Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[toodles]

1 hour ago, Mollie said:

In his online religion courses, Ben is just a college freshman.  Most freshmen aren't so arrogant, thinking that they already know everything.  But, Ben likes to pretend that he is already a preacher with a Doctor of Divinity degree.  I doubt that he is enrolled in a scholarly curriculum which requires the study of Greek and Hebrew.  I don't think he has the intellect for that. 

Online is great for some things, but IMHO, abstract thinking is not one of them.  Disagreements and challenges to your own ideas are critical to creative thinking as well.  You can get that on boards (thank, PTV) but interaction with other real people in a day to day setting is invaluable.

 Classes, study groups, after class coffee and lunch with different types of people are what help you to grow.  Doing things that scare you help you to grow.  Of course this is against every thing the duggars believe in, so it's a moot point.

Keep talking out of your ass, Bin.  I'll give you an A+ for that.

[SnarkyShark]

5 hours ago, toodles said:

But you were educated the wrong way.  I'm sure Binhead could point out all the ways your 13 years of education in a faith that's thousands of years old is bad.  After all, he is reading a book that says its so.  

I'd like to see him try, because I doubt he nor a book is a good authority on quality education. Not to brag, but my high school is actually ranked in the top 10 Catholic high schools in my state by Niche. We learned about Catholicism as underclassmen, but the focus went beyond dogma and the Bible. As upperclassmen, everybody took a Social Justice class, which taught students about how religion and values connect to real-world issues instead of wardrobe choices. Beyond the religious aspect, we learned about evolution and had real sex-ed, not just the abstinence-only kind. And guess what? 100 percent of graduates went on to legitimate colleges, not clown colleges. 

[EmeraldGirl]

Hey, I can brag on catholic school for teaching me grammar. If nothing else I'll always be proud of the fact that I don't say, "Me and Jessa", or, "Her and I". I know, public school could have done that too ... but suck it anyway, Ben. 

[jilliannatalia]

On 4/17/2017 at 1:51 PM, MamaMax said:

OMG the Spurgemeister is the cutest but he looks like he's wearing a wig! HAHAHAHAHA

I think Henry is a sweet baby.

[Churchhoney]

15 hours ago, EmeraldGirl said:

Hey, I can brag on catholic school for teaching me grammar. If nothing else I'll always be proud of the fact that I don't say, "Me and Jessa", or, "Her and I". I know, public school could have done that too ... but suck it anyway, Ben. 

That's okay because Bin hates public schools too, I'm sure, and would wave around a book condemning their evils, except he hasn't got hold of such a book yet.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Churchhoney

[doodlebug]

16 hours ago, EmeraldGirl said:

)Hey, I can brag on catholic school for teaching me grammar. If nothing else I'll always be proud of the fact that I don't say, "Me and Jessa", or, "Her and I". I know, public school could have done that too ... but suck it anyway, Ben. 

I'll bet you can also diagram sentences blindfolded.  I sure can.  Nuns were obsessed with grammar and sentence structure back in my day and I'm very glad they were. 

As a freshman in high school, we also got a very detailed sex education class taught by a nun including all the specific biologic processes and correct anatomic terminology.  We also learned the basics of contraception.  We also were subjected to some icky pictures of people with tertiary syphilis and such (this was a nun, after all, couldn't make sex look too good).

I also remember studying comparative religion in Catholic high school.  In eighth grade, we studied Judaism; even had a Seder one Friday.  As a freshman in high school; we learned about the Muslim faith, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and a whole bunch of others.  We read translations from some of their sacred texts, learned the main tenets, got some background on the history and personalities behind each one.  I had to write a paper on one; as I recall, I got Hinduism.  I don't remember much else, but I remember doing the research and writing it.

10 years Catholic school here (mom got pregnant in her 40's and we moved.  Nearby Catholic high school was co-ed and therefore much pricier than previous girls-only.  With a new mortgage and new baby (6th kid), and 3 of us in high school, something had to give.)

On topic:  Whenever I hear about the Duggars ragging on the Catholics; my first thought is, 'Hey, at least my church is strong enough to believe we can withstand other faiths, other ideas, other ways of life.'  The idea behind a Catholic education is that kids need to know what is out there so they can freely choose as an adult to live a Catholic life or not. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by doodlebug

[latetotheparty]

On 4/23/2017 at 1:43 PM, toodles said:

Online is great for some things, but IMHO, abstract thinking is not one of them.  Disagreements and challenges to your own ideas are critical to creative thinking as well.  You can get that on boards (thank, PTV) but interaction with other real people in a day to day setting is invaluable.

 Classes, study groups, after class coffee and lunch with different types of people are what help you to grow.  Doing things that scare you help you to grow.  Of course this is against every thing the duggars believe in, so it's a moot point.

Keep talking out of your ass, Bin.  I'll give you an A+ for that.

YES. That's why most seminaries, although supported by a denomination, are multi-denominational..

[Mollie]

New grumpy baby pic.  Looks like he just found out his middle name is Wilberforce.

 

[lascuba]

 Ben's obsession with Catholicism brings to mind a scene from a show (I can't remember which), where one guy says something like, "I pity you," and the other responds with, "I don't think about you at all."  So much fundie headspace taken up by all things wrongs with the RCC and Catholics just don't give a fuck. The church hierarchy doesn't talk about them and the average Catholic who doesn't watch bad reality TV or live in a country where fundies have a disproportionate influence on politics has barely heard of them and knows nothing about them except that they wear ugly clothes and are drags at parties.  

[BitterApple]

That is one of the ugliest babies I've ever seen in my life. *climbs into the handbasket to hell*

[Sew Sumi]

He looks like he just loaded his diaper. 

[babyhouseman]

He looks constipated. I want to send him baby laxatives.

[emmelpee]

6 hours ago, lascuba said:

Ben's obsession with Catholicism brings to mind a scene from a show (I can't remember which), where one guy says something like, "I pity you," and the other responds with, "I don't think about you at all."

Temporarily poking my head out of lurkdom to say two things: 1) Hi! I love reading all your thoughts, and 2) I think you may be thinking of Mad Men. Don Draper said it to Ginsberg in the elevator.

[andromeda331]

19 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I also remember studying comparative religion in Catholic high school.  In eighth grade, we studied Judaism; even had a Seder one Friday.  As a freshman in high school; we learned about the Muslim faith, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and a whole bunch of others.  We read translations from some of their sacred texts, learned the main tenets, got some background on the history and personalities behind each one.  I had to write a paper on one; as I recall, I got Hinduism.  I don't remember much else, but I remember doing the research and writing it.

 

You were so lucky that your school let you study different religions! My high school didn't allow that (to be fair that would have gotten the school into all kinds of trouble)  but I would have love to have been able to do that in school. I ended up doing it on my own because I find the different religions so fascinating. Reading their texts, learning the tenets, from ancient ones to current ones.

[queenanne]

That baby is hilarious to me at this point, and needs some (tasteful of course) captions to express his displeasure with life.  

He looks nice all color coordinated, though.

[RazzleberryPie]

2 hours ago, queenanne said:

That baby is hilarious to me at this point, and needs some (tasteful of course) captions to express his displeasure with life.  

He looks nice all color coordinated, though.

Me, too. He is cute, and looks more like a tiny grown person than a baby, if that makes sense. He looks like he'd have a full on adult convo if he could corrdiante his motor skills or whatever.

He looks so much like Josh though. Maybe it's the chub and the smug. 

[Mollie]

45 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

He looks so much like Josh though. Maybe it's the chub and the smug. 

Or, the grump

 

[lookeyloo]

Poor Henry. He is a perfectly fine average baby but compared to the adorable Spurgie he doesn't shine. And we have not seen much of him smiling. The Seewalds do seem to do a good job of keeping their babies clean and well fed. 

[queenanne]

1 minute ago, lookeyloo said:

Poor Henry. He is a perfectly fine average baby but compared to the adorable Spurgie he doesn't shine. And we have not seen much of him smiling. The Seewalds do seem to do a good job of keeping their babies clean and well fed. 

Agreed, I liked the touch of the little non-slips on his feeties, though clearly he's not going anywhere.  He seemed to like Aunt Jinger though.

[Barb23]

11 hours ago, Mollie said:

New grumpy baby pic.  Looks like he just found out his middle name is Wilberforce.

 

Oh no, the Bumbo chair is back.  I think he is just contemplating a way of getting out of it. 

[Churchhoney]

12 hours ago, Mollie said:

New grumpy baby pic.  Looks like he just found out his middle name is Wilberforce.

 

Or that Bin will eventually be the guy who has to bring home the money for the family.

[Jynnan tonnix]

I still find him to be quite a cute baby...other than not looking as happy as Spurge in most of the photos we have seen, he actually seems to have the makings of attractive features. I still wouldn't be surprised if he grew up handsomer than Spurgeon. Pretty male babies often seem to  "peak" before puberty, while the homelier ones grow into their features over time. 

[Jellybeans]

2 minutes ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I still find him to be quite a cute baby...other than not looking as happy as Spurge in most of the photos we have seen, he actually seems to have the makings of attractive features. I still wouldn't be surprised if he grew up handsomer than Spurgeon. Pretty male babies often seem to  "peak" before puberty, while the homelier ones grow into their features over time. 

I think he is adorable.  :-)

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

New grumpy baby pic.  Looks like he just found out his middle name is Wilberforce.

Yep.  He's totally saying, "The HELL?"

[RazzleberryPie]

I think he's adorable, too. Spurgey is more a cutesy kid, and Henry is a more handsome baby, if that makes sense. They both look healthy and well cared for, too. One thing I can't fault Jessa for is being a pretty attentive mom.

[Ripley68]

I don't think Henry is ugly, he just has resting bitch face.  He just looks so over it.  Jessa is definitely NOT buying used and saving the difference.

[ginger90]

It looks like the bumbo is on the couch. I also can't see a safety strap, and no tray. 

[Catlyn]

Henry has an "old" face. He also looks bored as hell. I'm hopeful someone is trying to engage and amuse him.

[Mollie]

9 minutes ago, Catlyn said:

Henry has an "old" face. He also looks bored as hell. I'm hopeful someone is trying to engage and amuse him.

Yeah, kind of like Winston Churchill.

 

[Mrs. P.]

Looking at both of Jessa's chunky kids, it occurs to me that she has been very successful at breastfeeding.

[sometimesy]

Now that he's bigger, Wilberforce looks like Bin to me. Spurgeon was always so happy and Wilberforce is the realist. 

[MamaMax]

42 minutes ago, sometimesy said:

Now that he's bigger, Wilberforce looks like Bin to me. Spurgeon was always so happy and Wilberforce is the realist. 

I think he's smarter. Ergo -- unamused.

[GeeGolly]

9 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I still find him to be quite a cute baby...other than not looking as happy as Spurge in most of the photos we have seen, he actually seems to have the makings of attractive features. I still wouldn't be surprised if he grew up handsomer than Spurgeon. Pretty male babies often seem to  "peak" before puberty, while the homelier ones grow into their features over time. 

I agree. I actually see a lot of Jessa in Henry and see more of Ben in Spurge. Spurge's hair adds a lot to his cuteness, IMO.

[latetotheparty]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

I agree. I actually see a lot of Jessa in Henry and see more of Ben in Spurge. Spurge's hair adds a lot to his cuteness, IMO.

When I think of Spurge's cuteness I don't think hair, I think joy,  I'm sure he has his off days, all kids do, but the kid is radiant,  I hope Jessa appreciates what she has.  Cling to your beliefs if you must, Jessa (although your potential for happiness would go up if you did) but if you kill that kid's spirit with your beliefs I will never ever forgive you.  Don't do to him what your parents did to you.  There's a better way and your children deserve it.

I look at Henry and I see my brother, not physically, but he's that serious, earnest kid, always was, always will be.  I hope Jessa can embrace his differences.  This kid may not be all fun and games like his brother but he deserves to be nurtured just as sensitively.

[toodles]

20 hours ago, BitterApple said:

That is one of the ugliest babies I've ever seen in my life. *climbs into the handbasket to hell*

Scoot over.  I was thinking the same thing.

[Jynnan tonnix]

8 hours ago, Mollie said:

Yeah, kind of like Winston Churchill.

 

That's what I said upthread :) Thanks for finding such a great photo to prove the point!

[MichaelaRae]

I can't help it. I have a soft spot for the Winston Churchill, fat, grumpy, old man "ugly" babies. Maybe because I was one but even still...I want to snuggle them even more than the Gerber babies.

[riverblue22]

23 hours ago, BitterApple said:

That is one of the ugliest babies I've ever seen in my life. *climbs into the handbasket to hell*

I think he is the saddest baby I've ever seen. I hope he finds something to smile about.

[Fostersmom]

He does have a sad baby face. In the last couple years, I've seen a lot of sad babies on Facebook and I always wonder if those kids never smile. If I had a baby and was posting pics, I'd want them to at least look relatively happy. One of my old friends posted so many sad baby pics of her son, her father called her out on it. Now, I've met the kid, he's a joyful little thing, but apparently just had sad baby face for a few years.

[toodles]

Back when dinosaurs were roaming the earth and I was having babies, my friend had a baby that was so homely that people called her Yoda.  Yoda was said with much affection and no one was bent out of shape about it.  She grew up to be a lovely young woman.  Babies change every day and who knows what will happen.

[questionfear]

So my wife turned on "Counting on" out of curiosity the other day, and while watching it something hit me: for all her myriad flaws, I think Jessa is legitimately the smartest of the kidults. She's shrewd enough to understand that her kids should be presented as clean and healthy, and she cultivates a specific social media and show presence. Some of that is just good grifting skills, but it takes some degree of intelligence to maintain that well enough to cash in while she can. 

She seems like the kid who would have been head cheerleader and sorority president if she had been given a real education. 

[FakeJoshDuggar]

10 hours ago, questionfear said:

So my wife turned on "Counting on" out of curiosity the other day, and while watching it something hit me: for all her myriad flaws, I think Jessa is legitimately the smartest of the kidults. She's shrewd enough to understand that her kids should be presented as clean and healthy, and she cultivates a specific social media and show presence. Some of that is just good grifting skills, but it takes some degree of intelligence to maintain that well enough to cash in while she can. 

She seems like the kid who would have been head cheerleader and sorority president if she had been given a real education. 

I think Jessa is smart enough to know she needs a "brand" and kids who gnaw on fans ain't cutting it. 

[awaken]

On 4/25/2017 at 11:25 AM, Ripley68 said:

I don't think Henry is ugly, he just has resting bitch face.  He just looks so over it.  Jessa is definitely NOT buying used and saving the difference.

LOL. RBF Baby!

[RazzleberryPie]

Jessa may be the smartest, and she's definitely the biggest hustler/go getter. Of course that's still picking the shiniest turd in the pile, etc., but she at least attempts to do something. 

[Churchhoney]

8 hours ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Jessa may be the smartest, and she's definitely the biggest hustler/go getter. Of course that's still picking the shiniest turd in the pile, etc., but she at least attempts to do something. 

The Duggars set a new low bar for low bars. 

[bigskygirl]

In my opinion, I think they are trying to market Jessa and Ben as the next Duggar super couple. They tried it with Josh and Anna, and Jill and Derick, and all seen how well that turned out. I do not think she is the biggest hustler, okay wait a minute, she does hustle but not in a good way. She is riding high because she thinks she is "all that" but the day will come when she and Ben are knocked off their thrones especially since we have other couples who could give them a run for the royal title.

[Jeeves]

24 minutes ago, bigskygirl said:

In my opinion, I think they are trying to market Jessa and Ben as the next Duggar super couple. They tried it with Josh and Anna, and Jill and Derick, and all seen how well that turned out. I do not think she is the biggest hustler, okay wait a minute, she does hustle but not in a good way. She is riding high because she thinks she is "all that" but the day will come when she and Ben are knocked off their thrones especially since we have other couples who could give them a run for the royal title.

Great point, @bigskygirl. I think that the Seewalds are, from a TLC producer's point of view, the most attractive (or least unattractive) couple in the Duggar family at this time. It helps that Jessa loves loves loves being on camera. I can't stand to watch this show very often, but I still remember a few scenes from I think one of the early Counting On episodes. In either that episode or one just before it, TLC had trotted out Anna and some of the older Duggar kids, to cry or grumble (depending on who was talking) about Josh's bad behavior. Anna cried, JD looked grumpy and sad, Jill was her usual Eeyore-ish self.

But then we got to Jessa's THs. And she was just glowing. Obviously just pumped to be in front of a TV camera again, with it all to herself. I have no memory of what she was talking about but she was just owning that screen, by God. She couldn't hide her delight. 

Joyless and Austin may give the Seewalds a run for their money on the small screen at least. Hasn't Austin appeared in the show, interacting with Boob about a house Austin was flipping? Or is that in an episode yet to air? If Austin's really flipping houses as an actual ongoing business, that could provide quite a bit of show fodder and probably require less complete scripting of made-for-TV "events" than Bin's rapping and football camp stuff. 

But Jessa's not giving up the throne without a fight.

[Churchhoney]

40 minutes ago, bigskygirl said:

In my opinion, I think they are trying to market Jessa and Ben as the next Duggar super couple. They tried it with Josh and Anna, and Jill and Derick, and all seen how well that turned out. I do not think she is the biggest hustler, okay wait a minute, she does hustle but not in a good way. She is riding high because she thinks she is "all that" but the day will come when she and Ben are knocked off their thrones especially since we have other couples who could give them a run for the royal title.

"Duggar super couple." That's like "jumbo shrimp," right?

[ariel]

3 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

"Duggar super couple." That's like "jumbo shrimp," right?

I miss George Carlin.  I'd love to hear his take on the Duggars.

[bigskygirl]

3 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

"Duggar super couple." That's like "jumbo shrimp," right?

I thought of saying Duggar Stupor Couple, but I think that title should go to Jill and Derick. All of the Duggar couples drive me batty, but I cannot help feeling sorry for them. Of course the jury is still out on Jinger and Jeremy, Joy and Austin, and the one brother who is in a courtship.