Maxwell 41: Taking a Short Vest Rest

[JermajestyDuggar]

24 minutes ago, lilith said:

That’s true, but I think they would go for sterilisation before they would consider something that they believe kills unborn babies. 

I think they could go with condoms though. When fundies talk about birth control, they almost always seem to be talking about hormonal borth control and how it causes abortion. But you almost never hear fundies talk about condoms. I think it’s because some of them secretly use them here and there when they really don’t want a new blessing. They can’t say condoms cause abortions because no semen even enters a woman’s body in order for sperm to meet egg. Of course they are not “leaving it up to god” but they could do some mental gymnastics and say, “if god wants us to have another baby, he will make the condom fail.” I’ve seen so many instances of mental gymnastics from fundies over the years that I can almost predict what they might do in a situation to get what they want. 

Edited August 2, 2020 by JermajestyDuggar

[PennySycamore]

@lilith and @Giraffe, you seem to be agreeing with each other in that you both realize that sterilization might be necessary for Anna for her to pursue some treatments.  

[mango_fandango]

Some people in the comments are saying it’s perfectly fine and healthy to feel emotional and not to feel bad about it. I hope Anna Marie will see those comments, but I’m not sure. 

[danvillebelle]

I too hope Anna Marie realizes it is ok and normal to be emotional.  She needs to let herself feel her feelings and work through them, not stifle them.  

Simon Peter in his little plaid shirt and jeans grinning at Christopher slayed me.  They sure do make some cute kiddos.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

I don’t know why it bothers me that they call him Simon Peter. I wish they would just call him Simon. 

[lilith]

8 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I don’t know why it bothers me that they call him Simon Peter. I wish they would just call him Simon. 

It’s because they don’t call their other kids by first and middle names. It makes it sound really strange. 

[Melissa1977]

On 8/1/2020 at 4:20 AM, Cults-r-us said:

Her continuing treatment is on hold due to finances? Other broke people find resources. I don't know how my neighbor (stage 4 breast cancer, no insurance) got treatment, but she did. There has to be unexplored resources. But how to find them when she us so sick and overwhelmed.

 

On 8/1/2020 at 5:06 AM, lilith said:

They need to mortgage their debt free home and pull their equity out if that’s what it takes. Do a fundraiser amongst the zillion leg jumpers who Teri’s schedule from hell has saved from going crazy with endless children. Take out a personal loan. Do SOMETHING.

Well, nobody knows if they are in debt for paying her treatment. And, as other posters have said, that kind of delays are normal with health assurance companies and are not really a big deal.

As far as we know, Anna Marie has followed medical advice. She has asked for several doctor opinions, which is in fact a good thing to do when facing such an agressive treatment. FJ posters have opinions (she should have be induced earlier, she should have taken a different treatment etc), but it's a bit unfair IMO. If she wasn't seeing real doctors, we could say she's wrong/taking big risks. But she's been in 2 hospitals, taking real treatments. Are there other drugs and options for cancer? Yes, but at that point, we have not enough information to say she chase one treatment because money or religion. We are not in the doctor office and she does not need to post all the details.

 

[Melissa1977]

18 hours ago, Giraffe said:

She said she’s on meds until April of 2022. I’m glad it means they either agreed to be done with pregnancies or at least prevent until after that.

They are very responsible and extremely self-controlling, so they are supposed to be able to do abstinence. 

But also they are smart enough to do mental gymnastics and prevent in order not to harm the baby with the meds. Also, as cancer turns some women sterile, they can privately prevent and publicy blame cancer for no more babies coming.

If Anna heals, I can see them having a baby or two in the future. Anna is still young. But now I think they are very scared and are not going to take the risk of a pregnancy.

[SoConfused]

I wish they gave Anna her own byline on the blog — even if Sarah was still the one posting it. 

[MamaJunebug]

3 minutes ago, SoConfused said:

I wish they gave Anna her own byline on the blog — even if Sarah was still the one posting it. 

That would be nice but the blog is the STEVEN MAXWELL FAMILY BLOG so it would against heavenly order to have someone from the CHRISTOPHER M.F. or any other non-spouse or non-child of STEVEN to write there.

There must be a Stevely offset, a bumper. Kind of like there must always be two layers of shirting .... 

Totally my guess, but by calling the new baby Simon Peter, they make a couple of points. 

1- IF indeed he winds up being the last Christopher Maxwell Family scion, his double name gives emphasis, like an exclamation point instead of a mere period.

2- Last child or not, the care to invoke the saint upon whom Christ founded His church demonstrates their solid faith in the Rock of Ages (Jesus).  The child is not named for just any Biblical Simon, he’s Simon Peter.

3- For all time, his birth circumstances will remind them to keep their faith rock-solid.

As I said, just a guess. 

[Jigsaw3]

Maybe Christopher will get a vasectomy, as a semi-permanent procedure? Steve had his reversed successfully, so Anna and Christopher might decide it will allow them to have children in the future if they choose to reverse it.

In any case, I hope that Christopher and Anna are making the decision with their doctors in the best interests of their own family unit and that they are keeping Steve and Teri out of it.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Too bad they don’t call Chris by his first and middle name. 

Christopher Lloyd. 

[anjulibai]

I honestly think they will just abstain so she doesn't become pregnant. Christopher went through his teens and 20s without, he can go without now. 

[SPHASH]

56 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

Christopher went through his teens and 20s without, he can go without now. 

He went without while Anna was in WA so he's had practice.

[Bethy]

5 hours ago, Jigsaw3 said:

Maybe Christopher will get a vasectomy, as a semi-permanent procedure? Steve had his reversed successfully, so Anna and Christopher might decide it will allow them to have children in the future if they choose to reverse it.

Something that I remember being told in my fundie-lite upbringing was that if a couple decides to pull the plug on future blessings permanently, it should be the wife who gets the procedure, not the husband. The reason given for this was that if the wife died, then the husband could remarry and father more children. Now granted, a man's window of time to become a parent is a bit larger than a woman's, but it was YEARS before it occurred to me to ask the opposite: what if the husband died, and the wife remarried and wanted more children? And I realized this assumption that the woman should be the one to have the procedure was a load of patriarchal??? ?

All that being said, I could see them being reluctant to get Chris snipped, because if he should find himself widowed, you know he's going to remarry and want to have more kids...

5 hours ago, Jigsaw3 said:

In any case, I hope that Christopher and Anna are making the decision with their doctors in the best interests of their own family unit and that they are keeping Steve and Teri out of it.

For all we know, maybe they already have taken care of this. Maybe they recognized that even if she fully heals from this in the next couple of years, a future pregnancy and the hormones that go with it would be too much of a risk, and Anna Marie had a procedure while she was in the hospital for the birth. This isn't the sort of thing fundies would shout from the housetops and frankly, it's not anybody's business but theirs. I know our interest here stems from our concern for Anna Marie's well-being.

[Foudeb]

I'm finding it a bit creepy discussing this, personally. Understand this is a snark board and everything but... They haven't gone out preaching quiverfullness through cancer so it's not like they're making a very private topic public the way Steve has, with the state of his balls agonised over at weddings. They're going through a health crisis that could well be a financial and faith crisis as well for all we know. There is a possibility either they or their children will read this at some point. I'd rather stick with making fun of all the stupid things they do publicly (the rigid gender roles, the incessant scheduling, the pregnant women sitting on the floor while the penis owners sit on the comfy chairs etc etc) 

Hope I'm not offending anyone. Just how I feel. 

[Bethy]

New post up. They've redesigned the website. I don't remember there being reviews from purchasers in the past but they're there now. A quick browse shows that...surprise, surprise, every single one of the books I clicked on had 5-star reviews. Typically 4-5 reviewers, sometimes as many as 8, but every single one was a 5-star review.

ETA on Amazon, I see three books listed for Teri. Both of the "Sweet" books (Journey and Relationships) have solid 5-star ratings from a tiny handful of readers. The Meek and Quiet Spirit one doesn't do quite as well, but it also has 72 reviews to show for itself. Summer with the Moodys (the only one of Sarah's that I saw on Amazon, without working terribly hard) has some very critical reviews.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Bethy

[deborahlynn1979]

Their website looks just like it did before: still not optimized for mobile devices and still full of spelling and grammar issues. Great job, Swift Otter!

[IReallyAmHopewell]

On 8/1/2020 at 10:25 PM, JermajestyDuggar said:

On 8/1/2020 at 10:05 PM, lilith said:

That’s true, but I think they would go for sterilisation before they would consider something that they believe kills unborn babies. 

I think they could go with condoms though.

They will trust God solely to open and close the womb.

[fundiefan]

2 hours ago, Bethy said:

New post up. They've redesigned the website. I don't remember there being reviews from purchasers in the past but they're there now. A quick browse shows that...surprise, surprise, every single one of the books I clicked on had 5-star reviews. Typically 4-5 reviewers, sometimes as many as 8, but every single one was a 5-star review.

ETA on Amazon, I see three books listed for Teri. Both of the "Sweet" books (Journey and Relationships) have solid 5-star ratings from a tiny handful of readers. The Meek and Quiet Spirit one doesn't do quite as well, but it also has 72 reviews to show for itself. Summer with the Moodys (the only one of Sarah's that I saw on Amazon, without working terribly hard) has some very critical reviews.

Let me guess, those reviews are all from people with initials for last names. Unless it's a Duggar. They get their whole name used. 

Edited: Oh, I looked. Seems Dr. S.M. Davis has given reviews. If it's the one I found on Google, he's an, um, interesting person. Maybe Steve's idol, since he seems to have a very similar site as far as products, speaking, etc. 

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by fundiefan

[IReallyAmHopewell]

4 hours ago, fundiefan said:

Dr. S.M. Davis

Iirc, he's the medical guru of ATI/IBLP. Isn't he the guy who wrote all the relationship stuff the Duggars and Bates and all other IBLP folks recommended on their blogs?

[kpmom]

The Maxwells sell some of Dr. S.M. Davis' stuff on their site, too.

[CyborgKin]

On 8/3/2020 at 6:46 AM, Bethy said:

All that being said, I could see them being reluctant to get Chris snipped, because if he should find himself widowed, you know he's going to remarry and want to have more kids...

If only there was some way of having that reversed.

[browngrl]

"Sarah would love to be a wife and a mother, but she’s waiting on the Lord for that right guy."

This is in the "about us" section. Can they not cut Sarah any slack?

Also: in the "about Mary": "Mary’s heart thrust ". My mind went straight into the gutter with this which I guess says more about me than Mary.

Edited August 4, 2020 by browngrl
formatting

[Bethy]

2 hours ago, CyborgKin said:

If only there was some way of having that reversed.

I know I've seen it on their site somewhere (I'd guess in a Dad's Corner from years back, but I don't remember for sure) that they want to caution couples that reversal doesn't always work. Just because they have the testimony that they have, and the five additional "blessings," doesn't mean that other couples should count on being able to have children again after a reversal.

All I could think about when I read that was this quote from the Dinner Party episode of The Office:

Michael Scott: When I said that I wanted to have kids, and you said you wanted me to have a vasectomy, what did I do? And then, when you said that you might want to have kids, and I wasn't so sure, who had the vasectomy reversed? And then when you said you definitely didn't want to have kids? Who had it reversed back? Snip, snap! Snip, snap! Snip, snap! I did! You have no idea the physical toll that three vasectomies have on a person!

Note: Steve's constant rambling about his vasectomy/reversal over the years puts him in the same paragraph as Michael Scott. Something to think about...