Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)

[Rabbittron]

18 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

https://people.com/parents/bringing-up-bates-carlin-bates-pregnant-expecting-first-child-exclusive/

What took them so long?

[BitterApple]

I figured Carlin would be announcing soon. Best wishes to her, but whatever. Same shit, different day.

[doodlebug]

41 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

https://people.com/parents/bringing-up-bates-carlin-bates-pregnant-expecting-first-child-exclusive/

I noticed she says she has the same blood clotting disorder that her sister has and is therefore on blood thinners which her husband injects for her twice a day.  I've been prescribing Lovenox (or Heparin back in the day) to pregnant women for decades.  Dozens and dozens of women over the years.  And EVERY SINGLE ONE, without exception, including one who was legally blind and had a guide dog, did their own injections.  Nobody needed their husband to give them the injections, except, apparently, the very extra special and godly Bates girls.

BTW, I've personally had to give myself anticoagulant injections after my hip and knee replacements.  Did every single one all by myself despite being actually you know, kinda handicapped, despite being in pain, despite being on pain meds.  It ain't that friggin' hard.  You wipe your lower abdomen with an alcohol swab, open the package which contains a prefilled syringe of medication, remove the cap and inject just under the skin.  It's no harder than doing insulin injections which many diabetics give themselves far more often than twice a day starting in childhood.  These girls are just ridiculous in their helplessness.

[Absolom]

32 minutes ago, Rabbittron said:

What took them so long?

Avoiding having to announce a possible miscarriage.  She has the same clotting disorders that Erin has.

[Sew Sumi]

I wonder how she was diagnosed? Did she miscarry super early, get the diagnosis, then get pregnant again right away?

[BetyBee]

20 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I noticed she says she has the same blood clotting disorder that her sister has and is therefore on blood thinners which her husband injects for her twice a day.  I've been prescribing Lovenox (or Heparin back in the day) to pregnant women for decades.  Dozens and dozens of women over the years.  And EVERY SINGLE ONE, without exception, including one who was legally blind and had a guide dog, did their own injections.  Nobody needed their husband to give them the injections, except, apparently, the very extra special and godly Bates girls.

BTW, I've personally had to give myself anticoagulant injections after my hip and knee replacements.  Did every single one all by myself despite being actually you know, kinda handicapped, despite being in pain, despite being on pain meds.  It ain't that friggin' hard.  You wipe your lower abdomen with an alcohol swab, open the package which contains a prefilled syringe of medication, remove the cap and inject just under the skin.  It's no harder than doing insulin injections which many diabetics give themselves far more often than twice a day starting in childhood.  These girls are just ridiculous in their helplessness.

I think they want their leghumpers to see them as heroic somehow.  We've all seen spouses injecting their partners with fertility treatment hormone injections in movies and on tv.  I think that's how they want this process to be viewed.  Plus they're, you know, helpless clingers!  

[galaxychaser]

So she got married in May and announcing in September. Honeymoon baby?

[doodlebug]

37 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

I wonder how she was diagnosed? Did she miscarry super early, get the diagnosis, then get pregnant again right away?

Many of these disorders run in families. If she came to me with her family history, I would recommend testing prior to conception.  Now, most women with these disorders will not have repeated miscarriages and many doctors would take a wait and see approach; but I can see a young woman with that family history, especially being part of a cult where pregnancy and childbearing is her only chance at glory, insisting on getting the anticoagulants from the moment the pee-stick changes color and not wanting to risk losing even a single possible chance at a baby.  It's all she's got, after all.

ETA: I would've counseled her to try taking a daily baby aspirin from conception and not recommend heparin or lovenox unless she had a loss due to the risk and costs associated with the medication; but, if a patient insisted she wanted the lovenox no matter what, I'd prescribe it.

Edited September 4, 2019 by doodlebug

[Sew Sumi]

But most women don't see an OB until around week 7. Wouldn't she have miscarried by then? I don't know how early (or far) a woman can carry a pregnancy with this disorder.

I was wondering how she got diagnosed if women tend to miscarry before they see the doctor? Did all the Bates girls go in for testing after Erin was diagnosed? 

Just wondering aloud.

[PikaScrewChu]

15 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Many of these disorders run in families. If she came to me with her family history, I would recommend testing prior to conception.  Now, most women with these disorders will not have repeated miscarriages and many doctors would take a wait and see approach; but I can see a young woman with that family history, especially being part of a cult where pregnancy and childbearing is her only chance at glory, insisting on getting the anticoagulants from the moment the pee-stick changes color and not wanting to risk losing even a single possible chance at a baby.  It's all she's got, after all.

Yep. I may have a similar issue to Erin and Carlin. My mom had it. I did get my genetic profile read and it is present. They won't know 100% until I attempt to get pregnant. The doctors have said they will likely do a wait and see approach.

Carlin is due in February 2020. She legit got pregnant on the first try.

Edit: @Sew Sumi, you can get your raw DNA if you do 23&Me, Ancestry, etc. and then get a geneticist to interpret the results. That's what I did. I suspect all the Bateses girls have done the same since Erin's repeated miscarriages.

Edited September 4, 2019 by PikaScrewChu

[Natalie68]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

I noticed she says she has the same blood clotting disorder that her sister has and is therefore on blood thinners which her husband injects for her twice a day.  I've been prescribing Lovenox (or Heparin back in the day) to pregnant women for decades.  Dozens and dozens of women over the years.  And EVERY SINGLE ONE, without exception, including one who was legally blind and had a guide dog, did their own injections.  Nobody needed their husband to give them the injections, except, apparently, the very extra special and godly Bates girls.

BTW, I've personally had to give myself anticoagulant injections after my hip and knee replacements.  Did every single one all by myself despite being actually you know, kinda handicapped, despite being in pain, despite being on pain meds.  It ain't that friggin' hard.  You wipe your lower abdomen with an alcohol swab, open the package which contains a prefilled syringe of medication, remove the cap and inject just under the skin.  It's no harder than doing insulin injections which many diabetics give themselves far more often than twice a day starting in childhood.  These girls are just ridiculous in their helplessness.

Yeah it is perplexing that they cannot give themselves injections.  I used to have to give myself intramuscular injections weekly without the benefit of auto injection for most of it so these sub Q shots are easy peasy compared (unless you are in pain like like you were).  My husband had to do the warfarin sub q for a short time for his clotting disorder.  I was envious of the small needle!

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

But most women don't see an OB until around week 7. Wouldn't she have miscarried by then? I don't know how early (or far) a woman can carry a pregnancy with this disorder.

I was wondering how she got diagnosed if women tend to miscarry before they see the doctor? Did all the Bates girls go in for testing after Erin was diagnosed? 

Just wondering aloud.

I hope it is an indication that she actually saw her OB/GYN doctor for a pre-conception visit.  I would certainly recommend that for any women, but, particularly if there is a family history of problems with pregnancy.  The Bates girls probably all go to the same fundie OB or midwife who got them all in there ASAP for testing once Erin was diagnosed.

Considering their obsession with having as many pregnancies as possible, it would make sense.

[GeeGolly]

The Bates family's relationship with the OB is a bit odd. Almost too familiar. I'm guessing all the girls were tested for the clotting disorder once they were engaged or shortly after becoming married.

[theironwoman]

I feel bad for Michaela. It has to be difficult to watch your sisters breeding like rabbits when that isn't your reality.

[PikaScrewChu]

I often wonder about Brandon and if it is on his end. He doesn't strike me as all that into Michaela. 

[BitterApple]

3 minutes ago, PikaScrewChu said:

I often wonder about Brandon and if it is on his end. He doesn't strike me as all that into Michaela. 

I've been saying that all along, despite Michaela claiming she's the one with the issue. Maybe she does have something going on with her medically, but I feel like she's falling on her sword to protect Brandon. Based on the vibe I get from their TH's, he doesn't care one way or the other if they ever conceive. 

Edited September 4, 2019 by BitterApple

[Fallacy]

I always feel bad for Michaela when there’s another Bates pregnancy announcement. I know infertility is devastating to all, but it’s gotta be even worse as a member of that breeding herd.

I also can’t believe how much I want to know what the problem is exactly and whether or not they’ve explored all of their options in terms of fertility treatments. It’s really none of my business, but I want to know. Ha. 

[Sew Sumi]

8 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I've been saying that all along, despite Michaela claiming she's the one with the issue. Maybe she does have something going on with her medically, but I feel like she's falling on her sword to protect Brandon. Based on the vibe I get from their TH's, he doesn't care one way or the other if they ever conceive. 

IIRC, they claimed that Brandon was tested first. I never bought that, as I can't see a fundie male having to do what's necessary to provide a sample.

[awaken]

1 hour ago, theironwoman said:

I feel bad for Michaela. It has to be difficult to watch your sisters breeding like rabbits when that isn't your reality.

 That was my first thought. It’s got to be so painful to see the announcements rolling in one by one. Even though she’s happy for her sisters I’m sure, each announcement must rub it in a bit more. 

[Pasha Kitty]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

I've been saying that all along, despite Michaela claiming she's the one with the issue. Maybe she does have something going on with her medically, but I feel like she's falling on her sword to protect Brandon. Based on the vibe I get from their TH's, he doesn't care one way or the other if they ever conceive. 

Me, too.  It's got to be him.  I call BS on what was said about him having been tested.  

[SongbirdHollow]

2 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

Yeah it is perplexing that they cannot give themselves injections.  I used to have to give myself intramuscular injections weekly without the benefit of auto injection for most of it so these sub Q shots are easy peasy compared (unless you are in pain like like you were).  My husband had to do the warfarin sub q for a short time for his clotting disorder.  I was envious of the small needle!

I think it's kind of nice for a husband to do this for his wife. Why should it all fall on her?

[Natalie68]

2 minutes ago, SongbirdHollow said:

I think it's kind of nice for a husband to do this for his wife. Why should it all fall on her?

Sure it is nice.  It seems unnecessary but nice.  But the why?  Why do we snark on a lot of things here?  Cause we can 😁.  Just BEC. 

[PikaScrewChu]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

I've been saying that all along, despite Michaela claiming she's the one with the issue. Maybe she does have something going on with her medically, but I feel like she's falling on her sword to protect Brandon. Based on the vibe I get from their TH's, he doesn't care one way or the other if they ever conceive. 

Pretty much. Unlike Josiah and TFDW, he doesn't have to prove his manhood. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, SongbirdHollow said:

I think it's kind of nice for a husband to do this for his wife. Why should it all fall on her?

Because it's her body?  Because it takes less than a minute and is no big deal?  If a husband wants to be kind to his pregnant wife, perhaps he should do some of the cooking or cleaning or maybe not demand that she be 'joyfully available' 24/7.  Alas, I doubt that any of their husbands would ever do something so 'unmanly' as to provide actual substantive assistance to his wife when, instead, he can brag that she is too delicate to prick her skin with a needle and needs a strong man to do it for her.

I was raised very differently than the Bates' daughters; so I am sure my perceptions are not theirs.  I was raised to think for myself, to do for myself, to be proactive and care for myself.  To me, it smacks of paternalism, as though his wife's body  belongs to her husband, especially when she is carrying a blessing and that he has stepped in because she, being a weak woman, cannot be relied upon to protect the pregnancy without his help.

[Future Cat Lady]

9 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Why are idiots like Duggar’s and Bates procreate like bunnies? 

Guess normal ones should start having huge families to balance things out.

I find all religions cult like so excuse my rant.

Making lots of babies = Making a lot of new members for their religion. It's a lot easier to birth and indoctrinate a child than bring in new members. It also makes sure the religion continues into the next generation.  

[Love2dance]

16 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

The woman who shouldered me out of the way, went home to her intact house where she had clothes, a bed and walls and a picture on her phone of what was once a house filled with love, memories and a family.

So, yes, what the Duggar/Bates are doing strikes a nerve in me as well.

I am so, so sorry, @GeeGolly. I really hope that life is back to normal for you in a place filled with love again. 

[galaxychaser]

10 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

You know who else jumps in to similar situations to "help?" Scientologists. Not cool. 

Now I’m picturing manic Tom flying in on a airplane delivering supplies. Of course the David’s face will be painted on the side of the plane.

[Sew Sumi]

Nah, Tommy Boy couldn't be bothered. Disaster relief is a job for the Sea Org. And they'd be even less help than MedicCorps.

[GeeGolly]

5 hours ago, Love2dance said:

I am so, so sorry, @GeeGolly. I really hope that life is back to normal for you in a place filled with love again. 

Thank-you. We rebuilt and have made lots of memories in our new house. 

My heart breaks for the folks in the Bahamas. It takes a long time to get any sense of normalcy after a natural disaster. And like Puerto Rico, being an island(s) makes it that much more difficult.

Edited September 5, 2019 by GeeGolly

[Bessiesue]

Long time lurker, but I thought you all might find this interesting.

Dropping to say that CBS This Morning has been singing the praises of the MediCorps team from Arkansas for their major help in evacuations of those who rode the storm out, and moving them with their own plane to a safer location.  Yesterday they showed Jana, John David, Lawson, and Austin in line discussing search and rescue with a member of the US Coast Guard.

Just thought those inquiring minds ought to know.  If anyone has found Lawson's interview, please post. 

[Ohiopirate02]

25 minutes ago, Bessiesue said:

Long time lurker, but I thought you all might find this interesting.

Dropping to say that CBS This Morning has been singing the praises of the MediCorps team from Arkansas for their major help in evacuations of those who rode the storm out, and moving them with their own plane to a safer location.  Yesterday they showed Jana, John David, Lawson, and Austin in line discussing search and rescue with a member of the US Coast Guard.

Just thought those inquiring minds ought to know.  If anyone has found Lawson's interview, please post. 

I am not surprised.  They were willing to be interviewed instead of just putting their heads down and working plus luck.  CBS needed someone to interview.  I would venture to guess that they are not doing anything more than other volunteers.  If I had to give my money to a celebrity it would still be Bethenny Frankel or Jose Andreas.

[Rabbittron]

15 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

IIRC, they claimed that Brandon was tested first. I never bought that, as I can't see a fundie male having to do what's necessary to provide a sample.

Let's say for the sake of the argument that he was really tested and it really is his problem she will take the blame for the problem because in their cult the men are perfect.

[SongbirdHollow]

15 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Because it's her body?  Because it takes less than a minute and is no big deal?  If a husband wants to be kind to his pregnant wife, perhaps he should do some of the cooking or cleaning or maybe not demand that she be 'joyfully available' 24/7.  Alas, I doubt that any of their husbands would ever do something so 'unmanly' as to provide actual substantive assistance to his wife when, instead, he can brag that she is too delicate to prick her skin with a needle and needs a strong man to do it for her.

I was raised very differently than the Bates' daughters; so I am sure my perceptions are not theirs.  I was raised to think for myself, to do for myself, to be proactive and care for myself.  To me, it smacks of paternalism, as though his wife's body  belongs to her husband, especially when she is carrying a blessing and that he has stepped in because she, being a weak woman, cannot be relied upon to protect the pregnancy without his help.

Fair points. In their case it may be paternalistic, but for normal folks I think it is a nice way to bond over the shared experience of the pregnancy. I mean, the dad doesn't need to go to ob appointments either, but it's nice to have an involved, supportive partner.

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, Bessiesue said:

Long time lurker, but I thought you all might find this interesting.

Dropping to say that CBS This Morning has been singing the praises of the MediCorps team from Arkansas for their major help in evacuations of those who rode the storm out, and moving them with their own plane to a safer location.  Yesterday they showed Jana, John David, Lawson, and Austin in line discussing search and rescue with a member of the US Coast Guard.

Just thought those inquiring minds ought to know.  If anyone has found Lawson's interview, please post. 

Did CBS This Morning present any actual evidence of the 'major help' being provided or was it based purely on interviews with the Duggars themselves?  The members of this family have always been very impressed with themselves and not adverse to telling the world how amazing they are.  The fact that they've been there 2 days and have managed to get their mugs on multiple major news shows seems to indicate to me, anyway, that they have a very strong interest in getting attention to themselves and not as much interest in the actual mission.

 Showing them talking to someone from the US Coast Guard is fairly meaningless, IMO, for all we know, they were asking where the coffee pot was.  Now, if someone in authority, a Coast Guard spokesperson or a Red Cross official or a Bahamian authority steps forward and praises their actions and lauds them for their assistance; I might change my mind.  I presume those people are all too busy to talk to CBS This Morning because they are actually working to help the victims of the hurricane, which is why the Duggars have become the face of the hurricane for the network.  The fact that we've yet to see the Duggars posting selfies of themselves performing these miraculous feats of daring to rescue the unfortunate also seems unusual for them.  If they were really out there doing a lot of good stuff, they'd have been the first to document it.   And sell the exclusive to People, of course.

However, at this point, all we've got is a bunch of Duggars making themselves available for appearances on national TV in order to promote their 'charity' which will undoubtedly help them in getting more donations while providing no evidence that they've done much to help.  Not to mention the fact that they seemingly just set up this organization to take advantage of this particular crisis and haven't even bothered to get non-profit status for it.

Edited September 5, 2019 by doodlebug

[CalicoKitty]

Any chance the news confused Mediccorps and Medicorps and thought the Duggers were with the other organization?  It sounds the same when spoken, and they are from the same area. Edited to add most people don't realize there are two different organizations.

Edited September 5, 2019 by CalicoKitty
added more info

[galaxygirl76]

I find it amazing that they have time to talk to every member of the press that they see while helping out all the Bohemian people.

I have more respect for those that help, keep their heads down, and do not scream off the rooftops 'admire me for everything I'm doing here!!' but that may just be me. 

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

Any chance the news confused Mediccorps and Medicorps and thought the Duggers were with the other organization?  It sounds the same when spoken, and they are from the same area. Edited to add most people don't realize there are two different organizations.

We've already seen photos of the Duggars talking to an actual Medicorps employee and now we've got Joy blocking people on Instagram who ask about the similarities between the names of the two organizations.  It looks to me like the Duggars were 'counting on' people confusing their half a**ed operation with the legitimate professional Medicorps organization.  Certainly, if someone from the media confused the Duggars group with the larger, better organization, I'd be willing to bet that none of the Duggars corrected them. Hanging out with the better known organization with the excellent reputation in hopes that they can ride on their coattails to greater attention and donations sounds like just the sort of thing they'd do.

[BetyBee]

I bet every penny they receive will pay for fuel and accommodations for themselves.  

[Lunera]

[Ohiopirate02]

5 minutes ago, Lunera said:

I really hope they got permission before posting.  I could not imagine having someone take my picture for their own promotion during what had to be the worst time in their lives.

[GeeGolly]

Does that helicopter look tinny to anyone else? And I hope they brought their own gas.

[crazy8s]

49 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

We've already seen photos of the Duggars talking to an actual Medicorps employee and now we've got Joy blocking people on Instagram who ask about the similarities between the names of the two organizations.  It looks to me like the Duggars were 'counting on' people confusing their half a**ed operation with the legitimate professional Medicorps organization.  Certainly, if someone from the media confused the Duggars group with the larger, better organization, I'd be willing to bet that none of the Duggars corrected them. Hanging out with the better known organization with the excellent reputation in hopes that they can ride on their coattails to greater attention and donations sounds like just the sort of thing they'd do.

also interesting there is a washington regional medicorp with a 501c3 in fayetteville ark - it is a hospital - they are totally scamming the name

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=710707450

Edited September 5, 2019 by crazy8s

[Churchhoney]

53 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Does that helicopter look tinny to anyone else? And I hope they brought their own gas.

I can't see enough of it to be sure, but it looks to me like it's probably a two-seat training helicopter? I don't know that those are good for much except flying around for fun while you gain more experience flying a helicopter. You need a LOT of practice to become really adept and comfortable at flying a helicopter. And that's especially true if you're trying to lift something hanging below, of course. And because they're small and kind of light, I'm not sure they'd be good for much of anything -- regardless of who was piloting -- in the situation they're in. 

Is it Nathan that flies it? Does he have a commercial license or just a private license? Because if he doesn't have a commercial license, I can see that being a potential problem if he tries to do anything substantive with it, too. I'd think anybody they'd work with would have some questions about legal liability, insurance and so on. 

According to Mr. Google, a light helicopter like I think that one is uses between 9 and 16 gallons of fuel per hour, depending on what it's doing. And fuel weighs about 6 pounds per gallon. So an hour's worth of flying will use gas that weighs between 54 and 96 pounds. .... A small helicopter like that can carry/lift a few thousand pounds. total (including, you know, passengers and luggage and so on.)

And the planes they brought were full of people, weren't they? So I don't think they can possibly have brought enough fuel with them to do much with that helicopter. They must be buying some of the fuel there. Or else just mostly leaving Nathan's(?) toy on the ground. 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Barb23]

I'm wondering if Jill Rod contacted Mediccorps to volunteer Tim.  

[65mickey]

21 hours ago, Future Cat Lady said:

Making lots of babies = Making a lot of new members for their religion. It's a lot easier to birth and indoctrinate a child than bring in new members. It also makes sure the religion continues into the next generation.  

Also it keeps the show going courtship, engagement, wedding planning, wedding pregnancy, child birth rinse, repeat. They have nothing else to show. 

[Annb67]

Carlin is going to be another Erin in labor. "Oooh I'm so scared!!! Waaa...waaa...oooh...help me.... Ick.

[galaxygirl76]

Am I crazy or are there only white people in that picture/video?

[Bessiesue]

The Physician's Clinic that I work at opens early for tests, and we keep CBS This Morning on.  I am trying to recalling all the details shown from this week.  Someone up thread said that Lawson was on the NBC station.  That is the clip, I was hoping someone would try and find.  

Wednesday: John David, Jana, Lawson, Austin, another Duggar, Nathan, and a guy in a pale blue shirt were lined up in the background.  The CBS reporter (cannot remember his name) noted them from North Arkansas, and how awesome it was that they are here with their own plane joining a search and rescue team.  Someone from the Coast Guard had a map that Jana was pointing at, and another Coast Guard personal was behind him talking with Nathan. 

Thursday:  The same CBS guy called the Medicorp from AK has being a huge help in Search and Rescue for the wounded, and those whose homes were destroyed being flown from the hardest hit areas back to staging areas in Nassau.  John David, Nathan, and the same guy in the pale blue shirt were standing on a tarmac, and a female was hugging the guy in blue thanking them for flying her family away from their damaged home to safety.  He was that this group from North Arkansas has worked long hours with the Coast Guard helping in the rescue of families.

With the reference to the helicopter:  My guess is Nathan flies low to find the families, and then radios the rest of their locations and landing sites. 

Today on CBS This Morning, a helicopter pilot (not our gang) and reporter landed on tennis courts.  He said his job was to land, scout out sites for the planes and larger helicopters to land, in order to rescue and bring aid.

Here is a funny to make your day:

Mom said they should be praised for doing God's Work, and added that she was sure each family rescued received a Bible. I said they needed food and water, and not a Bible.  Of course I received the Mom look.  Do not get me wrong, we are devout Christians, I was just answering Mom's question.

We do follow the Duggars, but not as much as the Bates.  We are massive Bates fans.  Through their warts, faults, and all. 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, galaxygirl76 said:

Am I crazy or are there only white people in that picture/video?

I noticed that too.  Given the demographics of the Bahamas,  I suspect these were people who chose to ride out the storm instead of evacuating.   Then it got too bad, and they wanted to get out.  Many other people on that island don't have that choice.  White privilege at its finest. 

[Bessiesue]

6 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I noticed that too.  Given the demographics of the Bahamas,  I suspect these were people who chose to ride out the storm instead of evacuating.   Then it got too bad, and they wanted to get out.  Many other people on that island don't have that choice.  White privilege at its finest. 

Now that it is mentioned, thinking back, the ones being rescued were white.  The Coast Guard were unloading some black families at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Piggy backing back to the Bates and Michaela.  My heart breaks every time someone announces.  On BUB, there was an episode where she and Brandon went to see the physician in Nashville (cannot remember his name).  A dye test was done on her tubes, and one was completely blocked.  The other one was partially blocked.  He told her that another test could be done to see if they could unblock the partially one.  Nothing was ever showed after that.  

Congrats to Carlin on her bundle of joy, my hearts now breaks for Joy.  She and Carlin are so close, and I have a sneaking suspicion she is the main reason for holding the announcement quiet.  Giving Joy the time she and Austin needs to grieve.  As the rest of you have said, rinse, lather, and repeat.  Hard to get excited as each new bundle of joy arrives.