Meeting Gage Smith

Trace and Lydia Bates' most recent vlog is packed with exciting events. Miles Balka celebrates his second birthday with a roller skating party. Roller skating is an activity that the Bates have done frequently over the years, so many of them are quite good at it. Later, Lydia and Addallee Bates take Ryker to a monster truck show. Then Lydia heads to the hospital to meet Tori and Bobby's newest addition, Gage Smith. 

Baby Balka No. 4 is a Boy!

Josie and Kelton Balka just welcomed their fourth baby. They waited until the birth to find out the gender and just announced that it's a boy! This little guy joins two older sisters and one older brother. Willow Balka is almost six-and-a-half, Hazel Balka is almost four-and-a-half, and Miles Balka turns two in February. 

Health Scare for Baby Balka

Josie Balka is 34 weeks pregnant with her fourth baby. She has antibodies that attack the baby's blood and for that reason has had extra monitoring from a high risk doctor throughout her pregnancy to make sure the baby is healthy and is not becoming anemic. Josie had a scan a few days ago that showed the baby's numbers to be elevated. She had a second scan the following day that showed lower numbers, in the intermediate level. 

Josie will have another scan soon. She and Kelton are praising God for his provision and are praying that their baby stays healthy. As long as he or she is doing well, it would be ideal to wait a little longer to deliver, in order to optimize growth and development. Baby Balka will join three older siblings. Willow Balka turned six in July, Hazel Balka turned four in June, and Miles Balka turns two in February. 

Another Bates Boy

'Tis the season for baby boys! The Bates family is in the midst of a big streak of grandsons. Ryker Bates kicked it off last September, followed by William Paine in October and Miles Balka in February. Weston Smith arrived just a few days ago. In early summer, Lawson and Tiffany Bates are expecting a son, and Katie and Travis Clark are due with a boy this fall. Nathan and Esther Bates are also looking forward to welcoming their second child this fall, and they just announced the gender. It's a boy! Can you believe it? 

This will make 32 grandchildren for Gil and Kelly Bates. Head over to our Birthdays page to total up now many boys and girls they have, and then come back to the comments section to report back.

Bates Couple Announces No. 2

Get ready! There's another wave of Bates babies coming soon. Tori and Bobby Smith announced last October that they were expecting their fifth baby, followed by Lawson and Tiffany Bates' announcement of their rainbow baby on the way earlier this month. And now, Nathan and Esther Bates have jumped on board. They just shared that little Kenna will be gaining her first sibling this fall.

Gil and Kelly Bates gained five grandchildren in 2023 (Hailey Clark, Rhett Webster, Lily Bates, Ryker Bates, and William Paine). Considering that one baby (Miles Balka) has already arrived in 2024, do you think this will be an even bigger year for Bates babies?