Sweet Tea and Buttermilk: Baby Watch 2016

[usedtobenice]

I miss Courtney's original blog. She had mad couponing skills! Reading all about her purchases started my love of couponing. I'm still not the best at it though.

I can't believe she has eight kids now! It seems like not so long ago, she was blogging about her courtship.

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

 You know I'm not surprised she keeps losing her baby weight so quickly. I have one toddler boy and I am trying to put on some weight I've lost so much weight running up round after him 

[darkplumaged]

4 hours ago, usedtobenice said:

I can't believe she has eight kids now! It seems like not so long ago, she was blogging about her courtship.

I think I remember that... and she's been married exactly as long as I have, almost 7.5 years, so it actually has been quite some time. She and I have used those years a *little* differently, though...

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

How soon after marriage was baby 1 conceived? 

 

[darkplumaged]

1 hour ago, Milly-Molly-Mandy said:

How soon after marriage was baby 1 conceived? 

 

IIRC, she may have miscarried her first pregnancy, which was conceived within the first few months they were married. Their oldest just turned 6, so he was born less than a year and a half after they were married.

[Hortense Peyrac]

20 hours ago, AlwaysExcited said:

Talking about names, I hope Courtney at least gives her children normal middle names? 

On instagram, Courtney says Callie's middle name is Ann...

[ophelia]

Callie Ann is a really nice name for a girl.
I would love Carl for a baby boy, but I have a feeling this name might be a bit too classy for Courtney's boys.

[SolomonFundy]

I'm sure I'm repeating some of the previous suggestions made (how could we not?), but here's a quick list of Buttermilk Baby name options:

Boy-

Clyde, Cleve, Curt, Cane, Chris, Cort, Chase (maybe problematic with a "Case" already at home, but that didn't deter her from using that name with a "Cade" in the mix), Charles, Crane, Cal, Cam, or Cyle (pronounced "Kyle", though I don't think Courtney has gone full- "Jinger" yet).

Girl-

Carlie, Cammie, Ceely, Corie, Chloe, Cassie, Carrie, Cathy, Chelsea, Catie, Casey (again with the "Case" thing, but whatever), Clarey, or Chrissy.

 

[ophelia]

Clive would be possible, too. And I think it's a nice name.

[ladyamylynn]

I just looked at her instagram and it almost triggered a panic attack- 7 under 5! Whyyyyy???

[Diana]

Its her instagram private? 

[usedtobenice]

I love Calliope. *ducking* lol :-) 

[ophelia]

Did she ever explain why she is so much into this pattern?

[JillyO]

12 hours ago, Diana said:

Its her instagram private? 

No, it's public. https://www.instagram.com/sweetteabuttermilk/

[JMarie]

17 hours ago, ophelia said:

Clive would be possible, too. And I think it's a nice name.

If it's twins again:  Clive and Chive?  I dunno, I just want her next kid to be named Chive.

[JMO]

Her instagram blurb says "I hubbie, 8 kiddos".  That was quick. 

[JMO]

And I can't imagine having 3 kids in cloth diapers.  Changing 3 sets of diapers would be bad enough, washing out the inserts would kills me. 

[RoseWilder]

Just now, JMO said:

And I can't imagine having 3 kids in cloth diapers.  Changing 3 sets of diapers would be bad enough, washing out the inserts would kills me. 

And unless she gets her barely 2-year-old potty trained before the new baby comes, then she'll have 4 in diapers by the end of the year. I'm assuming based on the timing of her previous pregnancy announcements that the new baby is due in November, which means the youngest four will be 2 years and 1 month, 14 month-old twins, and then the newborn. I don't even know how a person could manage those four alone - but then she'll also have a 3-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 5-year-old and a six-year-old. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. 

[JMO]

I have a feeling that she does intense potty training.  That's the only way.  You can't handle that many little kids unless you sleep train, potty train and blanket train.  

[RoseWilder]

What I've always wondered about this family is, are they secretly on public assistance and just not telling anyone. I just don't understand - even with her crazy couponing skills, how they are able to afford that many kids. Her husband is a preacher, who is working on planting a church, so I can't imagine him making very much money. And yet, the kids have themed birthday parties, nice clothes (that she said she bought on clearance, but still, buying clothes for 7 kids would be expensive even if they bought it on clearance.) They make trips back to visit their relatives in other states (even though they drive and don't fly, that's still not cheap.) I see all the ways that she's thrifty - but even with all that, I still don't see how they can afford that many kids on a preachers salary. Especially with all the hospital births and NICU stays her kids have. 

[JMO]

I noticed that on her Christmas Card (with the kids in matching outfits) she hash tagged J Crew an the Gap. 

[Diana]

3 hours ago, JillyO said:

No, it's public. https://www.instagram.com/sweetteabuttermilk/

Thanks for the link! Its going to be really interesting to see how she manages with no older girls if she really ends having a quiverfull size family.

[Hortense Peyrac]

On ‎16‎/‎03‎/‎2016 at 5:06 PM, AlwaysExcited said:

Talking about names, I hope Courtney at least gives her children normal middle names? 

I found the twin's middle name : Colt Norris and Case Wilkins..... I don't know, about her older children....

[RoseWilder]

16 minutes ago, Hortense Peyrac said:

I found the twin's middle name : Colt Norris and Case Wilkins..... I don't know, about her older children....

Clay Mason

Callie Ann

Those are the other two we know of. I'm not sure about the other 3 kids. 

[SolomonFundy]

They could be on public assistance, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were making it work without the extra help. First of all, they DO have two incomes. In addition to the preaching, the whole family runs a pig farm. Then, there's the thrifty living. She buys almost everything used, and frequents thrift stores and yard sales. Most of the cribs and children's furnishings have been gifted to them by members of the church. She didn't own a high chair until last year. Clearance shopping seems to be an occasional treat. Does having a colored cake mix and a party hat count as a "themed" birthday party? From what I've seen her post, they use those paper party decorations over and over, occasionally augmented by stuff from the dollar aisle at Target, and she makes the cakes herself with dye and box mix. Her kids get very few gifts for their birthdays, and it all looks like the sort of stuff that's meant to be shared and will last a while (clothes, Playmobil, etc.). 

Then, there's her home. She has bare-bones furnishings, no curtains, no rugs, no decorative flotsam other than what hangs on her walls. She has pretty dishes that she's proud of, and her family apparently buys her those as birthday presents from a "seconds" outlet. As best as I can tell, they've visited out-of-state family once since their move (over Christmas), and otherwise, don't seem to do much travelling. 

So while it's definitely possible that they are on one or more forms of public assistance, based on the little bit of their lifestyle that they choose to share, it looks like they could be making ends meet without it.