I'm almost sure this is my silly mistake. The box "notify me of replies" stays empty where at first for awhile it was automatically checked. I think there was somewhere in the settings options to have that checked or not, and I forget where it was to change it back. Strangely, having a hard time changing it. ::baby::
I noticed occasionally that some threads I followed or even started, I actually wouldn't get email notifications. I assumed that's why (like I forgot to check the box).