Recap: "And Baby Makes Five?"

Bringing Up Bates "And Baby Makes Five?"

• With Brooklyn’s due date just one month away, Erin is struggling with fear. “All that she went through with her pregnancy with Carson and then even with the miscarriages before Carson, she was nervous,” says Kelly. “And it got to the point that she was not eating good or sleeping good. She was very restless.”
• Erin’s labor with Carson was extremely painful, due to her blood clotting condition, so wants an epidural this time around. “If she doesn’t get an epidural with Brookie, I don’t think she’s ever going to have kids again,” jokes Tori. 
• Erin, Chad, and Carson have their weekly Skype chat with Nana and the rest of the Paine family. Then they head to Beech Creek Studios near Nashville, Tennessee, to finish recording Erin’s lullaby CD.
• According to Kelly, Erin's cooking skills used to be nonexistent, but since marrying Chad, she has become a wonderful chef. “She went from not knowing how to do anything to being really good at it now,” says Kelly.
• Erin and Chad have been considering buying a dog for Carson. One afternoon, Erin sits down with Kelly to look at photos of puppies for sale. “After I started looking at pictures of puppies and started thinking about it, I just couldn’t help myself,” says Erin. “So I finally decided, let’s just do this, and I’ll surprise Chad.”
• Erin finds one that she likes, so she and Kelly drive an hour away to see it. She ends up buying it, and Chad is definitely surprised. “Oh honey, we needed a dog, but I think we’re still kind of nuts though,” says Chad. The puppy is covered in fleas, but he's very cute.
• Later, Kelly and the girls deliver a gift basket to Erin. “I told the girls...don’t think about money,” Kelly announces to Gil. “You actually told them that?” laughs Gil, his eyes wide. But he admits he is glad they did that for Erin.
• When Erin’s due date is less than two weeks away, she and Kelly take some of the kids on a zoo outing. Erin especially enjoys seeing the pregnant gorilla. It's hot and humid, so Kelly treats everyone to slushies. 
• “You know when Mom is running the trip or Dad is running the trip,” says Lawson. “Mom goes, and slushies all around, on the house,” adds Zach. “Dad goes, and we bring a jug of water from the house that he filled up in the sink.”
• The night before her delivery, Erin starts having intense contractions, so she and Chad head to the hospital. In addition to Chad and the medical staff, Kelly, Chad’s mom, Katie, and Tori join Erin for the birth. (Katie holds the camera, as the film crew is not allowed in the hospital room.)
• Erin is able to have an epidural, so this birth goes much smoother. Brooklyn’s arrival is a very emotional moment for everyone. Later, 15-month-old Carson is thrilled to finally meet his little sister.

Recap: 'Nashville Nights and Country Campouts'

Bringing Up Bates "Nashville Nights and Country Campouts"

• Lawson, who started a lawn mowing business at age 14, takes Tori and Carlin out to a job site to teach them how to operate the machinery. Lawson is hoping to hand his business over to his siblings so he can spend more time pursuing music.  
• "Basically you realize that Mom and Dad ain't always going to be paying for everything and you've got to do something to have money and be able to do stuff yourself," says Tori. 
• Teaching the girls how to use the weed eater and commercial lawnmower turns out to be a bit stressful, but they catch on rather quickly. "For this being the girls' first time, I think they did very well," says Lawson.
• Back at the Bates house, Jackson, Warden, and Isaiah head up the hill to spend the night in their fort. Kelly provides the food, and Gil, Ellie, Callie, Judson, and Jeb join the boys to roast hotdogs and marshmallows. 
• "As parents, we're over the camping days, but we do it for our kids," says Kelly. 
• "To be up there on top of that hill with all the kids...it was like the perfect end to a great day," says Gil.
• Lawson is invited to perform on one of the many stages at Nashville's CMA Fest, the biggest festival in country music. He has a blast, and the audience loves his music.
• "After getting the gig in Nashville, Lawson was very excited, and he has been talking about doing a tour," says Zach. "I do think he had a little culture shock for a minute, but I think he's really pressing on with it."
• Lawson says his goal in his music career is to speak encouragement into peoples' lives and to stay true to who he is. 

Recap: 'Muddy Buddies'

It's been one of those days... I (Ellie) had the recap all written and ready to post, only to find that a glitch had caused it to be deleted from the site. So I watched the show again and rewrote the recap. I'm grateful for technology, but I suppose we can't always rely on it. :)

Bringing Up Bates "Muddy Buddies"

• The Bates join their friends at Ride Royal Blue ATV Park for a fun-filled day of mudding. Mudding is one of Jackson's top three favorite things about Tennessee (in addition to God and the University of Tennessee Volunteers). Kelly admits that she only recently learned what mudding is. 
• The first part of the trail is gravel, but it quickly turns to mud.
• "I think we made a mistake by putting all of the drama in one vehicle," says Lawson, referring to the four-seater RZR, which is where most of the screams come from. Tori is the driver, and Kelly and Jeb are her passengers.
• Everyone agrees that Nathan is the family's biggest daredevil. He starts doing 360s but quickly runs into trouble, flipping the four-wheeler. Thankfully, he jumps off just in time. "What that tells me is he's experienced!" exclaims Kelly. "He's done it before!"
• "He almost got himself killed," says Judson, matter-of-factly.
• Gil gives Josie, who admits that she isn't the greatest driver, a driving lesson on the RZR. 
• "A lot of country folk around us grow up learning to drive on tractors on the farm," says Zach. "Our kids grow up learning to drive on a 15-passenger van."
• Tori gives Kelly a crazy ride on a four-wheeler. The mom of 19 enjoys herself, but after a few minutes, she says it's time to get off. 
• Everyone has a blast, although they are covered in mud from head to toe by the end. "Our laundry room is scared for y'all to come home," says Kelly. 
• "The best thing for us would be to come home and pressure wash the kids," adds Gil. 
• Later, Michael and Brandon Keilen come for a short visit to meet Kaci Lynn Bates. "Since Michael was four or five years old, she's just been great with kids, and getting to show off Kaci was a special moment of daddy pride for me," says Zach.
• "I think the biggest joy in parenting is sitting back and watching your children interact," says Kelly. "It's just one of those picture-perfect moments that you want to have in your scrapbook..."