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.