim K and Kanye.

I would love to live as shallowly as they do. *bliss*

Edited December 24, 2014 by Jellybeans

[NausetGirl]

Do these kids eat non-stop or is it just the editing? I was shocked they could eat that big cookie after all those worms and cakes. Will loves his food.  I thought we were going to have another GoldfishGate there with the worms. She tells him not to eat them- did he pay one bit of attention? 

 

Yep, Will does seem to be eating nearly all the time now.  Because I think "grazing" is probably a good thing overall, this wouldn't bother me but the amount of accessibility and the food options need to change.  I think Will needs to learn to self-regulate his eating and being five is a great time to start learning this.  Much better than 15.  They might think about doing a snack box or basket, left out in the kitchen where Will has easy access all day.  Each morning it would be filled with that day's "allottment" of healthy snacks.  Fruits like an apple, banana or pear, a tangerine [they're small and Will might love working on peeling it], unsalted nuts, unsalted wholegrain crackers, a plain cookie or two in a baggie, one lunchbox-size bag of Goldfish or similar "salty snack", dried fruit in a baggie, maybe half a peanut butter sandwich on wholegrain bread in a baggie. There are lots of options and Jen could easily get help with what amounts would be appropriate.  Will would be told he can have any of his snacks whenever he wants them, but when they're gone, they're gone.  He might very well eat the entire box up between breakfast and mid-morning the first few days, but eventually it will sink in.  He has to "budget" his snacks or he'll be hungry all afternoon.  There could also be a snack box in the fridge with a little yogurt cup, cheese sticks, celery or carrot sticks/grape or cherry tomatoes in a baggie etc].  Will would obviously need adult help with the fridge but again, he would be allowed to have anything in "his" snack box whenever he wanted it.  Maybe Bill & Jen have one of those under-counter refrigerator drawers that Will could access on his own.  A great project for the nanny to do first thing each morning after arriving.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I found it very hard to watch Jen's "manic" phase last night.  Watching the whole family including the kids around that table like they were planning an invasion of earth was too much.  What fun that must have been!  Jen could hardly catch her breath, 14 pages of sketches/notes?  And she works full time?!  Sure ok!  Shame on Judy for not keeping up!  Jen's face when Judy didn't know what page they were on, then Judy snarking "is there a quiz?" and Jen getting more annoyed was priceless.  I am sure Judy, Dave and Bill were all embarrassed for her.  Bill said he would do it his way almost deliberately to annoy her!  LOVED IT!  LOL  Dave doing the side eye.  And Bill's voice in the background telling the audience how it seems to work best to just let Jen go.  That sentence said a lot about her need for control  to the nth degree.  Jen has issues!

 

I was ready to go through the tv screen and take Will by the seat of his "unnerwares" and sit him down to eye level and just say NO!  Will ENOUGH!  It is not his fault he is not disciplined, it has literally become a joke with Bill and Jen.  Eating those worms, the dog food, deliberately throwing her purse over the rail, squeezing sunscreen on the hardwood floors then grabbing any piece of paper to make an attempt to clean it up?  Well bless his little heart for at least trying to clean up because he "knew he was in trouble!"  We can just ignore watching all the other nonsense as long as he did that?!

 

Great ideas NausetGirl on how to deal with the obvious eating issue the kids have which is getting worse not better and both kids are chunky.  Zoey is short but she is meaty.  They ate sugar all day.

 

What was hanging down from underneath Will's shorts on the front of his right leg?  It was there all through the birthday party.  I did see the top of pull ups or diapers a few times during the episode last night on Will.  

[CPP83]

Yep, Will does seem to be eating nearly all the time now

 

 

 

 

I have to say I don't think that's the case at all. 

 

Bill and Jen have never disclosed in any great, grand detail how they handle Will and food, such as scheduling his meals, how big a portion he gets depending on which food group he's being served from, the possibilities are endless. We don't even know if they're working with a nutritionist or not. What I did see last night was a doctor who poked and prodded and looked him over and seemed generally impressed with his physical physique and condition.

 

Last night when they had Will with his clothes off getting looked over it didn't appear to me that he'd put on any extra weight. In fact they mentioned that his stamina also has gotten better, which I would not expect of a child who's lugging around extra pounds on a little person's frame as Will is.

 

In general stamina and weight gain do not go hand in hand with an average sized person, a little person like Will who's carrying pounds he shouldn't would be in even worse condition.

 

I don't see him getting bigger or fatter, if anything I have noticed that he does seem to be getting faster and more agile. Plus he's getting those amazing swimming classes and there's hardly a better exercise that could work his entire body as swimming. He's using his arms and legs the whole time, he's having to control his breathing, another great way to increase stamina as well.

 

Personally to me Will seems in better physical shape than he was before, when they got him from China and he really was packing away food as if he might not see it again. Imo I don't see how a few clips from various days, clips which barely amount to half a day in their household in a full episode can be used to say the kid is wolfing down food at every turn and making a fuss when he isn't. 

 

I think Jen and Bill have done a great job with him. I see no proof that anything they're doing is making his food addiction worse, if anything they've gotten a handle on it and have curbed it or else the camera doesn't add 10 pounds in Will's case but is somehow hiding them.

 

 

ETA:

 

Well bless his little heart for at least trying to clean up because he "knew he was in trouble!"  We can just ignore watching all the other nonsense as long as he did that?!

 

 

 

What else is a television audience going to do but watch things that have been previously recorded months ago?

 

Jen and Bill aren't polling the audience at the end of the show to ask how they can "improve" their performances. What Will's going to do is what he's going to do and Jen and Bill will handle him as they see fit to, I don't mind watching the show in that context whether I agree with their choices or not.

Edited December 24, 2014 by CPP83

[Foghorn Leghorn]

 

 

What else is a television audience going to do but watch things that have been previously recorded months ago?

 

 

Oh sorry to be unclear, I was only referring to the things we saw him do last night nothing prior.    

[NausetGirl]

I have to say I don't think that's the case at all. 

 

Bill and Jen have never disclosed in any great, grand detail how they handle Will and food, such as scheduling his meals, how big a portion he gets depending on which food group he's being served from, the possibilities are endless. We don't even know if they're working with a nutritionist or not. What I did see last night was a doctor who poked and prodded and looked him over and seemed generally impressed with his physical physique and condition.

 

Last night when they had Will with his clothes off getting looked over it didn't appear to me that he'd put on any extra weight. In fact they mentioned that his stamina also has gotten better, which I would not expect of a child who's lugging around extra pounds on a little person's frame as Will is.

 

In general stamina and weight gain do not go hand in hand with an average sized person, a little person like Will who's carrying pounds he shouldn't would be in even worse condition.

 

I don't see him getting bigger or fatter, if anything I have noticed that he does seem to be getting faster and more agile. Plus he's getting those amazing swimming classes and there's hardly a better exercise that could work his entire body as swimming. He's using his arms and legs the whole time, he's having to control his breathing, another great way to increase stamina as well.

 

Personally to me Will seems in better physical shape than he was before, when they got him from China and he really was packing away food as if he might not see it again. Imo I don't see how a few clips from various days, clips which barely amount to half a day in their household in a full episode can be used to say the kid is wolfing down food at every turn and making a fuss when he isn't. 

 

I think Jen and Bill have done a great job with him. I see no proof that anything they're doing is making his food addiction worse, if anything they've gotten a handle on it and have curbed it or else the camera doesn't add 10 pounds in Will's case but is somehow hiding them.

 

 

ETA:

 

 

 

What else is a television audience going to do but watch things that have been previously recorded months ago?

 

Jen and Bill aren't polling the audience at the end of the show to ask how they can "improve" their performances. What Will's going to do is what he's going to do and Jen and Bill will handle him as they see fit to, I don't mind watching the show in that context whether I agree with their choices or not.

 

To be clear, I said I thought Will was eating a lot of the time, not that he was gaining weight. And I agree that he's more active now too, and thank God for that. As long as the doctors think he's healthy that's great. But I do have to wonder what they'd think if they were able to observe "a day in the life" for Will. My own concern is that food is being used as leverage with Will - and this is a bad precedent to set, especially at such a young age. I'm guessing that because he was malnourished from birth, some of his food issues could well be permanent. So let's try to help him as much as we can, as early as we can.

Edited December 25, 2014 by NausetGirl

[CPP83]

To be clear, I said I thought Will was eating a lot of the time, not that he was gaining weight

 

 

 

But a kid with Will's condition would show weight gain if he's eating so much, the extra weight, or added pounds would have nowhere to go due to his short stature. He showed weight gain before when overeating, what would change now?

 

It'd be one thing if he were average size and had a little height to him, but since he doesn't there would be more physical signs if he were in fact eating so much instead of just seeing him with food, usually because he's having a meal, or sometimes when he's having a snack or whatever.

 

That's what I meant about us getting clips here and there of Will with food, the clips are from days and days and weeks of filming, so to me that makes it near impossible to determine his actual food intake. 

 

 

 

But I do have to wonder what they'd think if they were able to observe "a day in the life" for Will

 

 

 

 

I think they would care far more about examining the little boy right in front of them to see exactly how healthy or not he is. Determining the welfare of a patient really can only be done well based on how the patient presents to them in real time. One day out of a child's life can't tell you much except what happened that one day, not what's going on, or has gone on, over the long term.

 

Will was looked over by the specialist and he seemed to like what he saw. I also like how he commented about Will's tendency to trip and fall and he basically said if he wasn't doing that he'd be shocked considering his type of dwarfism. Yet someone who isn't aware that little children with Will's stature falling so much is common and really nothing to worry about could look at tapes of Will face planting and think something is terrible wrong and that Bill and Jen need to do something about it.

 

 

My own concern is more than food is being used as leverage with Will - and this is a bad precedent to set, especially at such a young age

 

 

 

I get that point but for me I don't see how that applies to how Jen and Bill are handling Will right now. They aren't waving packages of goldfish or M&M bags at him to get him to behave every day. 

 

I do think Will loves to eat but I don't take that to mean Bill and Jen are using it to their advantage. To me it's a very irresponsible and blind parent who is well aware that their child has a food addiction, that he can become obsessed with food and that he is prone to overeating because of all that but yet would use food as a bargaining chip with him so much of the time. Imo Bill and Jen just aren't that selfish and ignorant of their son's needs.

[bichonblitz]

I'm feeling a bit sorry for Jen where Will is concerned. He already runs away from her, she can't catch him. He is going to be bigger, stronger and taller than her in no time. I don't see that he is going to feel the need to pay any attention to her ever. I hope Bill steps up with the discipline and stops trying to be the best buddy. Will is going to need a firm hand and if Bill starts to help Jen out with boundaries and rules, then Will should turn out just fine. Start now, Bill.............

Edited December 24, 2014 by bichonblitz

[Bellalisa]

Will's speech problems seem more profound than just a delay. I mean in-itch for sandwich? My son is special needs and very developmentally delayed and talked very late but followed what is typical for kids on track- just did it much later like W for R, d for T and that sort of thing. Will deletes the entire front of the word. I guess that is more like a one year old saying "eggy" for Gregory. It's so sad.

 

I don't think they use food as out and out bribes like "if you do this for me I'll give you m and m's" but they do use it as leverage. Eat your dinner and you can have a cookie later. We will all have cake later at the party. You can just have one. Stay in your chair and I'll bring the desert. 

[CPP83]

I don't think they use food as out and out bribes like "if you do this for me I'll give you m and m's" but they do use it as leverage. Eat your dinner and you can have a cookie later. We will all have cake later at the party. You can just have one. Stay in your chair and I'll bring the desert.

 

 

 

The "Eat your dinner and you get dessert" line is older than dirt, imo, and used by so many parents it may as well go on the first page of the parental guide book for "how to lose a battle against your kids without admitting defeat".

 

The amazing book "You Have to Fucking Eat" covered this issue and so many more when it comes to parents and little kids and getting them to eat/try foods while sparing what little sanity they have left to fight another day.

 

And the rest, imo, are instructions, directions and explanations that many parents use when dealing with their kids at meal or snack times, and imho they're good lessons to teach him. To wait to be served and not be demanding, that he can't just have as much of something that he wants, that they decide how much or how many, etc.

[CousinAmy]

I think Will is outgrowing those "run away from Mom" days. That's definitely "toddler" behavior, so it's more of an issue for Zoey. She can toddle pretty fast on her little legs, so I could see Jen having trouble keeping up with her. (I doubt that they go anywhere in public without another adult available - we just don't see the person or persons for the most part. If Zoey does manage to run off in the other direction, it's safer to have someone who can run after her and get her before she goes too far. And I'm OK with that. I don't need to see it - I'll suspend my "disbelief.")

 

I don't see Will as a "bad" kid who is going to defy or taunt Jen - and make no mistake, he knows she's the Mom. He may be closer to Bill in some ways, they have a lot of interests in common and seem to have their own jokes and routines. But I don't think that that means that he loves Jen any less.

 

And while his speech is hard to understand, he's definitely communicating very well. The joke about calling Bill "Bill" over and over again showed his great sense of humor. 

[leighroda]

I agree that it does seem like snacks are involved a lot, but will add that usually a meal is involved in every episode... My guess is that mealtime is a good time to catch everybody together.

I laughed with the party planning, by most standards amoung my friends, I am often consider "extremely type a" I can't even sleep if my pajamas don't match, if I'm taking notes and mess up I am often compelled to start over, I hate running late so much that I consider on time as late and try to always be 10-15 minutes early... But Jenn makes me look like a wild and carefree person...lol.

All in all I thought this was a good episode, I thought the party was fun. I give a pass at being extravagant, a majority of my friends throw huge parties the first birthday because they are just excited, and basically this is the equivalent since it was Zoey's first birthday with them. At least Zoey's old enough to enjoy a lot of the activities.

[Bamamom]

The only time I can tell Zoey is a little person is when she has on her bathing suit. Any other time she just looks like a very tiny little girl.

I wonder if Will has a mega colon? Seeing the size of his stomach makes me wonder...

[Honey]

The only time I can tell Zoey is a little person is when she has on her bathing suit. Any other time she just looks like a very tiny little girl.

I wonder if Will has a mega colon? Seeing the size of his stomach makes me wonder...

He would be very sick and in pain if he had megacolon.

[Bamamom]

My son has a mega colon & theres no pain or sickness if treated correctly. It would also explain the diapers at his age. My son was born with IA & had to have surgery when he was two days old. I read somewhere that Will had GI problems & I just hope thats not it.

[Bellalisa]

The "Eat your dinner and you get dessert" line is older than dirt, imo, and used by so many parents it may as well go on the first page of the parental guide book for "how to lose a battle against your kids without admitting defeat".

 

The amazing book "You Have to Fucking Eat" covered this issue and so many more when it comes to parents and little kids and getting them to eat/try foods while sparing what little sanity they have left to fight another day.

 

And the rest, imo, are instructions, directions and explanations that many parents use when dealing with their kids at meal or snack times, and imho they're good lessons to teach him. To wait to be served and not be demanding, that he can't just have as much of something that he wants, that they decide how much or how many, etc.

i understand that totally. You are right it is a normal part of parenting. My point (not made very well) was they seem to be always discussing food. At least what we are shown of their life, food is always being eaten or else talked about. When and where and why they will be allowed to eat a treat etc. Some of it has to be the editing. They show us meals and food scenes and special events which equals food. Going fishing=snack Beach=snacks parties=snacks holidays=special snacks. 

At the beginning they are showing Jen alone with the 2 kids and she is saying they were being really active or hyper. It seems to me that she is rarely alone with them unless they are in their highchairs. I think they were no more hyper than normal that day - it is just that without Bill or the Nanny she probably isn't alone a lot with both of them. She can't handle it if they are acting normal toddler- running around getting into mischief. It's hard enough for anyone.

But for some stay-at-home moms they do it all day long, no nanny, no film crew, father at work. 

Edited December 25, 2014 by Bellalisa

[BizBuzz]

My point (not made very well) was they seem to be always discussing food.

 

I am going to take a wild guess ... since food is a necessary occurrence in life it takes up a bulk of a lot of our days.  When I was a stay at home Mom to three children it really seemed like I was in the kitchen at least 75% of my day, and at the grocery store the other 25% (exaggerating, for sure, except it did feel that way).

 

The other thing I would like to mention is that these children are young, and getting them to pay attention to anything is going to be hard ... and food (and this will probably be the next something-gate) is a way to get kids to sit down and shut up.  Many a time I gave my kids a snack to keep them quiet ... if that makes me a bad Mom, then so be it ... I have a 24, 22 and a 15 year old that seem to have a handle on food and are functioning members of society.

[TEEVEE]

What physical (other than the obvious which Bill, Jen, Matt and Amy Roloff have repeatedly shown us how they overcome...) and intellectual limitations?? Who is showing limitations???

Sure they have money but shallow living is subjective at best. A certain Kim K. comes to mind. Jen and Bill would never leave "Disney on Ice" in the middle of the show. They would be as excited as Will and Zoey, unlike Kim K and Kanye.

I would love to live as shallowly as they do. *bliss*

I fear as they get older we will see the physical and intellectual limitations played out on TV and that makes me cringe. I don't how one can say they are good, responsible parents when they have a show on TLC. Those 2 things just don't line up for me.

 

Please note what I actually wrote is my concern is for what is yet to come in the way of their development. And most importantly, the last 2 sentences.

 

I would not have put my kids on reality TV for anything. I can not imagine their less than stellar moments being used as entertainment and me getting paid for it.

 

We have seen Will's speech lessons which he may find to be very embarrassing as he gets older, perhaps more so if his speech does not improve. We have seen his first pre op and post op. and his questionable behavior. The very fact that their is an entire forum to dissect Will, Zooey and Jen and Bill would be enough for most parent's to say no thank you to TLC. But that is just my opinion.

 

Couple that with what I perceive as a materialistic and shallow lifestyle.....

[walnutqueen]

I saved this episode and watched last night as a Christmas present to myself.  It was lovely, and I had as much fun watching as Jen had organizing the garage and planning the party. 

 

I'm always nervous when I see kids and ponies.  When I was a budding teen with several horses of my own (who never bit me), my parent's friend bought a Shetland pony for his daughter, and I had to "show her the ropes".  That f'ing pony took a very hard bite on my budding little boob.  I was black, blue and colors no rainbow ever had, and was unable to wear a bra for months.  That was the beginning of a lifetime of bralessness and an aversion to ponies.  heh.

 

I covet Zoey's pink boots in a deeply shallow and materialistic way.  ;-)

[Honey]

I missed the first 10 minutes of Zoey's Birthday Party.  Does anyone know where I can watch it online for FREE?  I tried TLC and I don't see it there.  I don't want to wait until next Tuesday to watch the rerun.

[4leafclover]

I really don't see Jen and Bill having a nice custom home to fit their needs as shallow and materialistic.  They both give back to the community in ways which will never be televised, and they are responsible adults and take good care of their children.  If that is shallow and materialistic, then there is something wrong with this world.  As for the judgment that putting their children on TV makes them less than stellar parents, I say why watch a show that makes one feel as though children are being exploited.  I see this as merely a glimpse into their full and wonderful lives with only a small fraction being shown to the public.  From what I have viewed, I see that they go to work and school, they eat food, they drive cars, they swim and have special therapies to address their needs.  What does this tell me?  That they are normal, everyday people living normal, everyday lives in spite of being shorter than average and adjusting to the world around them.  They don't whine about it, they don't demand the world adjust to their needs and this, in my opinion, is exactly what Bill and Jen want to show us through this experience.  

[watcherwoman]

I laughed when watching Jen pass out the 14 page instructions.  Her family rolling their eyes and complaining is so very normal.  I'm sure they tease her in a good natured way, which is perfectly healthy for any family.  When there is love and respect, good natured ribbing is part of life.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about Jen not being able to keep up with her children if they ran faster than her.  They're smart kids. Just like the majority of all children, when they get bigger and stronger they still know mom and dad are the bosses. 

 

I honestly didn't see the party as being over the top.  A few farm animals isn't a big deal to me.  They had a nice crowd but they seem to have many friends.  I doubt Zoey will remember it, but she wouldn't remember a simple cake and ice cream either.  The party was a PARTY, a celebration for a little girl who never experienced anything like that and after the year Bill and Jen had, I say "party on".  I hope they enjoy all the good times with their new family.

 

 

 

 

[watcherwoman]

As of right now, I don't think that Will and Zoey know that Bill and Jen are the bosses.

Well , that would make them pretty normal for their ages.  Most little ones are pretty self-absorbed.  Watching them give out kisses and saying "thank you" for their meals is a great indication that they are compassionate little kids, so I'm sure they will honor mom and dad when they get a bit older.

[bunnyblue]

I thought this was a cute episode. Seeing Zoey next to her classmates really brought it home for me that she is so tiny. We always see her next to her parents and brother but seeing her standing next to other little girls was a "wow" moment. It was sweet seeing many of the little girls being gentle and affectionate with Zoey. Seeing Zoey's classmates having fun at the party and not really making a big deal of her dwarfism was refreshing to see. Very different from the little kids they've encountered at playgrounds that  just stare at Will & Zoey. I can believe Jen's previous claim that Zoey has adjusted well to school. Though it might be problematic later if the kids see her as a little doll and want to pick her up.

 

It was nice to see Will being his sweet affable self again. His face when he put the hay in his mouth like a cowboy was too adorable. The kid knows how to get a laugh out of people and loves to ham it up. I noticed that when they were cleaning out the garage and Will wanted Bill to move some stuff so he could get to his Big Wheel car Bill told him "no" it's not time for that, Will accepted it without fuss. Bill firmly denied Will what he wanted and that was that. I don't know if it's the way Jen talks to him or Will just flat out refuses to listen to her, but he is definitely capable of accepting "No" as an answer.

 

I'm of the mind that if Bill & Jen have the money to throw a lavish party for their kids then I don't begrudge them that. They've earned it after enduring the infertility treatments and then the long road to adoption, as well as surviving Jen's battle with cancer. Like Jen said this was their first birthday with Zoey so of course they wanted to make it a big deal, just like they did with Will's. And I think it worked out better that it was Zoey's 3rd b-day (and Will's 4th earlier) because the kids themselves actually got to enjoy it. I would've probably rolled my eyes if they had gone all out for either of the kids' 1st birthday but they're old enough now to enjoy it as much as their guests. And Zoey and Will seemed to have a blast.

[Fostersmom]

I'm not sure those were Zoey's real classmates. Maybe I totally misheard, but it really sounded like one of the guys cleaning out the garage told Bill to have a nice Easter when he was leaving. Maybe they were kiddie gym classmates and that's why they looked so big compared to Zoey. I expect them to be bigger, but some of those kids looked and acted 7, certainly not 3. When is Zoey's birthday? Does anyone know? 

[CousinAmy]

 

We have seen Will's speech lessons which he may find to be very embarrassing as he gets older, perhaps more so if his speech does not improve.

Little kids can be surprisingly tolerant of others with special needs. They can usually adjust to classmates with difficulties quicker than some adults can. Whether it's a child who has a speech delay, physical challenges, or is smaller than his/her peers, as long as they have some time to get to know each other it usually works out. 

 

If Will is disruptive, or whiny, or doesn't want to play with the other children, that could be a problem. But why borrow trouble before it even occurs? It's more likely he'll be fine.

[Chalby]

TeeVee said   "...That coupled with the Klein's materialistic and shallow approach to living large, is so very unrelateable for me. The kids being so little and cute should not be sold as entertainment...."

 

I don't know if I agree with you, TeeVee. I love this show the most of all the reality fare that's out there. I find Bill and Jen aren't 'selling" their kids, as they are trying to teach us lessons and help explain their way of life. They also show how 'regular' they are despite their differences. Zoey and Will have allowed me a chance to be a bystander for overseas adoptions, as well as for prepping kids for people going into the hospital. It's been exceptionally interesting.

 

[chicorex1]

I missed the first 10 minutes of Zoey's Birthday Party.  Does anyone know where I can watch it online for FREE?  I tried TLC and I don't see it there.  I don't want to wait until next Tuesday to watch the rerun.

I noticed that this years episodes are on Youtube. I don't know when they be posted.

[CousinAmy]

I missed last week's show, and caught it on Youtube. The full episode runs about 42 minutes. Someone seems to upload them within a day or two. 

[bunnyblue]

I'm not sure those were Zoey's real classmates. Maybe I totally misheard, but it really sounded like one of the guys cleaning out the garage told Bill to have a nice Easter when he was leaving. Maybe they were kiddie gym classmates and that's why they looked so big compared to Zoey. I expect them to be bigger, but some of those kids looked and acted 7, certainly not 3. When is Zoey's birthday? Does anyone know?

 

Hmm, it sounded to me like the guy said "have a good evening". The invitation they flashed on screen stated Zoey's birthday party was set for September 27th which would mean she'd have been in school for about a month. Long enough for them to invite her classmates. Jen said there would be 40 (!) kids at the party, so it was probably a mix of Zoey & Will's classmates, family friends, and maybe like you said kid's from gym class. Which would explain why some of those kids were huge.

 

Bill said they wanted to clean out the garage so that they would have a clear path to the bathroom for their guests. I saw a toilet up against a wall in the garage; I hope that was not the bathroom Bill referred to because I certainly would not use a toilet sitting out in the open like that. I'd rather hold it.

 

I find Zoey so adorable. When she said "bye" to the invitation card lady in her tiny little girl voice my cold heart thawed a bit.

 

When they flashed back to an earlier episode where Jen was making "dirt" it was obvious how much she has aged. That's not a knock on her it's just that I never saw the earlier seasons and I was shocked how young she looked back then. Late 20's or early 30's.