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

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Hey, Henry's in boxing stance already. Maybe my long-hoped-for skeptical fighting Duggar has finally arrived.

Henry's gotten cuter, I also think he now has a brotherly resemblance to Spurge.

[SnarkyShark]

Until I read the names and examined the pictures more closely, I though they were the same baby! They definitely look like siblings, but Henry's hair is lighter.

[awaken]

Ha- one of the comments on Henry's instagram pic- "@JessaSeewald As Henry looks very happy, mostly he looks so very critical in the world. Does he have a reason for this?"

Bin and jeremy should be ashamed of themselves coming along as chaperones on a girls' trip when they should be working. 

[queenanne]

9 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Henry's gotten cuter, I also think he now has a brotherly resemblance to Spurge.

Yeah, his skin tamed down which has helped him look less angry, poor scrap.

[DangerousMinds]

9 hours ago, awaken said:

Ha- one of the comments on Henry's instagram pic- "@JessaSeewald As Henry looks very happy, mostly he looks so very critical in the world. Does he have a reason for this?"

Bin and jeremy should be ashamed of themselves coming along as chaperones on a girls' trip when they should be working. 

Yes, but I feel the same about the women. Get jobs!

[Mollie]

5 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Yes, but I feel the same about the women. Get jobs!

I know what you mean.  It's not just about a job, but about doing something productive with their lives.  They could start a foundation, find homes for the homeless, start a food bank, etc.  To me, it's the fact that they do NOTHING but fix their hair that drives me up the wall.  How could all these people deliberately live such boring lives?

[toodles]

1 hour ago, Mollie said:

I know what you mean.  It's not just about a job, but about doing something productive with their lives.  They could start a foundation, find homes for the homeless, start a food bank, etc.  To me, it's the fact that they do NOTHING but fix their hair that drives me up the wall.  How could all these people deliberately live such boring lives?

But that would require interacting with heathens and the godless.  Or, horrors, someone who believes differently than they do.  And it may require actual work.  How would they have time to plan upteen baby showers, scour pinterest for the latest wedding fad or post mean spirited bible verses to tell us all that we have the express ticket to hell?

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, Mollie said:

I know what you mean.  It's not just about a job, but about doing something productive with their lives.  They could start a foundation, find homes for the homeless, start a food bank, etc.  To me, it's the fact that they do NOTHING but fix their hair that drives me up the wall.  How could all these people deliberately live such boring lives?

Hell, they don't even do the stuff they're supposed to do very well.  If Jesus wants the women to stay at home and clean and cook; why don't they do a better job of it?  They're lousy cooks and poor housekeepers and demonstrate virtually no domestic skills.  Why doesn't one of them take some cooking lessons or learn to refinish furniture or something?

[awaken]

4 hours ago, Mollie said:

I know what you mean.  It's not just about a job, but about doing something productive with their lives.  They could start a foundation, find homes for the homeless, start a food bank, etc.  To me, it's the fact that they do NOTHING but fix their hair that drives me up the wall.  How could all these people deliberately live such boring lives?

Absolutely!   There is so much they could do with their fame and wealth To truly be a positive force in the world. It's astounding how wasted it all is. 

[Westiepeach]

But ... you know ... Jesus!

[Christina87]

5 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Hell, they don't even do the stuff they're supposed to do very well.  If Jesus wants the women to stay at home and clean and cook; why don't they do a better job of it?  They're lousy cooks and poor housekeepers and demonstrate virtually no domestic skills.  Why doesn't one of them take some cooking lessons or learn to refinish furniture or something?

I know!!! It drives me up the wall, because having a clean, neat home is important to me, so I keep it impeccable, and cook meals from scratch even though I work! I would love to have all the time in the world to do a better job, but they need to start with just doing the job!

[Jynnan tonnix]

8 hours ago, Christina87 said:

I know!!! It drives me up the wall, because having a clean, neat home is important to me, so I keep it impeccable, and cook meals from scratch even though I work! I would love to have all the time in the world to do a better job, but they need to start with just doing the job!

What's better than impeccable? LOL...I don't even work, and while my home is not a mess, it rarely approaches impeccable. I'd say it sounds as though you are doing a great job already.

[doodlebug]

44 minutes ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

What's better than impeccable? LOL...I don't even work, and while my home is not a mess, it rarely approaches impeccable. I'd say it sounds as though you are doing a great job already.

The Duggars don't even need to reach 'impeccable, adequate would be nice. 

[Jeeves]

17 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Hell, they don't even do the stuff they're supposed to do very well.  If Jesus wants the women to stay at home and clean and cook; why don't they do a better job of it?  They're lousy cooks and poor housekeepers and demonstrate virtually no domestic skills.  Why doesn't one of them take some cooking lessons or learn to refinish furniture or something?

But, obviously, Jesus wants the DUGGAR women to be joyfully available to their husbands if married, to pump out babies STAT after the wedding and ever after, and most importantly, to be on teevee and social media and the cover of People magazine. Jesus is okay with their delegating the mundane details of housework and cooking, as Michelle discovered years ago. 

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

But, obviously, Jesus wants the DUGGAR women to be joyfully available to their husbands if married, to pump out babies STAT after the wedding and ever after, and most importantly, to be on teevee and social media and the cover of People magazine. Jesus is okay with their delegating the mundane details of housework and cooking, as Michelle discovered years ago. 

Yep. Because if the general public couldn't see them in the media all the time, they wouldn't be able to draw us inexorably to the correct Jesus. I mean, don't all the above pictures have that effect on you? I know that I can hardly keep myself from running to the nearest altar to commit myself to the correct Jesus every time I see them posing in some tourist spot in their fashionable but modest outfits. 

That's obviously way more important than caring for your home and family, earning a living, figuring out how to do a great job homeschooling, helping others, learning something, creating something....etc. etc. etc. 

[MargeGunderson]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

But, obviously, Jesus wants the DUGGAR women to be joyfully available to their husbands if married, to pump out babies STAT after the wedding and ever after, and most importantly, to be on teevee and social media and the cover of People magazine. Jesus is okay with their delegating the mundane details of housework and cooking, as Michelle discovered years ago. 

And delegating the care of her children to her other children. Don't forget that. Michelle clearly doesn't have a servant's heart.

[Jeeves]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

But, obviously, Jesus wants the DUGGAR women to be joyfully available to their husbands if married, to pump out babies STAT after the wedding and ever after, and most importantly, to be on teevee and social media and the cover of People magazine. Jesus is okay with their delegating the mundane details of housework and cooking, as Michelle discovered years ago. 

 

47 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

And delegating the care of her children to her other children. Don't forget that. Michelle clearly doesn't have a servant's heart.

Yep. And that includes delegating the homeschooling too. 

[Christina87]

3 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Yep. Because if the general public couldn't see them in the media all the time, they wouldn't be able to draw us inexorably to the correct Jesus. I mean, don't all the above pictures have that effect on you? I know that I can hardly keep myself from running to the nearest altar to commit myself to the correct Jesus every time I see them posing in some tourist spot in their fashionable but modest outfits. 

That's obviously way more important than caring for your home and family, earning a living, figuring out how to do a great job homeschooling, helping others, learning something, creating something....etc. etc. etc. 

You SERIOUSLY made me LOL with that first paragraph! Thanks for the laugh!

[MunichNark]

The notion of wimmins being all fragile and should be protected and stay at home pretty much is a victorian thing. Before that, it simply didn't make any sense, as women always had to work to survive. The middle classes didn't really develop until Queen Victoria.

Having said that, none of the Duggar girls has any kind of householding skill at all, perhaps Jana has some, but she is the exception. They can't cook, can't clean, have no notion of how to keep a tidy house, dress nicely. They don't even live up to that 50s housewife ideal.

[Zahdii]

The Duggar kids are so screwed up they don't know if they're coming or going.  They were raised in a cult that had some pretty stupid ideas on how to live life, and their parents twisted the cult ideals even more to deal with their own issues.  Add in the TLC factor and you've got a perfect storm on how to screw up your kids and make money at the same time. 

The Duggars are considered fundy royalty now, but mostly by the public.  I think that without TLC, they would have been the family that started out strong and then fizzled out and then have become the distant cousins that show up at the family reunion.  They're family, but kind of cringeworthy, and everyone tries to be polite while hoping that they don't stay long.

Without TLC, I wonder what the Duggars would be like today.  Maybe a slightly better version of the Rodriguez family.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, MunichNark said:

The notion of wimmins being all fragile and should be protected and stay at home pretty much is a victorian thing. Before that, it simply didn't make any sense, as women always had to work to survive. The middle classes didn't really develop until Queen Victoria.

Having said that, none of the Duggar girls has any kind of householding skill at all, perhaps Jana has some, but she is the exception. They can't cook, can't?clean, have no notion of how to keep a tidy house, dress nicely. They don't even live up to that 50s housewife ideal.

Isn't it interesting that fundies of their ilk seem devoted to mediocrity as a lifestyle?  The lack of ambition, pride in a job well done, the lack of desire to achieve even competence at a skill is really staggering.  Crappy childrearing, crappy schooling, crappy job, crappy life.

3 minutes ago, Zahdii said:

 

Without TLC, I wonder what the Duggars would be like today.  Maybe a slightly better version of the Rodriguez family.

Considering that even without TLC, the Duggars would've had the molestation situation, they're not even 'slightly better' that the Rodriguii.

Edited April 17, 2017 by doodlebug
punctuation is important!

[sometimesy]

9 hours ago, MunichNark said:

The notion of wimmins being all fragile and should be protected and stay at home pretty much is a victorian thing. Before that, it simply didn't make any sense, as women always had to work to survive. The middle classes didn't really develop until Queen Victoria.

Having said that, none of the Duggar girls has any kind of householding skill at all, perhaps Jana has some, but she is the exception. They can't cook, can't clean, have no notion of how to keep a tidy house, dress nicely. even live up to that 50s housewife ideal.

Maybe you are thinking June Cleaver, but for some reason Flo from Andy Capp pops into my head first. 

[Mollie]

Grumpy baby is back.

 

[Heathen]

20 minutes ago, Mollie said:

Grumpy baby is back.

 

I'm not sure that's "grumpy" as much as "filling his diaper." 

[MamaMax]

40 minutes ago, Mollie said:

Grumpy baby is back.

 

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

[Guest]

My god that baby is chubby lol. I haven't been around many babies to compare, but he looks so big.

[sometimesy]

24 minutes ago, Anonymousie said:

I'm not sure that's "grumpy" as much as "filling his diaper." 

I hate the way they display those babies. So unnatural to me, just hug the kid and stop that body forward weirdness. 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2017 by sometimesy

[SMama]

I need a reality check. Jessa will be paid thousands $ to teach females nine and up how to dress modern modest. And that is the best she could put together for Easter Sunday? Bag lady modern modest?

I'm no fashionista but I also refrain from giving advise in areas I don't know shit about. SMDH

[GeeGolly]

I have such a problem with moms that put shoes on infants, yet take the toddlers out without shoes on. I was raised barefoot during the warm months, but if we went somewhere like a gathering or restaurant, anyone who could walk wore shoes.

[Sew Sumi]

Don't they still have soft baby booties that tie at the ankle that Henry could have worn? I mean, it's the Holiday of the Year for these people. LOOK LIKE YOU GIVE A SHIT! 

[BitterApple]

Poor Henry still looks like Elmer Fudd. 

[Absolom]

They make booties, socks, and very soft baby shoes.  There are plenty of alternatives so that the kids look fully dressed.  I may laugh at the flowered cloth sandal looking things that Whitney Bates puts on her daughter, but the child is "finished."

[Sew Sumi]

I was really picking on Jessa. She's wearing one of those schlumpy striped maxis. Put on a dress for Easter services for Crissakes! If Sierra can do it with 5 kids, little Miss I Only Work For TLC can. She could have worn that outfit when they went to Waco last week. Jeez. 

[kalamac]

I actually thought that was a pretty nice picture. And I have no problem with the babies being faced forward, because it was for a picture. Spurge is such a cheerful little dude, so while I hate everything they stand for, they must be doing something right by him.

[latetotheparty]

Ugh, that bow tie under Henry's chin looks awfully uncomfortable. 

[Jynnan tonnix]

2 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Poor Henry still looks like Elmer Fudd. 

I actually think he looks a bit like Winston Churchill...which is at least a bit better. Lots of babies seem to look like ol' Winnie, though.

[Portia]

Barefoot babies are very much a thing in my part of the world.. My 7-month-old grandson has beautiful clothes but has never worn shoes and won't till he's walking. This is standard among my daughter's "well-off young mom" peer group. I don't care enough to get worked up about it. 

Jessa's Easter outfit made me sad. This past Sunday I saw tons of young women wearing darling, modest dresses at church. She fould have found something very economical but cute at J. C. Penney or even Target. (Whoops, scratch Target. Transgender Central.)

[kalamac]

1 hour ago, Portia said:

Barefoot babies are very much a thing in my part of the world.. My 7-month-old grandson has beautiful clothes but has never worn shoes and won't till he's walking. This is standard among my daughter's "well-off young mom" peer group. I don't care enough to get worked up about it. 

Jessa's Easter outfit made me sad. This past Sunday I saw tons of young women wearing darling, modest dresses at church. She fould have found something very economical but cute at J. C. Penney or even Target. (Whoops, scratch Target. Transgender Central.)

I'm sure it's not Jessa's reasoning, but a friend of mine didn't put shoes on her boy until he'd been walking for a few months, because she was convinced shoes impede the natural development of the foot - a thought held by a bunch of the women in her mothers' group.

[Sew Sumi]

The "shoes" I suggested for Henry are nothing more than cloth (often courdoroy) with a tie around the ankle. Nothing more than foot warmers, really. Nothing with soles or anything like that. Something that could be knitted or crocheted, perhaps?

Maybe like these? 

 

 

[queenanne]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

The "shoes" I suggested for Henry are nothing more than cloth (often courdoroy) with a tie around the ankle. Nothing more than foot warmers, really. Nothing with soles or anything like that. Something that could be knitted or crocheted, perhaps?

Maybe like these? 

 

 

They're so cute just sitting there mutely, haha.  Baby Gap is making loads I think, or they were the last time I bought baby presents for a bridal shower.  I think they would call those the "Mary Janes".  

I think they would be nice, though I also think shoe choice vs. barefoot, anything goes nowadays for pre-walkers as long as the covering is not way smaller a la banned practice of footbinding.  Doctors can't even really determine definitively whether or not adults with foot problems should go barefoot, or always be shod, whether joggers should (!), or have those vibram five-toed things....

[Celia Rubenstein]

There's nothing wrong with carrying a baby facing away from you. My daughter greatly preferred it unless she was tired and wanted to rest up against my chest. It was harder for me but I figured she was interested in looking around and it would be selfish of me to deny her the chance, lol. Who wants to be hauled around all day with nothing but your mother's clavicle to look at?

[ginger90]

I used to carry one of my daughters like that. It helped with gas, hers, not mine! I question why the adults are dressed for different weather than the children

[doodlebug]

Since Spurge is walking, I have more problem with him not wearing shoes.  Of course, he may be one of those kids who removes his shoes at every opportunity and they're jammed into Jessa's purse.  For the baby, there are so many cute socks out there for little ones, even ones that look like sneakers or whatever.  Maybe its because I live in the northern US, but I see lots of babies wearing socks to match their outfit around town.

As far as how the kids are being held, I figure that is just for the pictures, to make sure their outfits, including bow ties, were visible.

Edited April 18, 2017 by doodlebug

[RazzleberryPie]

I hate babies in public setttings with no socks/shoes. It looks sloppy and you're in public. This is Easter Sunday, the most important day for Christians, and you can't show some respect to your Risen Savior, who you say is the whole focus of your entire lives, by cleaning up a little bit?

Henry really isn't going to move much at this point and probably hasn't found his toes yet. Spurge walks, kicks, probably puts his feet all over the place. That's a really good way to pick up some skin infection. Toddlers are filthy. 

Foreard facing pics, no biggie. It's a picture. You want to see faces. 

Henry is cute but already so smug looking. I hope he becomes the rebel who tells all.

[Ripley68]

I never put shoes on my son until he was walking.  I would put socks on him, but he would never keep them on.  Spurge I think would look better with shoes, but they're little kids...barefoot is ok. - as long as they aren't letting him run around the parking lot or church barefoot.

[louannems]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Since Spurge is walking, I have more problem with him not wearing shoes.  Of course, he may be one of those kids who removes his shoes at every opportunity and they're jammed into Jessa's purse.  For the baby, there are so many cute socks out there for little ones, even ones that look like sneakers or whatever.  Maybe its because I live in the northern US, but I see lots of babies wearing socks to match their outfit around town.

As far as how the kids are being held, I figure that is just for the pictures, to make sure their outfits, including bow ties, were visible.

I saw that picture on , I think, the Duggar fan club Facebook.  There are endless pages of comments about the non shoe wearing babies.  I must of read for an (wasted) hour!  Jessa actually responded back and said Spurgeon did have socks and shoes in the car.  She said when they are out and about, they hold him, so it's not like he's walking on the dirty ground.

Unless it was very warm that day, I also hate seeing babies feet uncovered.  There are plenty of soft, cute baby booties, socks available.

[AUgirl]

Bare feet in the South are a very big thing with little kids. Go to any church on Easter and there will be tons of kids in heirloom lace dresses or rompers for boys barefoot. Keep in mind these outfits start around $100. 

My daughter was a flower girl in her cousin's huge very fancy wedding-she requested all the kids be barefoot. 

I guess it's what you're used to but it doesn't bother me when they are Toddlers or babies (now she's 17 I wouldn't find it charming). 

[MzTori77]

4 hours ago, AUgirl said:

Bare feet in the South are a very big thing with little kids. Go to any church on Easter and there will be tons of kids in heirloom lace dresses or rompers for boys barefoot. Keep in mind these outfits start around $100. 

My daughter was a flower girl in her cousin's huge very fancy wedding-she requested all the kids be barefoot. 

I guess it's what you're used to but it doesn't bother me when they are Toddlers or babies (now she's 17 I wouldn't find it charming). 

You're not referring to children who are walking, are you?? I've lived in the South my entire life and I've never seen children in church (Easter or any Sunday) dressed in nice clothes but no shoes! Babies, maybe. But not walking children! I hope you meant babies - people stereotype the South enough as it is lol!

[Obsidian]

I know a few people who put their babies in tights. Socks that can't be removed and leggings all in one. If it's warm enough I don't mind barefoot children of any age (but keep those feet away from me until they're washed), but dressed up it does look incomplete.

[toodles]

13 hours ago, queenanne said:

They're so cute just sitting there mutely, haha.  Baby Gap is making loads I think, or they were the last time I bought baby presents for a bridal shower.  I think they would call those the "Mary Janes".  

I think they would be nice, though I also think shoe choice vs. barefoot, anything goes nowadays for pre-walkers as long as the covering is not way smaller a la banned practice of footbinding.  Doctors can't even really determine definitively whether or not adults with foot problems should go barefoot, or always be shod, whether joggers should (!), or have those vibram five-toed things....

I've started crocheting booties and I just made a ton of these.