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 Shared Bates Birthday

Have you heard the exciting news? Lawson and Tiffany Bates delivered their baby boy! William Daniel Bates arrived July 19th, 2024, and weighed 7 lbs 2 oz. William is the 30th Bates grandchild, and he shares a birthday with five-year-old Willow Balka, the 10th Bates grandchild. That makes seven shared birthdays for Gil and Kelly Bates' clan.

William arrived eight days before Lawson's 32nd birthday. Part two of William's birth story is now on YouTube, and it features plenty of adorable face shots of the little guy.