A Decade of Duggar Births Special

[OhioMom]

Thank you, HumblePi.  You said it far more eloquently than I could!

 

As to the giving your opinion/subservient wife thing: 

I've attended churches that have similar beliefs.  (I am too much of a heathen, I guess, to fit in successfully there). They teach the women (believe me, I've seen it in Women's Bible Studies I've attended) -- how you can make your own opinions known while still honoring your husband.  It's another fine art I never learned. 

This church I attended (or maybe it was just the pastor) had the belief that as Christians, we are supposed to suffer. Life is not supposed to be fun or joyful (something else I refuse to believe). Your joy comes in knowing you'll be with the Lord in eternity.  If you're lucky. And if you're one of the chosen.  I'm not sure if the Duggars believe all that Calvinism stuff, or not.

Edited May 5, 2015 by OhioMom

[GEML]

The thing about Michelle is that I think she LOVED being pregnant. Watching her during an ultrasound is seeing a woman almost beatific. And she goes through labor really well. It's really who she is. She's not a "mother" she's a baby maker. (That's not snark, that's just a description.)

And no, marriage isn't about sacrifice. I've been in a Christian marriage for 25 years, and I thought that comment was really awful. Office chair indeed.

[OhioMom]

The thing about Michelle is that I think she LOVED being pregnant. Watching her during an ultrasound is seeing a woman almost beatific. And she goes through labor really well. It's really who she is. She's not a "mother" she's a baby maker. (That's not snark, that's just a description.)

And no, marriage isn't about sacrifice. I've been in a Christian marriage for 25 years, and I thought that comment was really awful. Office chair indeed.

Yes, she loves (loved) being pregnant.  It's probably the only time that she feels she is living out her God-given role, filling the family's quiver, and bringing glory to her husband (that sounded really bad.  But it's the mindset she has, I think).  I am sure that her loss of fertility in these recent years of her life has been a bitter pill for her to swallow -- one of those valleys that she must traverse.  It's really a shame that she hasn't been honing her skills as a grandma, because that is the next natural stage of her life.

[Chicklet]

All I can say is that I saw this on TLC and thought it was Tuesday and I've been messed up since. Really people one day a week for Duggar day, stop playing around.

[buddabing]

They way Michelle speaks to Josie, is the way that I used to speak to my class of One year olds in daycare. I would talk this way when explaining an art project or other activity for the first time. We didn't always talk this way to the kids of course. We would speak normally during activities. This was more of a group voice for everybody. It was very slow and sort of loud. Josie is not one though...... Michelle is very confused and is stuck in babyland. 

[Morgalisa]

One thing I noticed is that in all the clips of the births of the grands, Jim Bob held each child.  I don't think I saw Michelle hold one of them.  I couldn't wait to hold my grands.  It was Mom, Dad and then me.

[anony mouse]

The thing about Michelle is that I think she LOVED being pregnant. Watching her during an ultrasound is seeing a woman almost beatific. And she goes through labor really well. It's really who she is. She's not a "mother" she's a baby maker. (That's not snark, that's just a description.)

And no, marriage isn't about sacrifice. I've been in a Christian marriage for 25 years, and I thought that comment was really awful. Office chair indeed.

That is one thing I will credit Michelle with - she is a champ with regard to pregnancy and labor. I was always impressed how she handled it with grace. Labor sucks, but she always came across very composed over the whole thing.

[Seashell Lover]

Michelle never held the grandkids and if she could she would have found a way not to hold her own kids.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Seashell Lover

[Absolom]

Ratings:  1.066 M viewers and a .3 rating.  

[VioletNevermind]

Michelle never held the grandkids and if she could she would have found a way not to hold her own kids.

Didn't she claim to have some bullshit back issue at some point that prevented her from picking up her children?

[Wellfleet]

That is one thing I will credit Michelle with - she is a champ with regard to pregnancy and labor. I was always impressed how she handled it with grace. Labor sucks, but she always came across very composed over the whole thing.

 

I was thinking the same thing a few days ago, but then it occurred to me. I wonder if the word composed could - or should - be changed to medicated? Because in Me-chelle's case, that would actually be more correct... 

[farmgal4]

Ratings:  1.066 M viewers and a .3 rating.

I'm anxious to see how many watch tonight.

[GEML]

She isn't medicated during the ultrasounds. She's just phenomenally good about bearing children.

[Darknight]

Ratings: 1.066 M viewers and a .3 rating.

Wow, so the births didn't do shit for ratings. I thought it would at least be around 2.5, 3 M. Is this the end of the Duggars? Please let it be. Noone cares about having babies because many women have babies. My coworker just had one a few weeks ago. So what's so special about the Duggars?

Edited May 7, 2015 by Darknight

[Literata]

That is one thing I will credit Michelle with - she is a champ with regard to pregnancy and labor. I was always impressed how she handled it with grace. Labor sucks, but she always came across very composed over the whole thing.

 

I would imagine she earned special "Gothard points" every time she handled labor and delivery in a way that he and his minions deemed acceptable. I don't think anything about this family has been left to chance with regard to Gothard and Quiverfull; I'm sure there were plenty of meetings in which Boob and MEchelle were coached to behave a certain way because they were representing the movement. 

[GEML]

I have no doubt that she was coached. But let's face it - you can have all the coaching in the world and it can all go out the window when you've been in labor for a couple of hours!

And one of the things we all comment on is how artificial they often seem, and how there are so few flashes of real emotion- especially joy or happiness. The only time I ever see joy on Michelle's face is when she's watching an ultrasound (final one excepted) or giving birth.

[CarolMK]

As soon as I saw that this episode was going to be 3 hours long, I deleted it from my DVR to record. Sounds like I didn't miss much either, it was just a rehash of previous episodes. I"m not surprised that the ratings were lower for this episode.

[BitterApple]

The low ratings don't surprise me either. We've seen rehashes of the births a gazillion times. To make matters worse, 3/4 of Jill's delivery episode was the same material punctuated with inane talking heads where Michelle gives advice any four year old could have come up with. Enough already.

[Marigold]

This episode was very boring.  And if you've watched the show for a long time, we have seen all of them and then again in reruns and then again whenever Michelle starts blabbing...

 

It was a time filler for TLC, I guess?  Probably didn't cost much to make because it's reused footage. 

[Missy Vixen]

Plenty of us -MOST of us - somehow manage to go through this "season of life" without becoming bug eyed baby talkers, and it's contributing to a stereotype that this is somehow about menopause instead of the fact Michelle herself is just odd.

Interesting that J-Chelle has chosen the "bug eyed baby talker" way to get through the change. One of the side effects of menopause seems to be losing the filter between brain and mouth. In other words, it's time to let it all hang out. I have to admit I would be buying pay-per-view to watch J-Chelle lose it on camera.

[frenchtoast]

Heads up folks, I moved some posts over to the Small Talk topic. 

[zenme]

Ok, now I feel like I'm late to the party! In the segment where the family was voting on names for baby Jordyn, I froze the frame and saw that long list of names included "Jichelle" and "Jentle." Wtf? I thought you guys just made up Jichelle! I can't believe stupid name and Jentle were actual possibilities! Jarvis was a boy's name selection. yikes!

Edited May 9, 2015 by zenme

[anony mouse]

Ok, now I feel like I'm late to the party! In the segment where the family was voting on names for baby Jordyn, I froze the frame and saw that long list of names included "Jichelle" and "Jentle." Wtf? I thought you guys just made up Jichelle! I can't believe stupid name and Jentle were actual possibilities! Jarvis was a boy's name selection. yikes!

One of the howlers suggested Juicy Fruit, so I think some of those were joke names. Josh suggested Juanita as a joke and I think Hannie said she wanted the baby named Jefferey Giraffe.

[zenme]

One of the howlers suggested Juicy Fruit, so I think some of those were joke names. Josh suggested Juanita as a joke and I think Hannie said she wanted the baby named Jefferey Giraffe

 

Well...thank goodness for that!

[DangerousMinds]

I like Jarvis.

[Apple Clark]

If they had actually named a baby Jarvis I'd've died laughing because of Ironman. Do they know about that? Oh my God, I almost wish they had done that just because it would've made them look sooo stupid.

[anony mouse]

If they had actually named a baby Jarvis I'd've died laughing because of Ironman. Do they know about that? Oh my God, I almost wish they had done that just because it would've made them look sooo stupid.

Well, it's not like they look smart with Jinger.

Poor Jim Bob, he really did want that nice, normal Julie Grace.

[Apple Clark]

True, Jinger is pretty dumb. I always say it like "ringer" in my head.

[JenCarroll]

Ok, now I feel like I'm late to the party! In the segment where the family was voting on names for baby Jordyn, I froze the frame and saw that long list of names included "Jichelle" and "Jentle." Wtf? I thought you guys just made up Jichelle! I can't believe stupid name and Jentle were actual possibilities! Jarvis was a boy's name selection. yikes!

I was just thinking Jordyn was lucky they remembered to give her a name at all... Somehow I missed Jichelle and Jentle. I think Jentle would be right up there with Jinger on the "names you'll never live down" list. And damn, I thought we made up J'Chelle, too! :-)

I think we've already thrown around lists of all the nice, normal J names they haven't used. At this point, I'll never be sure which if any names were intended as jokes. And there's Boob, campaigning for "Jim Bob" every time, when they already have a James, and both the Jer-Jed twins have the middle name Robert. Maybe they could start going by Jer-Bob and Jed-Bob.

[EarlGreyTea]

Jackson was the cutest little nugget. By far the cutest Duggar baby/toddler to me for the longest time. Also, JB was kind of good looking in the 14 Kids and Counting era. Michelle too - she had a more rounded face and was a lot cuter without that weird spray tan she has now.

[Apple Clark]

And there's Boob, campaigning for "Jim Bob" every time, when they already have a James, and both the Jer-Jed twins have the middle name Robert. Maybe they could start going by Jer-Bob and Jed-Bob.

They have the same middle name?! Is this a common thing to do with twins?

[Mrsjumbo]

Jackson was the cutest little nugget. By far the cutest Duggar baby/toddler to me for the longest time. Also, JB was kind of good looking in the 14 Kids and Counting era. Michelle too - she had a more rounded face and was a lot cuter without that weird spray tan she has now.

I refuse to think of "good looking" & "JB"

In the same sentence!

[JenCarroll]

JB has always looked like Howdy Doody to me.

[anony mouse]

I've always thought he wasn't bad looking. Yeah, he's corny, but fairly attractive and sincere. Plus, the way he engages with the kids makes him more attractive to me. He's not cool, but he's a good looking guy. I think he'd be a catch in fundie land, even though he's not always rhe brightest bulb.

[Wellfleet]

JB has always looked like Howdy Doody to me.

 

Me too. Howdy Doody, from the very first show. Although there are times when a little Alfred E Newman comes across as well...

[Mrsjumbo]

I get the Pat Boone/ Andy Williams vibe from JB. Speaking of- have the Duggars ever made a trip to Branson, Mo? It seems just their speed- "family friendly" entertainment.

[JoanArc]

They've been to Branson, both for the show and for events, numerous times. It's basically designed for Duggars.

 

You are not the only one to have that thought. :)

Edited May 12, 2015 by JoanArc