my worst nightmare.

about a month or so ago, i was sitting at home on a sunday afternoon, flipping through the comcast guide and generally minding my own pinko feminist liberal business. then, something scheduled for the next half hour on TLC caught my eye: "14 Children and Pregnant Again."

i cocked my head to the side quizically, not quite understanding. "14 Children and Pregnant Again?" is this some sort of horror movie? sci-fi flick? i click the info button. oh no, this is for real - it's an hour long documentary about a family with 14 children. i, of course, must watch.

this documentary was like nothing else i have seen in my life. in all seriousness, i sat cross-legged on the couch, leaning slightly forward toward the tv, as if i looked close enough, i could expose the whole thing as a sham. it was not. jim bob duggar (yes, jim bob.) and his wife what's-her-name lived in rural arkansas and had 14 children. and their names all began with "j." and they had two bathrooms. and they had no tv, radio, or internet. and the girls and boys all dressed alike when they went out in public (in their giant, church-van like looking vehicle).

honestly, every moment was more shocking than the last to my child-wary, pregnancy-fearing, god-skeptic blue-state self. every revelation about the way these people lived (take six kids to the grocery store in order to carry the 5 pallets of canned tomatoes you'll buy! home-school ALL of them! have them all stand in the living room in matching outfits and play matching violins!) sent my jaw further towards the floor. this was, literally, my worst nightmare, being played out on basic cable.

and now, this morning, in my bleary-eyed, pre-coffee confusion, i learn that she's had another one.

yes, that's right, this woman from arkansas married to a man named jim bob now has 16 children. and wants more.

and please, click on this link, and then click "next image" under the photo of the new baby. i was not lying about the identical dressing thing.

apparently her name is michelle. at least it doesn't being with "j."