The Bates family’s big brood will soon gain another member.
Bringing Up Bates alum Nathan Bates and his wife, Esther Bates, announced that they are set to welcome their second child later this year. “We’re doubling the cuteness! Baby #2 coming Fall, 2024!🤍,” the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post on Thursday, March 21.
The slideshow of pics featured several snaps of Nathan, 30, and Esther, 26, with their adorable daughter, Kenna Joy, 17 months. The pair posed for photos on the beach while holding sonogram pics. The duo also commemorated their big moment writing “Baby Bates” with a heart in the sand.
Several fans and fellow reality stars congratulated the happy family in the comments, with Hannah Duggar writing, “Yayyyyayyy!!! Congratulations! So thrilled for yall! ❤.” Nathan’s brother Zachary Bates and his wife Whitney Bates’ joint Instagram account commented, “YAYYYY! Sooo happy for yall!🤩🥳😍,” while his mom, Kelly Bates, wrote via the Bates family’s Instagram, “Just thrilled beyond measure!!!😍😍😍😍 I feel like I’m the most blessed granny in the whole world!”
Four months after going Instagram official in December 2020, Nathan popped the question after taking a three-city trip across his and Esther’s home states. “We first went to Welcome Lake in Pennsylvania, then to Norris Lake in Rocky Top, Tennessee, and ended at Conway Lake in Orlando, Florida,” Nathan exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “I have been praying and waiting for this moment, and I wanted it to be perfect for Esther!”
He went on to note that he couldn’t have pulled off the proposal without his friends and family. “We are so excited to start making future wedding plans!” Esther added. “But at the moment, I’m trying to just soak in all of the joys of being Nathan’s fiancée!”
Us confirmed in October 2021 that the pair tied the knot. “Today was a dream come true!” they said in a statement to Fox News. “We know that the love and commitment involved in the vows we have spoken, the emotions and excitement we’ve already experienced together, and our faith in the Lord will be the most important foundation of our relationship, and we know we will remember our promises to each other forever.”
Nathan and Esther further their relationship by announcing they were pregnant with their first child on Mother’s Day in May 2022. “This Mother’s Day is extra special for us!” Esther announced in a joint Instagram post with Nathan. “We are so excited and grateful for this amazing gift!🥰.”
They welcomed Kenna Joy that October. “What a breathtaking feeling to welcome our baby girl, Kenna Joy Bates into the world and our little family!” Esther captioned Instagram pics of their then-newborn. “We are SO in love and SO grateful for such a gift from God!💖.”
The couple’s pregnancy announcement comes one month after Nathan’s sister Josie Bates and her husband, Kelton Balka, welcomed their third child. Earlier this month, Lawson Bates and his wife, Tiffany Bates, announced they are pregnant with their first child. 2023 was also full of Bates baby announcements as Erin Bates and her husband, Chad Paine, welcomed baby No. 6, and Katie Bates welcomed her first child with her husband, Travis Clark.
