S07.E05: Baby Sister Is Born!

[CofCinci]

3 minutes ago, toodles said:

I think that was all for the show, but that's just me

Yes. Meri knew it wasn't genuine. 

[RazzleberryPie]

Robyn offering to be surrogate was a chess move. She was simultaneously 1) flaunting her ability to carry a baby, 2) putting her in a position to be doted soon by Kody and then handing the baby to someone else to raise, 3) forcing Meri out of the 'I neeeeed tiiiiime to decide if I want more fertility treatments. Let's drag this out forever', 4) a ratings boost. 

Robyn would win anyway you spin it. Be Meri's surrogate, how loving of her. Be turned down as Meri's surrogate - all Robyn wanted was to fulfil Meri's dreams and help populate Kody's Kingdom. Meri is selfish for refusing this generous gift of life. 

I knew Robyn was sneaky from the start, but that's the moment I realized that is One Stealth Bitch. 

One of the few times I've seen Robyn caught off guard and sort of hateful was when Meri told her she and Kody had discussed it, and she really didn't want another baby. Robyn looked ticked off. Broke out of Sweet mode for a second with an 'oh really.'

[Readalot]

Not a Robyn fan, but because it can't be said enough, if you don't want an audience for labor and delivery, don't have one FFS! During labor it looked like she wanted to tell Kody to STFU and leave numerous times. Also you could tell she was clenching her teeth when the family was over after the birth. I was hoping through the whole episode she would go off on Kody and/or the family. I wonder what happened after the cameras were shut off. 

[SometimesBites]

On 6/6/2016 at 4:04 PM, Kellyee said:

.On her 5th kid, I'm surprised the baby didn't fall out of her and hit the floor.

Yikes. I had five, and I assure you, the body has an amazing ability to recover nicely.

[CofCinci]

3 hours ago, SometimesBites said:

Yikes. I had five, and I assure you, the body has an amazing ability to recover nicely.

Yes. Kody wouldn't have made her the legal Mrs. Brown if her body recovered like Jenelle's or Christine's. 

[Granny58]

9 hours ago, MoodyGirl said:

I thought it was weird they showed the clip again of Robyn telling Meri she would carry a baby for her. I wonder why they never followed through with that anyway? Maybe I have just forgotten.  Meri really did want more. Probably Robyn wouldn't have really carried through with it anyway. 

My opinion - Meri really does have sorrow about having one child, and definitely wanted more.  It is a hurt that she carries with her and is probably always just below the surface.  But she probably doesn't want to start with newborn responsibilities at her age and stage and so doesn't really want a child NOW.  She wanted children in her younger years.  Perhaps even more logically, would they even use Meri's eggs?  at her age?  was it her uterus or eggs that were her problem?  Now her eggs are too old, so Robyn's uterus is moot.  And if they use Robyn's eggs that's no different than her having her own child with Kody.  

[RazzleberryPie]

I think Meri did want more babies, but Robyn was taking Meri's martyr card away by offering to surrogate. At. this point in her life, Meri wanted to keep the Martyr card more than she actually wanted to start over with another baby. Meri is very selfish.

robyns offer forced Meri to put up or shut up, while elevating Robyn, no matter what Meri decided.

[3girlsforus]

10 hours ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Robyn offering to be surrogate was a chess move. She was simultaneously 1) flaunting her ability to carry a baby, 2) putting her in a position to be doted soon by Kody and then handing the baby to someone else to raise, 3) forcing Meri out of the 'I neeeeed tiiiiime to decide if I want more fertility treatments. Let's drag this out forever', 4) a ratings boost. 

Robyn would win anyway you spin it. Be Meri's surrogate, how loving of her. Be turned down as Meri's surrogate - all Robyn wanted was to fulfil Meri's dreams and help populate Kody's Kingdom. Meri is selfish for refusing this generous gift of life. 

I knew Robyn was sneaky from the start, but that's the moment I realized that is One Stealth Bitch. 

One of the few times I've seen Robyn caught off guard and sort of hateful was when Meri told her she and Kody had discussed it, and she really didn't want another baby. Robyn looked ticked off. Broke out of Sweet mode for a second with an 'oh really.'

One stealth bitch is a perfect way to describe it.  Robyn is cold, manipulative, and cruel.  She knew from the beginning that Meri was the only real threat to her in terms of Kody. Kody and Janelle are basically nonexistent. Christine was shoved aside in favor of Robyn even before Robyn and Kody were married. Becoming the legal wife was her plan from the beginning and she knew she needed to tear down Meri to get there.

[ghoulina]

14 hours ago, CofCinci said:

Yes. Meri knew it wasn't genuine. 

Plus, even if it were, it would just be another way for Robyn to get tons of attention and praise lauded on her. After just going through 10 months of Robyn-the-Wonder-Plyg being adored and doted on, I'd pass on her being pregnant again so soon. 

[RazzleberryPie]

Robyn drew out the spacing between Sol and Areola for much longer than Kody wanted. I doubt if she has any more. She has her heir and spare, and she's almost 40. 

[Pollock]

Well, I had never seen a real baby right at birth and I must say it was kind of disgusting (no offense for the beauty of life yadiyada). Was her color normal at birth? This baby girl looked super blue/grey to me, I was truly relieved when she cried, I really had two seconds of panic there even if I knew by the medias she was fine.

[truelovekiss]

1 hour ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Robyn drew out the spacing between Sol and Areola for much longer than Kody wanted. I doubt if she has any more. She has her heir and spare, and she's almost 40. 

I think that was on purpose. I don't think Robyn wanted many more kids. She probably just wanted to have one to cement her place in the family. But she put off having another, partially for attention  (the will she, won't she thing was always present, and kids and wives were always asking) and also because babies make excellent bargaining chips where you're in a shit relationship with a lunatic that is narcissistic enough to want to repopulate Las Vegas with little humans who share his fabulous DNA. Just having babies because Kody wanted them would have been a waste in the pursuit of her legal status.

Robyn reminds me of Anne Boleyn. She was one of the queen's  (Meri, the legal wife) ladies in waiting. She wanted to be the queen. She did that by promising him babies, but not giving in until they were married. (Obviously some differences here as Henry VIII wanted a son specifically, Kody just wants any kids he can get, and Solly was born before she became the real wife). So he ditches the old wife who only gave him one daughter and was probably too old to have more children. Then the lady in waiting becomes queen, and has a baby girl.

Edited June 8, 2016 by truelovekiss
Clarity

[Kohola3]

Quote

Was her color normal at birth?

Yep, most of them are quite dusky until they get a few lungfuls of air in and the oxygen starts circulating.  The baby is graded on the Apgar score graded at birth, one minute, and 5 minutes.  Sometimes it takes several minutes for them to pink up. And their hands and feet can stay blue for a while longer  It's pretty rare for a kid to be born with an Apgar of 10..

[Absolom]

Quote

It's pretty rare for a kid to be born with an Apgar of 10..

It's really unusual.  I had one and the nearly 60 year old doctor said it was the first time he'd given a one minute Apgar of 10 in his entire career.  The nurse sounded astounded when she repeated 10????!!! 

I wonder if the baby's clavicle would have been broken if someone with more experience delivering babies with a shoulder dystocia had done the delivery. 

[Pollock]

8 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Yep, most of them are quite dusky until they get a few lungfuls of air in and the oxygen starts circulating.  The baby is graded on the Apgar score graded at birth, one minute, and 5 minutes.  Sometimes it takes several minutes for them to pink up. And their hands and feet can stay blue for a while longer  It's pretty rare for a kid to be born with an Apgar of 10..

Thank you very much!

Well, that's a new one: I learned something watching this show! 

[ghoulina]

34 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Yep, most of them are quite dusky until they get a few lungfuls of air in and the oxygen starts circulating.  The baby is graded on the Apgar score graded at birth, one minute, and 5 minutes.  Sometimes it takes several minutes for them to pink up. And their hands and feet can stay blue for a while longer  It's pretty rare for a kid to be born with an Apgar of 10..

My daughter was a 10. She took literally 1.5 pushes. I'm not even kidding. Labor was 5 hours tops, my husband almost didn't make it! 

I wonder if having to push longer results in a lower Apgar score/more bluish hue. It seemed like Robyn had to push for a while for a 5th baby. 

[Adeejay]

On ‎6‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 1:39 PM, kassa said:

Christine was the most thoroughly immersed in that paranoia, and it continues.  I think it's a step forward when she can acknowledge that things she previously feared are now safe.

Perhaps Christine's paranoia has something to do with the fact that she is a blue blood polygamist and that her family has been entrenched in polygamy for generations.  She has been indoctrinated into the lifestyle.  What I find ironic is that when it comes to "outsiders", she appears to be the warmest and friendliest. 

[Mya]

My guess for the difficult birth this time is that this baby was face up.  They are harder and more painful to birth.  Robyn herself said something felt very different than her other 4 and much more painful.  

[kassa]

I would have to re-watch the episode to be sure, but I don't recall them saying that they didn't take baby Maddie to the pediatrician or feed her formula for six months.  All they said (that I recall) is that she wasn't doing well and Meri chipped in and fed her a little.  No reason that couldn't have happened in conjunction with formula AND Janelle breastfeeding AND every other supplement a pediatrician would have suggested (though I assume he didn't know about Meri).

If my milk weren't sufficient and my doctor put the baby on formula and told me to keep giving what I could, and I had a nursing mother in my home who was willing to supplement, I don't see why I wouldn't.  So I hate to see them accused of neglect just for Janelle saying "she wasn't growing, my milk wasn't sufficient, Meri even pitched in."

[3girlsforus]

2 hours ago, ghoulina said:

My daughter was a 10. She took literally 1.5 pushes. I'm not even kidding. Labor was 5 hours tops, my husband almost didn't make it! 

I wonder if having to push longer results in a lower Apgar score/more bluish hue. It seemed like Robyn had to push for a while for a 5th baby. 

Not necessarily. My middle dd was a 10 - she literally sat straight up as my midwife caught her. The midwife was so surprised she almost dropped her. And she was a 36 hour labor with close to 3 hours of pushing.  My pushing times have all been long since I deliver posterior (face up) babies. I wouldn't be surprised if Robyn's baby was posterior as well. Sometimes a woman will have a posterior baby even when they haven't in the past. 

Edited June 8, 2016 by 3girlsforus

[Kohola3]

A fractured clavicle isn't all that rare. In fact it's the most common fracture in a newborn and is the larger the baby, the more common that fracture. It's one of the things that every baby is checked for right after birth in the routine newborn exam.

[LilWharveyGal]

3 hours ago, truelovekiss said:

Robyn reminds me of Anne Boleyn. 

Paging Jane Seymour, Jane Seymour to the cult-de-sac please...

[CofCinci]

Anne Boleyn or Amber Lynn. 

[RazzleberryPie]

Isn't there some theory now that Henry Viii became tyrannical because he had some sort of frontal lobe damage from jousting? Kody and Robyn explained all about the importance of a properly developed frontal lobe and decision making.

Hilarious that rhe Browns are sort of the white trash low rent dumbed down Dlist versions of the Tudors. 

[Jordan Baker]

6 hours ago, truelovekiss said:

Then the lady in waiting becomes queen, and has a baby girl.

Yeah, but look what happened to her! :)

[3girlsforus]

7 hours ago, Absolom said:

 

I wonder if the baby's clavicle would have been broken if someone with more experience delivering babies with a shoulder dystocia had done the delivery. 

No - a broken clavicle is very common. There is no reason to believe there was any issue with the midwife's competence. 

[Absolom]

I think I'll reserve judgement on that.  I know with my newborn that had a shoulder dystocia the nurse told me that I was lucky to have the doctor that I did because he was so good at it and didn't end up with broken clavicles.  She could have been wrong or it could be experience.  It sounds like the baby and Robyn went through a lot in that delivery.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Absolom

[mamapajama]

I remember Janelle saying that, after Meri nursed Maddie,she was finally able to keep food down.  I took it to mean that Maddie could not keep formula down.  So, even though they were feeding her, she was losing most of it, and they were fighting a losing battle.

[Alapaki]

2 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

No - a broken clavicle is very common. There is no reason to believe there was any issue with the midwife's competence. 

Fractured clavicles only occur in 1 out of 10 cases of shoulder dystocia.  

They talked about doing at least 3 pushes after the head delivered, and numbskull Kody was yelling at Robyn to keep pushing.

There are maneuvers that should've been tried to free the shoulder that I didn't see used.

From what it looked like the midwife was attempting some sort of internal rotation in which she sticks a few fingers inside and tries to twist the baby.  It's entirely possible that the midwife fractured the clavicle in this process.

Ultimately, fortunately, it appears to have worked out okay and there doesn't appear to have been an brachial plexus injury.  But it certainly could've been much worse.

[Kellyee]

Quote

No - a broken clavicle is very common. There is no reason to believe there was any issue with the midwife's competence.

I would have gotten the baby checked out at the hospital, no matter what the midwife said. I briefly Googled, and that baby should have had an x-ray or MRI to make sure there wasn't more damage. These people are idiots.

[MamaMax]

When I heard the name for the new baby, I thought at first, don't they already have one named that?? Ariella? Good Lord, my mother called me by the wrong name sometimes and there were only 3 of us. 

[gardendiva]

So I stupidly watched this show a second time because I missed some of the things you guys were talking about, such as the glamour shot/white car photo in the bedroom, Sol chewing on a lightbulb, etc.

What struck me was that the entire show was basically Kody grabbing the spotlight in any way he could, whether it was his hissy fit when the troops didn't immediately descend into rapt silence at his mere entrance into the room to make the Hawaii announcement, or the play by play he gave of every moment of his birth coaching. It was as if he truly believed that episode was all about his coaching. He went into such detail about his philosophies on breathing and the importance of emotional support. I have never given birth so I don't know about the validity of any of it, but when he made that face where he puffed out his cheeks in an imitation of holding in the breath to help push, I have never seen a more punchable face in my life anywhere.

[laurakaye]

Just another aspect of Kody's narcissist personality...he seems to think that all these births are just his wives' way of glorifying him, and that the kids should revere him simply because he is the supposed head of the family.  It's absolutely ridiculous for him to think for one second that all conversation should come to a screeching halt whenever he has something to say.  Many of the mid-to-younger age kids simply don't have a lot of respect for him.  In order to gain respect from your kids, you have to get up off the couch and follow through...and my guess is, as his brood became larger and larger, those middle kids didn't get near the time and attention from Kody as the older ones, so they quickly learned that he wasn't someone they had to behave for.  I can totally see Joe Darger getting up in front of his family and having everyone quiet down immediately because he has that demeanor (I actually find him a bit scary).  Kody is all fluff and hairspray and no follow-through.

[Lamima]

Could not stand to hear Kody tell her to breathe one more time. I had the urge to throat punch the guy. The baby was out and lying on the bed and he told Robin to breathe because she was still breathing for the baby...meanwhile baby is screaming so I think she is getting her own oxygen at that point. 

I had a 9lb 9oz baby and they are tough to get out. I felt a lot of sympathy for Robin (who I usually cannot stand). And she did it without pain meds and without screaming. Hats off to her. Though Aria might be the last for her. I am guessing #18 is it for Kody unless there's a wife #5.

[gardendiva]

The lack of enthusiasm of the middle kids seeing another child born into this family was quite obvious. Especially Gwendlyn's (sp?) remark about having another child "to deal with" was very telling. For them, it just meant the pie was getting cut smaller yet again.

[MollyBrown]

I thought Kody was being passive aggressive during the Hawaii announcement.   I have six kids, I know if I am going to make an announcement I need to gather their attention first.  That requires something, other then saying in a somewhat quite voice.   So they don't hear him and he gets to lay victim.   So annoying.   My 10 year old said ge needed to speak up. 

 

My my other thought was that Christine's house looked really clean for the day after Christmas.   My house is always trashed. 

[gunderda]

On 6/6/2016 at 8:46 AM, laurakaye said:

Wait, so Kody is cool with Logan and his girlfriend living together...but I thought kisses contained hormones, or something like that...shouldn't he be blowing a gasket?

No he's not ok with it.  He said it made him squeamish.  You could tell he was really stewing but I have a feeling there had been talks about it before and he was told he had no say in it. 

On 6/6/2016 at 10:36 AM, absolutelyido said:

I agree it was unnecessary to wake all of the children to have them come and see the baby right away. They could wait a day or two. Plus is it really a good idea to have a newborn exposed to that many people. Aren't you supposed to limit a newborn's exposure to people for at least a couple of weeks? Especially given that it was December, right in the middle of cold and flu season. No wonder Solomon had a respiratory infection when he was just two month's old, exposed to all those people.

AND when all the older kids came back like a week later Kody was saying how they were now making everyone change their shirts and wash their hands.  But having a million people handle your kid in the middle of the night is ok?

On 6/6/2016 at 6:04 PM, Kellyee said:

So Janelle had a baby before Meri. I bet Meri made her pay for that. On the flip side, I felt bad for Meri when they were talking about how many times Christine and Janelle were pregnant together.

They've talked about this quite a bit before and how it probably did lead to some issues.   I'm sure she felt horrible and had super low self-esteem since she was suppose to be the primary wife but the other two were popping out kids like crazy.

 

I was horrified when Robyn's mom took a picture when the baby was like halfway out.  Do you really want to take out those photos and look at them again??? Do they go in a baby book?  I'd be horrified if my mom's vagina was in my baby photo book. 

Just NO.

[laurakaye]

52 minutes ago, auntl said:

That Hawaii announcement showed Kody's need for absolute control even when it's not necessary.

He kept insisting that they gather around the table. What difference did it make if some of the kids leaned on the kitchen counters? They could still hear him. Nope, he would not speak until they were all around the table. He just wanted to order them around and win. He's such a jerk.

I forgot about that...he's asking 17 hungry kids to get their food and stand in a certain place...what was his point there, anyway?  He was like, "If you have your food, stand behind the table.  If you're still getting your food, stop and stand behind me.  If you have food in your mouth, sit down.  If you chose the bacon instead of the ham, walk ten paces backward and stop."  This was breakfast, right?  Where coffee is involved?  Man, my husband knows not to start asking me questions before I've at least had a sip or two of coffee and some food in my stomach in the morning.  I'm surprised someone didn't bean him over the head with a cast-iron skillet full of scrambled eggs.  He just wants the attention WHEN he wants it, the circumstances don't matter. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

He just wants the attention WHEN he wants it, the circumstances don't matter. 

When does he ever NOT want attention.  I imagine that most of the kids ignore Prophet Prima Donna because he's been trying to hog the limelight for their entire lives.  It's like crying wolf - do it too often and nobody responds.

They remind me of how Charlie Brown hears his teacher's voice - waa, waa, waa, waa, waa.....

Edited June 9, 2016 by Kohola3

[TheVoicesToldMeTo]

Soooo many things to unpack about this episode.

Cody telling Robyn to hold your breath in during contractions/pushing.  WRONG!  And you'd think the midwife would have jumped in and said something.  I wanted to punch the TV when he started getting preachy about how Robyn should handle her pain.  I think what people like him forget is that the pain of contractions typically goes on for hours.  It's easy to suck up the pain when the trauma is something instantaneous like slamming your hand in the door.  Most women don't give birth 5 minutes after their water breaks. 

I forget which wife couldn't make enough breastmilk so Meri had to step up, but did anyone consider formula?  Babies grow at all different rates but it is horrible that baby didn't grow at all for 5 or 6 months?!?  Do they even take their kids to the doctors?

How gross was it that Robyn's parents were sitting at the foot of her bed during labor?  Sit up at her head or off to the side?  They looked like judges on a reality TV talent show. 

[tabloidlover]

After watching the labor and delivery master that is Coach Kody of Awesomeness, I just had to say this.  I had a baby myself almost 20 years ago.  And my husband was the total opposite of dumbass.  I don't know how I successfully had our son without the wisdom and experience of Kody.  It's a mystery.  I just don't know how I did it.   <please read above in scarcasm font>

[Alapaki]

How about the Vagina-Angels that somehow protected Robyn's pregnancy?

[ghoulina]

On 6/8/2016 at 0:42 PM, Kohola3 said:

I thought Kody was being passive aggressive during the Hawaii announcement.   I have six kids, I know if I am going to make an announcement I need to gather their attention first.  That requires something, other then saying in a somewhat quite voice.   So they don't hear him and he gets to lay victim.   So annoying.   My 10 year old said ge needed to speak up.

Kody is such a micro-manager. He wanted them gathered, but "gathered" EXACTLY as he said. Those eating, must stay seated. Those still getting food must then gather around those that are seated. Good Lord, man. Isn't it enough that they're all in the same room? At one point Logan gave him a look that totally said, "We ARE gathered, asshole, just come on with it." I really do think he likes to play the long-suffering dad. 

 

(sorry for the incorrect quote, the board is being all wonky for me.)

[Absolom]

Quote

My my other thought was that Christine's house looked really clean for the day after Christmas.   My house is always trashed. 

It probably wasn't the day after Christmas or at least not the day after real Christmas.  The crew would have had the holiday with their families.  The holiday scenes in reality shows are usually staged a month or more before the real event. 

[Lamima]

I wonder if it was after Dec 26 by quite a bit. I think during that breakfast Robin said she was contracting and felt like she'd have the baby in a few days to a week. Then the birth was 1/10. So I wonder if that breakfast was really early January.

[RedheadZombie]

I wonder if baby Maddie had pyloric stenosis.

8 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Just another aspect of Kody's narcissist personality...he seems to think that all these births are just his wives' way of glorifying him, and that the kids should revere him simply because he is the supposed head of the family.  It's absolutely ridiculous for him to think for one second that all conversation should come to a screeching halt whenever he has something to say.  Many of the mid-to-younger age kids simply don't have a lot of respect for him.  In order to gain respect from your kids, you have to get up off the couch and follow through...and my guess is, as his brood became larger and larger, those middle kids didn't get near the time and attention from Kody as the older ones, so they quickly learned that he wasn't someone they had to behave for.  I can totally see Joe Darger getting up in front of his family and having everyone quiet down immediately because he has that demeanor (I actually find him a bit scary).  Kody is all fluff and hairspray and no follow-through.

If Joe Darger is on one extreme end of the spectrum, and Kody is the other, I think Brady Williams would fall in the middle.  I wouldn't seek this way of life, but I think I would be happier in Brady's family.  He sees and speaks to each child daily, has a consistent rotation with his wives, and works a real job - as do several of the wives.  Plus, it took many episodes to determine his favorites, versus Kody's obvious preference.

[SongbirdHollow]

6 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I forgot about that...he's asking 17 hungry kids to get their food and stand in a certain place...what was his point there, anyway?  He was like, "If you have your food, stand behind the table.  If you're still getting your food, stop and stand behind me.  If you have food in your mouth, sit down.  If you chose the bacon instead of the ham, walk ten paces backward and stop."  This was breakfast, right?  Where coffee is involved?  Man, my husband knows not to start asking me questions before I've at least had a sip or two of coffee and some food in my stomach in the morning.  I'm surprised someone didn't bean him over the head with a cast-iron skillet full of scrambled eggs.  He just wants the attention WHEN he wants it, the circumstances don't matter. 

Non-dysfunctional large families with a good leader usually have a system worked out for getting the group's attention and making announcements. Heck, as a Girl Scout leader we had the age old system of "when the hand goes up, the mouth goes shut" and it worked pretty well. The Bateses manage with a gentle  "can I have y'alls attention, listen up". Kody is one big #fail as a leader, spiritual or otherwise. No wonder nobody has any respect for him.

[Adeejay]

2 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

If Joe Darger is on one extreme end of the spectrum, and Kody is the other, I think Brady Williams would fall in the middle.  I wouldn't seek this way of life, but I think I would be happier in Brady's family. 

Brady blatantly ignores Robin and Rosemarie.  They seem miserable.  Plus, he doesn't hide the fact that Rhonda is his favorite.  I would have to go with the Kodster.  I think he would be easier to manipulate or ignore. 

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Adeejay said:

Brady blatantly ignores Robin and Rosemarie.  They seem miserable.  Plus, he doesn't hide the fact that Rhonda is his favorite.  I would have to go with the Kodster.  I think he would be easier to manipulate or ignore. 

How in the world do you ignore Kody?  It would be like trying to ignore a swarm of mosquitoes.  They won't shut up, and they won't quit trying to get what they want from you.

[truelovekiss]

2 hours ago, Adeejay said:

Brady blatantly ignores Robin and Rosemarie.  They seem miserable.  Plus, he doesn't hide the fact that Rhonda is his favorite.  I would have to go with the Kodster.  I think he would be easier to manipulate or ignore. 

I think that's Janelle's strategy, and she's pretty good at it. Robyn is very much entrenched in Kody's drama, as is Meri. I think Chrisitne kind of breezes in and out, looking for validation and attention from Kody, but she gets a lot of her happiness in interacting with her kids, her sister wives and her mom. (I think she is much happier having her mom live with her, and I have noticed a difference in her) But Janelle really doesn't seem to care if Kody's there or not. She got her kids out of him, and she had Christine to help watch them when they were small. She said it herself, Kody was a sperm donor.