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

[madpsych78]

It's not "things get wore," Jessa - it should be things get worn! Slap on that /n/ sound at the end. 

I actually did like how Jessa put together the boys' outfits and thought those were cute. But my goodness, it seems like so much of her consignment stuff comes from Old Navy! 

Spurgie and Ivy were cute together.

[Sew Sumi]

I thought most of their stuff was from Baby Gap with Old Navy a distant second. She called out the former when saying she refused to pay full price.

[Love2dance]

I’m confused...are there really moms out there who don’t know how to put together baby and toddler clothes? Who will this video help? 
Her kids are adorable.

[louannems]

In Jessa's most recent videos, her demeanor is so different from her Counting On demeanor.  On the show, especially in her Talking Heads, she is all gigantic smiles, throwing her head back and giving us that fake laugh, practically showing us her tonsils.

In these videos, she is very straightforward and straight-faced, no nonsense at all.  

I did appreciate that she never ignored Spurgeon, nor was she annoyed at his constantly interrupting her. Michelle would never have put her child's needs first. Also, Jessa doesn't baby talk to her kids like Michelle does.

[Barb23]

10 hours ago, Love2dance said:

I’m confused...are there really moms out there who don’t know how to put together baby and toddler clothes? Who will this video help? 
Her kids are adorable.

I was just going to post the same thing. 

I understand where she was coming from about only buying matching outfits but why pass up a nice shirt because it's a single item if there are pants at home that still fit and would match it?  She didn't address that situation. I know kids grow but,  at least for Son of Barb, there were clothing items that still fit & got carried over to the new season. 

I guess it's the style now, but the boy's pants & jean's look so tight to me. Like there's not much room  & stretchability (not sure if that's a word) for them to play & climb around in.  Same thing for the dressier plaid shirts.  They don't look comfortable to play in.  But she did have the pullover shirts too.  

I can't believe she only had 2 sets of PJs for each boy & then they looked like one summer & one winter set.  What happens when they get dirty?  I know they can be washed out by hand but think it would be easier if there were a couple of backup sets especially if one is needed in the middle of the night. 

I hope the boys get to choose what clothes they want as they get older.  I remember letting Son of Barb  choose what shirt,  PJs or shoes he liked when he was Spurgeon's age. 

 

Edited January 22, 2020 by Barb23

[ouinason]

Jessa did say upfront that these aren't all of their clothes, she's just trying to show a general idea.  Even then, if she keeps up with the laundry then one set of jammies is not that big of a problem

I get where she's coming from with the whole outfit buying thing.  I cannot tell you the number of times I have found a shirt that was great and thought "Oh, I can wear this with those pants in my closet", bought it, then gotten home, tried on the outfit and... no, they do not actually look good together.  Then you have to find new pants to go with that shirt, or take the shirt back.  Or stuff it in the back of the closet and forget about it.

[farmgal4]

16 hours ago, Love2dance said:

I’m confused...are there really moms out there who don’t know how to put together baby and toddler clothes? Who will this video help? 
Her kids are adorable.

Her kids ARE adorable, and I literally LOL when I saw the puzzle pieces stuffed into Ivy’s backside.  I think that family has 3 happy, contented and well-adjusted children, so obviously J & B are doing a decent job of parenting.  I have to throw some respect their way for that alone.  I also think that Jessa is bright enough to make a good video. (I’m referring to how she speaks, acts, the content, knowing what to edit, etc.) When I see her videos and then Jill’s, well, it’s just very sad.

[OpieTaylor]

2 hours ago, ouinason said:

I cannot tell you the number of times I have found a shirt that was great and thought "Oh, I can wear this with those pants in my closet", bought it, then gotten home, tried on the outfit and... no, they do not actually look good together.  Then you have to find new pants to go with that shirt, or take the shirt back.  Or stuff it in the back of the closet and forget about it.

But these are toddlers and their pants are pretty much Elasticized jeans or “joggers” - how hard is it to figure out if a tshirt or sweater is going to coordinate with those? And they’re just play clothes, so is it all that important?

Or is she talking about the church dress shirts? Still, what solid color button-up shirt wouldn’t go with solid pants?

I’m not her target market but this topic seemed silly and indicates that she lacks interesting things to blog/vlog about. Her “friends” Sierra and Kristin Nicole do cooking videos, health/natural foods videos, Bible commentary, and express actual opinions on things. I may not agree with them, but they’re thinking about and researching their videos.

[DangerousMinds]

2 minutes ago, OpieTaylor said:

But these are toddlers and their pants are pretty much Elasticized jeans or “joggers” - how hard is it to figure out if a tshirt or sweater is going to coordinate with those? And they’re just play clothes, so is it all that important?

Or is she talking about the church dress shirts? Still, what solid color button-up shirt wouldn’t go with solid pants?

I’m not her target market but this topic seemed silly and indicates that she lacks interesting things to blog/vlog about. Her “friends” Sierra and Kristin Nicole do cooking videos, health/natural foods videos, Bible commentary, and express actual opinions on things. I may not agree with them, but they’re thinking about and researching their videos.

Exactly, these are toddlers who don’t even go to school. Who cares about matching?

[fonfereksglen]

8 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Exactly, these are toddlers who don’t even go to school. Who cares about matching?

Especially after posting a photo with her child wearing a girl's top, it is hard to take this seriously.  This is probably how she earned her paycheck this week.

[Sew Sumi]

I don't remember seeing Spurgeon's coat in the clothes video. Henry's outfit, OTOH, was straight from her clothes pile.

 

[Temperance]

Jessa should invest in singing lessons. They're future boyband material. 

[GeeGolly]

What kid's top doesn't match jeans or a pair of sweats?

I think Jessa purposely made sure she had the kids around to show the world her extreme patience with her kids. No way do I believe she is typically that patient with them.

Edited January 23, 2020 by GeeGolly

[kokapetl]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:49 AM, Sew Sumi said:

New Jessa video. This time, it's kids' clothes.

 

I only watched 4 or so minutes, but I noticed she shops like Anna: she grabs everything she might want to buy off the racks. 
 

Does she mention fit or comfort at any point in the video?

[lascuba]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:41 AM, louannems said:

In Jessa's most recent videos, her demeanor is so different from her Counting On demeanor.  On the show, especially in her Talking Heads, she is all gigantic smiles, throwing her head back and giving us that fake laugh, practically showing us her tonsils.

In these videos, she is very straightforward and straight-faced, no nonsense at all.  

I did appreciate that she never ignored Spurgeon, nor was she annoyed at his constantly interrupting her. Michelle would never have put her child's needs first. Also, Jessa doesn't baby talk to her kids like Michelle does.

Her demeanor in her videos is how she was on 19kac. The change happened immediately after the Megyn Kelly interview. I think she got a lot of shit for being visibly angry and no-nonsense in that interview, and she was all sweetness and light during the sex-abuse special after that, and has been manically perky on CO ever since.

[Tasya]

Jessa isn't my favorite but i'm going to confess to only buying things that match specifically when shopping for my son. If i'm doing online shopping then I have two windows open so that I can pick tops and bottoms that match. In store I definitely buy for matching. The only caveat to that is if something is on extreme clearance. Then i'll usually go ahead and pick up anything with the hopes that he has a match to it at home. 

[winsomeone]

What in the world does she put on those boys' hair? Especially Spurge's. Are the curls disappearing with age, so she creates her own> Like Michele always did with Josie.

[Suzn]

I don't think Jessa's latest video gives anyone much useful information, but in spite of that, she did a very good job.  She speaks well, it is carefully organized and edited and I think she was natural with the kids.  I'm sure there are times she is less patient, but I don't think she was putting on a act on the video.  At least for this stage of the kid's lives, she is a very good mother - the proof of that is the kids themselves.  They seem happy, joyful even, loving and calm - not at all like Jill's nervous, fearful, jittery kids.

[madpsych78]

I don't think Jessa "pre-planned" anything with the kids. Otherwise, Henry would be there. I think it was by chance that Spurgie and Ivy were there.

[BigBingerBro]

1 hour ago, winsomeone said:

What in the world does she put on those boys' hair? Especially Spurge's. Are the curls disappearing with age, so she creates her own> Like Michele always did with Josie.

Yeah, she's trying to hang on to Spurges curls but it's nearly time to let them go.  Most of the time it just looks stringy and messy.

[farmgal4]

8 hours ago, kokapetl said:

I only watched 4 or so minutes, but I noticed she shops like Anna: she grabs everything she might want to buy off the racks. 
 

Does she mention fit or comfort at any point in the video?

Yes, she did mention comfort.  She doesn’t buy things that are going to make the child uncomfortable while they have it on.  That was mentioned towards the end of the video.  

1 hour ago, madpsych78 said:

I don't think Jessa "pre-planned" anything with the kids. Otherwise, Henry would be there. I think it was by chance that Spurgie and Ivy were there.

I think Spurgie is a fan of getting his picture taken and being part of a video.

[DangerousMinds]

10 hours ago, Temperance said:

Jessa should invest in singing lessons. They're future boyband material. 

Pretty sure Gothard would disapprove. Then again, if it meant Jessa and Bin could continue to not have to work, maybe they would go for it.

[Churchhoney]

22 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Exactly, these are toddlers who don’t even go to school. Who cares about matching?

Well, if she hadn't talked about matching, she may not have had anything at all to say....Because toddler fashion? Not a lot of subjects that have any meat to them, seems to me...(haven't watched this, so I don't know....but....)

19 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

I don't remember seeing Spurgeon's coat in the clothes video. Henry's outfit, OTOH, was straight from her clothes pile.

 

Brothers. Best friends. In fact the only friends they'll actually manage to have.....Except maybe some cousins. Since they won't go to school, or the library book club, or a public playground ...And  I only mix with people who are sitting around on the couches at the TTH. 

FIFY, J. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Churchhoney

[PikaScrewChu]

Thanks mods for adding Ivy!!!

[FizzyPuff]

4 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

Thanks mods for adding Ivy!!!

To this day I still can’t believe they called that poor kid Spurgeon, it doesn’t even sound nice. 

[BitterApple]

38 minutes ago, PuffinFizz said:

To this day I still can’t believe they called that poor kid Spurgeon, it doesn’t even sound nice. 

Me neither. You can't even make a decent nickname out of it. I'd be pissed if my brother got a nice, normal name like "Henry" and I'm stuck with something that sounds like a strain of mold. 

[PikaScrewChu]

I truly believe Spurgeon was supposed to be Gabriel. Jessica Seewald spilling the beans that she was an aunt and the baby's name was Gabriel made them go back to the drawing board. I've always hypothesized that they were egged on to choose an outrageous name as well. I can't remember what was going on around the time of Spurgeon's birth but I think everyone was still talking about Smuggar, no?

[ginger90]

 

3 pictures:

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by ginger90

[Portia]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

 

3 pictures:

 

 

 

Who is that kid, and why do I want to punch him?

[ginger90]

2 minutes ago, Portia said:

Who is that kid, and why do I want to punch him?

Ben’s brother. I believe his name is Tommy. 

[Portia]

He looks like a smug little bastard. 

[Albanyguy]

3 hours ago, PikaScrewChu said:

I truly believe Spurgeon was supposed to be Gabriel. Jessica Seewald spilling the beans that she was an aunt and the baby's name was Gabriel made them go back to the drawing board. I've always hypothesized that they were egged on to choose an outrageous name as well.

How immature do you have to be that you'd abandon the baby name you picked out because somebody else announced it publicly before you did? What normal person would possibly care?

And I agree about the outrageous name. Once they gave up on "Gabriel", I think Ben was hellbent on naming the baby after Charles Spurgeon. But "Charles Spurgeon Seewald" wouldn't work, because people would just call him "Charles" or "Charlie" and then how would everybody know what a well-read, super-intellectual Christian his father was? The real mystery for me is how Ben was able to get Jessica to go along with this hideous name. She probably had no idea who Charles Spurgeon was and wouldn't have cared if she did. We've always assumed that she called the shots in their marriage, so how did he get away with this?

[DangerousMinds]

Jessa is that petty and immature.

[GeeGolly]

I wouldn't name my kids Spurgeon or Henry, but I actually like the name Spurgeon better.

They had Spurge days after their first wedding anniversary. Jessa was still trying to play the nice wife then, and I'm guessing she likes the name and the 'Fundy cool factor' that goes with it.

[PikaScrewChu]

1 hour ago, Albanyguy said:

How immature do you have to be that you'd abandon the baby name you picked out because somebody else announced it publicly before you did? What normal person would possibly care?

TLC and the Duggars were probably not happy to be honest. The birth and naming of a baby is what they want on their terms! Especially since it was Benessa's first child and Benessa were the golden couple at the time. Remember the rushed pictures of newborn Spurgeon wrapped in a brown towel and the official photos where Jessa looked really sickly?

The odd thing to me is that it is well known that Ben's family can't keep a secret to save their lives. I would have just kept the name and moved along.

[galaxychaser]

2 hours ago, Portia said:

He looks like a smug little bastard. 

He sure does. And sort of looks like prince Charles.

[andromeda331]

6 minutes ago, PikaScrewChu said:

TLC and the Duggars were probably not happy to be honest. The birth and naming of a baby is what they want on their terms! Especially since it was Benessa's first child and Benessa were the golden couple at the time. Remember the rushed pictures of newborn Spurgeon wrapped in a brown towel and the official photos where Jessa looked really sickly?

The odd thing to me is that it is well known that Ben's family can't keep a secret to save their lives. I would have just kept the name and moved along.

They really are. Ben's sister revealed the name and one of his aunt's spilled the beans about Ben's and Jessa's courtship.

[LilJen]

3 hours ago, Portia said:

Who is that kid, and why do I want to punch him?

I feel sorry for him. To me, he has the appearance of "yeah, it's what they make me do."

[galaxychaser]

4 hours ago, Portia said:

Who is that kid, and why do I want to punch him?

The sign on his back says Thomas Seewald.

[fonfereksglen]

33 minutes ago, LilJen said:

I feel sorry for him. To me, he has the appearance of "yeah, it's what they make me do."

He looks like every over eager middle school boy I ever taught.  I loved teaching middle school!  Girls and boys.  All the mood swings and hormones and tears and laughter.  Such fun.

The dislike of boys has become troubling. 

[JustRosie]

There was an episode when Benessa was pregnant with Spurgeon and they were showing the camera guy around the baby’s room. The crib was set up, it was painted etc. On the dresser were a few Christian books. One of them had the name Spurgeon on its spine. I remember seeing that and wondering WTH. Then the baby was born and they cursed him with the name Spurgeon. Wondered whether they had even read the book since it looked brand new. 

[galaxychaser]

On 1/22/2020 at 7:26 PM, Sew Sumi said:

I don't remember seeing Spurgeon's coat in the clothes video. Henry's outfit, OTOH, was straight from her clothes pile.

 

They can be child models. 

He might go by Spur or Gio when he grows up.

[Spencer Hastings]

My high school science teacher was Mr. Spurgeon.  He once gave us a talk about getting checked out if any parts of our bodies smelled fishy....so we know what I think of when I hear Spurgeon. 😂

[Kiss my mutt]

His names sounds like it could be too easily shortened to slang for seminal fluid. 

[Sew Sumi]

It has been used on this very board. Not for some time, though.

[mynextmistake]

Apparently Ben didn’t vote for Trump. And he actually says he thinks evangelicals who believed Trump was of poor moral character but voted for him anyway because Clinton was worse were wrong to have done so. Can’t see many other Duggars thinking things through that much.

Ben talks politics

[Sofa Sloth]

5 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

His names sounds like it could be too easily shortened to slang for seminal fluid. 

I always hear Spurgeon and think Sputum! Interesting just one name can conjure up more than one unmentionable  body fluid 😆   

Such a shame really, as Gabriel is a lovely name and how nice would Gabriel, Henry and Ivy sound together, Spurgeon sticks out from them and not in a good way. Ah well as long as they like it anyway. 

[Spencer Hastings]

1 hour ago, Sofa Sloth said:

 

Such a shame really, as Gabriel is a lovely name and how nice would Gabriel, Henry and Ivy sound together, 

And they would’ve been born in alphabetical order!

That may have changed some of their names though. I remember when Anna was talking about picking a “name theme,” Jessa looked looked like she wanted to pop her. 

[galaxygirl76]

Doesn't Spurgie have a normal middle name he could have gone by? My sister goes by her middle name because her names flowed better that way but my parents always intended to call her by the middle one. 

[ginger90]

1 minute ago, galaxygirl76 said:

Doesn't Spurgie have a normal middle name he could have gone by? My sister goes by her middle name because her names flowed better that way but my parents always intended to call her by the middle one. 

His middle name is Elliot.