Monday, August 28, 2023

Lydia Bates' Induction Date

Lydia Bates is approaching her due date with Ryker Bates. Baby boy is measuring small, but the doctor is concerned about possible placenta deterioration and has decided that the birth needs to take place on the early side. For that reason, Lydia will be induced at 38 weeks, on September 12th in the early morning. Expectant parents Trace and Lydia share the details in their most recent YouTube video (link below).

Trace and Lydia Bates: 35-Week Baby Update

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Baby Paine Name Reveal

Lots of baby news for the Bates family! Whitney Bates just delivered Lily Jo Bates, Lydia Bates is nearing her due date with Ryker Cruise Bates, and Josie Balka recently announced that she is expecting #3

Erin and Chad Paine also revealed news of their own. They have a name for their 6th child, a boy who is due in early December. Like older brother Carson (Charles Stephen Paine IV), this little boy will have a family name. Both Erin's dad and grandfather are William Gilvin, so she and Chad picked the name William Gage. The expectant parents discuss that and answer other questions in their most recent YouTube video (link below).

Erin and Chad: Q&A and Baby Name Reveal Video


Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Welcome, Lily Jo Bates

There's always room for one more. Zach and Whitney Bates welcomed their fifth child and third daughter yesterday, August 15th. Lily Jo Bates weighed in at 6 lbs, 12 oz. This little girl shares a middle name with her grandmother Kelly, cousin Maci, and late great-grandmother Betty. Do you think this name will be used for any future Bates grandchildren? Lily's photo can be found on TV Shows Ace.

Whitney in Labor

Update: Baby girl Bates arrived!

After our post yesterday about Josie Balka's pregnancy and the four Bates babies that will be joining the family between now and March 2024, something very exciting happened. Whitney Bates announced that her labor with Baby #5 had begun! News of the little girls' arrival should be coming soon.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

4 New Bates Babies

Throwback: Gil and Kelly Bates and their first five grandchildren, 2016
Credit: @thebatesfam

Bates family reunions are about to get even more hectic, with a wave of four new Bates babies set to arrive in the coming months. Zach and Whitney Bates are due with #5 any day, Trace and Lydia Bates are expecting Ryker Bates next month, and Erin and Chad Paine are having #6 near the end of the year, likely in November although their due date is December. And a fourth couple just announced that they are pregnant, too. Any guesses? 

Josie and Kelton Balka are expecting their third child in March 2024! This will put Gil and Kelly Bates' grandchild count at 28. The picture below is a throwback from 2016, when the Bates had "only" five grandchildren. At this point, a photo with all of them would be quite a difficult task. 

Photo courtesy @thebatesfam

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Assumptions about Trace and Lydia

The Bates couples seem to enjoy making videos addressing the assumptions about them that other people have. The latest one is from Trace and Lydia, who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Ryker Cruise Bates next month. Their assumptions video is 23 minutes long and was just uploaded yesterday. The link is below, and we also included the links to past videos from other Bates couples.

Trace and Lydia Bates: Assumptions About Us

Katie and Travis Clark: Addressing Assumptions About Us

Alyssa and John Webster: You Assume This About Us?

Carlin and Evan Stewart: Your Assumptions of Us

Friday, August 4, 2023

A Day in the Life of the Paines

Photo courtesy chadanderin.com

What does a typical day look like for a homeschooling mom of five young children? Erin Paine recently filmed a "day in the life" video that shows a typical schedule for her family. Erin is 22 weeks pregnant with baby No. 6. (If you missed the Paines' reveal video, the baby is a boy). While each day is a little different, Erin is pretty structured and says that keeping a schedule is very helpful for her.

Check out the YouTube video (link below) and then come back to the blog to share your thoughts on Erin's schedule. If you are a homeschooling mama, how does your routine compare?

Paine Family: A Day in the Life