Bringing Up Bates "Happy News and Health Concerns"
- Carlin and Evan have their first ultrasound at nine weeks. “For
me, I’m still shocked that I’m pregnant,” says Carlin.
- “I feel like Evan and Carlin are definitely ready to be
parents,” says Lawson. “Evan [has] got the personality of the cool dad, and
Carlin has been great with children all of her life.”
- When Dr. Vick meets with the expectant couple, he has to break the news that Carlin has the same blood clotting disorder as Erin. She will require blood thinners to prevent her baby from getting a blood clot, which would cut off
the food supply in the uterus and cause a miscarriage. Erin had multiple
miscarriages before being diagnosed with MTHFR.
- “Finding out about this, I’m definitely a little nervous
about it, but her side of it is definitely worse than mine,” says Evan, who
will be the one to administer shots twice a day. Carlin will also have to
take pills.
- “No one wants to hear the news that you have a health risk,
but at the same time, finding this out early on is life saving, not only for the
baby but for Carlin also,” says Kelly.
- Later, Erin, Carlin, and Whitney show off the warehouse that
Chad has almost finished. Located in Zach and Whitney’s backyard, the building
was previously a carport.
- Meanwhile, Kelton and Bobby are working together at The Plumbing
Authority. Bobby is a plumbing apprentice and is also working in the
office. “One thing that I am loving about being able to learn all this stuff
from Kelton is that, hey, finally, when all these guys are using their hands
and being useful and putting stuff together, I might be able to actually know
what tools to bring them,” says Bobby.
- Gil and Kelly visit Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic to discuss
Gil’s shoulder pain. When Gil preaches to youth groups, he challenges the kids
to do as many pushups as they can and then proceeds to do twice as many but
with only one arm. On one of these occasions, a kid did 75 pushups, and Gil’s
shoulder snapped in the 80s.
- The orthopedic surgeon tells Gil that he could settle for
rehab but that without surgery, he will never again have the strength to lift
out in front of his body. That poses a problem for his tree service business. While
the recovery time will be four-and-a-half months, both Gil and Kelly are on
board with surgery. “Because of his confidence in what he’s doing, it really
boosted my confidence,” says Gil.
- “I’m scared about all of it,” says Kelly. “Gil is tough as
nails, but like any guy, when it comes to pain, no guy likes pain.”
- “I’m a big crybaby,” admits Gil. “My wife has babies, and
she don’t complain. Man, I get a splinter, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, we’ve got to
have some relief, honey. I’ve got to go to the doctor.’”
- Tori and Josie take Kade and Willow for a walk. The discussion
turns to babies, and Tori, who is six weeks along with her second child, spills
the beans. “Okay, I’m just going to tell you,” she says. “I’m pregnant again. I
can’t keep a secret.”
- “Being one of the first people knowing, I now have to keep a
secret, too, which none of the Bates are very good at doing,” says Josie.
Bringing Up Bates "First Home and Strict Chaperones"
- At her apartment in Clinton, Tori, who earned a teaching
degree in college, is watching Bradley, Kaci, Carson, and Brooklyn. She has
been helping homeschool them, which she says enjoys. “Kade loves when all of
them come over,” says Tori. “He gets so excited.”
- “I guess with a bunch of kids the same age, it can be kind
of crazy, but it was fine,” says Tori. “It’s just a matter of me being a step ahead
of them in what I have planned because if you do one thing too long, then it
gets crazy.”
- Meanwhile, Kelton and Josie are at their new house doing
renovation work. They closed on the house about 10 days after Willow was born.
With help from Kelton’s dad, Lawson, Chad, Warden, and Kelton’s brothers (Grant
and Carson), they put up a load-bearing beam. “It is such a blessing to have
family, not only that is willing to help, but also extreme trade talent on both
sides of the family,” says Kelton.
- “…Thankfully, there’s a lot of us, and you know we’re going
to pitch in,” says Zach.
- On another day, Evan comes over to help with electrical.
Carlin helps Josie paint. “It’s just so fun to have sisters that are going
through so many of the same things,” says Josie.
- Later, it’s photo shoot time for the Bates Sisters Boutique.
“The problem is, us Bates are all short, and people kept asking, ‘I’m tall,
what do the dresses look like on a tall person,’” says Kelly. So they invite Chaney
to model for them.
- “The sisters made me feel so comfortable and special and
definitely pretty because they did my makeup, my hair, everything, so it was a
lot of fun,” says Chaney.
- Trace takes Chaney on a bowling date with Jeb and Judson as
chaperones. Chaney dominates, with multiple strikes and spares, even though she
claims that she doesn’t bowl often. Jeb plants himself between them on the
bench. “I think Mr. and Mrs. Bates would be very proud of how strong Jeb was
today for us,” says Chaney. “He really held up.”
Bringing Up Bates "A Busy Business and a Baby Bombshell"
- Erin and Chad have an ultrasound to check on their baby
girl, Holland Grace Paine. As they have done for their past three children,
Erin has chosen the first name, and Chad has picked the middle name. Erin is 22 weeks
and five days pregnant. “I think with every pregnancy, there is still a fear,”
says Chad. “You know you start having thoughts and flashbacks from the past,
and so hearing the heartbeat and seeing the baby’s okay, it’s a great peace of
mind every time.”
- “Every day, I feel like we live the most special life,” says
Erin. “I love my life, I love our family, and I’m excited about how it’s going
to change when we get another baby.”
- “One, I think we’re crazy, but then two, every time I think
about a new little baby, I get just as excited as the one before,” says Chad. “Your
heart just grows…as the children keep coming, and I love it.”
- Michael arrives at Crown College Cosmetology School to have Katie
put caramel highlights in the back section of her hair, so she can look
fancy when she puts her hair up for nursing school. Katie is in her last
semester and is studying for her state boards.\
- “Originally, I had always wanted to do nursing school. But cosmetology,
I actually loved it a lot more than I thought, so I would like to purse cosmetology
for a little bit after graduating and just work in a salon for a little bit and
get the feel for it. And I would still love to do nursing school, but for now I’m
focusing on the cosmetology.”
- Michael will earn her LPN in 11 months and will likely continue
on to pursue her RN, depending on circumstances. “I don’t exactly
know what field I want to be in with nursing,” says Michael. “I’m hoping
through clinicals and just being in the field that I’ll kind of find my niche.”
She says that she and Brandon do not plan on moving back to Chicago but that
there is a chance they will move somewhere else. They aren’t sure this point.
- During Michael’s hair appointment, Katie spills the beans
about the special someone with whom she has been talking for two months. “We’re
both 18,” says Katie. “It’s really young and I need all of the adult mind
maturing. We’ll see. We’re taking it slow. I don’t want to rush into any
relationship. I’m just trying to finish my school and get it together.”
- Travis
sings, is from New Jersey, and is starting college. Katie met him through a
mutual friend. “He’s like the sweetest human ever, and like the most thoughtful
person,” says Katie. “I’m obsessed.”
- Towards the end of the appointment, Katie makes a small
mistake. “Some toner got in my eye, and it stung a little, but that’s part of
the learning process, and I look back so grateful for all of my patients who
let me learn IVs on them and give shots.” says Michael. She is very happy with
her hair, and Brandon loves it, too.
- Later, Michael and Brandon help Erin, Whitney, and Carlin
unpack a new shipment of dresses. The boxes are taking over Whitney’s house, so
they are currently building a small warehouse on Zach and Whitney’s
property. “Now that we’ve started this dress boutique, I really think y’all
should have called it just Bates and Company because y’all have pretty much
hired everybody in the family to work for y’all,” says Zach.
- The Bates family gathers at a local park to grill and hang
out. Zach is the new grill master, and he attempts to give Gil some pointers. “Let’s
just say, these boys get married, and they think they know everything,” says
Gil. “Zach is trying to tell me how to cook.” The rest of the family agrees
that Gil’s grill skills aren’t the greatest.
- Evan brings out a pinata to celebrate the August birthdays,
but he has forgotten to bring a bat and string. The kids take turns kicking it while
Nathan holds it. When the pinata breaks, candy and tiny baby figurines fall out.
“It’s pretty crazy,” says Carlin. “I’m still a little shocked.” She and Evan found out that they were expecting the day before Father's Day.
- “Are you ready to be a mom?” jokes Gil.
