Trace and Lydia: Can She Become a Citizen Now?

[3 is enough]

I could be wrong but I seem to remember a due date of September 26. That was my mother’s birthday so it stuck with me.

[GeeGolly]

Google says:

Lydia's Due Date is September 26, 2023.

Lydia showing video from a 3D ultrasound. The little guy was folded right in half, with his toes poking his forehead.

Ryker has a full two months to grow. Hopefully the concerns turn out to be nothing.

 

[GeeGolly]

Holy yikes, Ryker's tiny nursery is jam packed with (white) furniture. Lydia left this giant wardrobe closet in there that towers over everything. The room didn't look nearly as small when it was Layla's, of course the wardrobe wasn't there.

Surprise, the only touches of 'color' are a muted army green and some natural wood.

I was a bit surprised everything looks kind of cheap. Of all things, the Walmart rug looks higher end, but everything else, including the mini crib looks, well like I said, cheap.

I think Lydia ordered the mini crib off Amazon. I'm pretty certain I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. Even if its a name brand I'd be afraid it could be a dupe. 

Edited August 7, 2023 by GeeGolly

[Heathen]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Holy yikes, Ryker's tiny nursery is jam packed with (white) furniture. Lydia left this giant wardrobe closet in there that towers over everything. The room didn't look nearly as small when it was Layla's, of course the wardrobe wasn't there.

Surprise, the only touches of 'color' are a muted army green and some natural wood.

I was a bit surprised everything looks kind of cheap. Of all things, the Walmart rug looks higher end, but everything else, including the mini crib looks, well like I said, cheap.

I think Lydia ordered the mini crib off Amazon. I'm pretty certain I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. Even if its a name brand I'd be afraid it could be a dupe. 

Pics? I won't watch their videos. 

[ginger90]

30 minutes ago, Heathen said:

Pics? I won't watch their videos. 

From an Instagram video:

[GeeGolly]

And... the giant wardrobe.

[Notabug]

What a dull, unimaginative room for a baby!  The kid will be on Prozac by the time he's a year old if this is what they're going to surround him with.

[mimionthebeach]

Looks like Ikea. The dresser is definitely the Malm series. 

[Kiss my mutt]

“Institutionalized” by IKEA.  

[BitterApple]

It's crazy how the room is so cluttered but so lifeless, and yeah, the furniture looks chintzy. 

[SMama]

5 hours ago, BitterApple said:

It's crazy how the room is so cluttered but so lifeless, and yeah, the furniture looks chintzy. 

Both L&T depend on sporadic work financially. Is Warden back from his injury? How many bathrooms can Trace and Warden redo in a month? When is the last time Lydia did a photo shoot? They did the best they could with the limited money they probably had. Not my style though, I love color.

Edited August 8, 2023 by SMama
Typo

[Heathen]

4 hours ago, BitterApple said:

It's crazy how the room is so cluttered but so lifeless, and yeah, the furniture looks chintzy. 

I'm all about minimalism and calming colors, but that clutter makes me twitchy. 

I don't know why they bothered putting up bookshelves. It's not like Ryker Tom Cruise will ever be read to, or read anything himself. 

[GeeGolly]

The living room is right there and of course their bedroom is a wall away, so there really isn't a reason to have a chair in the nursery. Although its the only soft and warm thing in the entire room.

Or maybe cram the giant wardrobe into the living room or their bedroom.

[Notabug]

6 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

The living room is right there and of course their bedroom is a wall away, so there really isn't a reason to have a chair in the nursery. Although its the only soft and warm thing in the entire room.

Or maybe cram the giant wardrobe into the living room or their bedroom.

For that matter, why does a tiny baby need a wardrobe at all?  A small chest of drawers, maybe a couple of hooks on the wall and he's all set.  The small set of drawers with the changing pad on top that is already there should be more than he needs at this age and even for years to come.

As for the books, even if the kid was going to read them, the shelves are so high on the wall that he wouldn't be able to reach them until he's in middle school anyway.  Even if they don't want to give the baby free access to all his books so he doesn't ruin them, they don't need to be up near the ceiling.  I suppose they did that so as not to mar the depressing gray wainscoting.  Wouldn't want to put some colorful books in front of that boring surface and ruin the effect, I guess.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Notabug

[GeeGolly]

8 minutes ago, Notabug said:

For that matter, why does a tiny baby need a wardrobe at all?  A small chest of drawers, maybe a couple of hooks on the wall and he's all set.  The small set of drawers with the changing pad on top that is already there should be more than he needs at this age and even for years to come.

As for the books, even if the kid was going to read them, the shelves are so high on the wall that he wouldn't be able to reach them until he's in middle school anyway.  Even if they don't want to give the baby free access to all his books so he doesn't ruin them, they don't need to be up near the ceiling.  I suppose they did that so as not to mar the depressing gray wainscoting.  Wouldn't want to put some colorful books in front of that boring surface and ruin the effect, I guess.

The wardrobe holds Lydia's clothes.

And yup, the books are a decoration. They aren't even in a convenient spot for an adult to reach.

What will the do when another "blessing" comes along? I hope the rent is cheap and they're saving money toward a bigger place because never mind the lack of closets/storage, they don't even have a second bedroom big enough for a full size crib and certainly not a second one.

[Notabug]

6 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

The wardrobe holds Lydia's clothes.

And yup, the books are a decoration. They aren't even in a convenient spot for an adult to reach.

What will the do when another "blessing" comes along? I hope the rent is cheap and they're saving money toward a bigger place because never mind the lack of closets/storage, they don't even have a second bedroom big enough for a full size crib and certainly not a second one.

And Lydia's clothes are more important than the kid having a room that he can play in?  That seems about par for the course with these folks.

Lydia couldn't store off-season clothing in containers in the garage or attic, of course.   Nor could she pare down her wardrobe to fit in the closet space they already have or purchase something a little smaller than that huge wardrobe to store clothing.  It's easy to see where their priorities lie.

[Heathen]

Lydia, the "refugee" from Germany, is as self-absorbed as the other Bateses. It's no wonder she fit in so well with FF's family. 

Double snark, courtesy of me, all day today. 

 

[andromeda331]

What a boring room. With all the colors and baby decor why go with boring? Why do they not like color?

Edited August 8, 2023 by andromeda331

[Dehumidifier]

The child isn't even born yet. There is plenty of time for them to move to a bigger place before he is old enough to play in his room by himself unsupervised. He will play in the living room.

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, Dehumidifier said:

The child isn't even born yet. There is plenty of time for them to move to a bigger place before he is old enough to play in his room by himself unsupervised. He will play in the living room.

Long before that, he is going to need a standard sized crib.  The crib in that room appears to be a small one, not full size.  By the time he is big enough to pull himself into a standing position, he will need a full sized crib or end up toppling out of it onto his head.  That will be around 6-8 mos or so.

A full sized crib wouldn't fit in that room unless it was jammed against the wardrobe, I think.

[GeeGolly]

I looked back at Layla's room - her crib was a mini crib too.

This is Ryker's crib.

 

[Salacious Kitty]

The chair would have to be 86ed if they were to put a full sized crib in there. It would have to go back in the corner in order for them to access the wardrobe. 

[Dehumidifier]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

The chair would have to be 86ed if they were to put a full sized crib in there. It would have to go back in the corner in order for them to access the wardrobe. 

Once he's sleeping through the night the chair won't be needed as much.

Personally I think babies should be in the parents' room* in the first year. I think that was the custom years ago.

*In a dresser drawer!

 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Dehumidifier

[ginger90]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

By the time he is big enough to pull himself into a standing position, he will need a full sized crib

The rail height on the mini crib I’m familiar with is the same as a standard crib.

[zoomama]

my twin grandsons had mini cribs and used them full time till they went into twin beds. they worked just tine, even when standing up in them. the mattress lowers just like a full size. in small rooms or where you have multiple cribs, they are great!

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

Once he's sleeping through the night the chair won't be needed as much.

Personally I think babies should be in the parents' room* in the first year. I think that was the custom years ago.

*In a dresser drawer!

 

Perhaps they can move to Finland and get a Finnish baby box!

These are really cool and I think more governments should consider providing them.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22751415

[GeeGolly]

I guess mini cribs are more typical than I knew. That crib makes me think of the old Animal Cracker boxes.

What I don't get is, when Lydia lived on her own she had a nice sized apartment and now when married, they live in this tiny one.

[BetyBee]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I guess mini cribs are more typical than I knew. That crib makes me think of the old Animal Cracker boxes.

What I don't get is, when Lydia lived on her own she had a nice sized apartment and now when married, they live in this tiny one.

I guess that's life with an IBLP hubby. They don't exactly work for a living!

[SMama]

6 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I guess mini cribs are more typical than I knew. That crib makes me think of the old Animal Cracker boxes.

What I don't get is, when Lydia lived on her own she had a nice sized apartment and now when married, they live in this tiny one.

Lydia had a roommate when she lived on her own. Trace is not a good provider. I think of the marrieds, L&T struggle the most financially, just like E&C, but they are only on their first child. If Trace really wanted to provide properly he’d go to the police academy and join the sheriff’s department.

[65mickey]

The Bates boys and some of the sons-in-law are adverse to "working for the man."  I do not know the reason for this but it seems to be somehow connected to their religious beliefs. You would think with the belief that they are the head of the family and responsible for providing for said family they would seek employment with a steady income, health insurance and life insurance.  Chad and Erin are going on their 6th child. I wonder if he has life insurance if he drops dead. Yeah Social Security would help but it would probably not enough to support Erin and 6 kids. Trace has started a construction business, Bates Construction. But I bet he is not licensed in electrical or plumbing. So I don't know how much construction work he gets outside of his family and sweet church friends. 

[GeeGolly]

13 minutes ago, 65mickey said:

The Bates boys and some of the sons-in-law are adverse to "working for the man."  I do not know the reason for this but it seems to be somehow connected to their religious beliefs. You would think with the belief that they are the head of the family and responsible for providing for said family they would seek employment with a steady income, health insurance and life insurance.  Chad and Erin are going on their 6th child. I wonder if he has life insurance if he drops dead. Yeah Social Security would help but it would probably not enough to support Erin and 6 kids. Trace has started a construction business, Bates Construction. But I bet he is not licensed in electrical or plumbing. So I don't know how much construction work he gets outside of his family and sweet church friends. 

Would SS help? I don't think Chad has worked the equivalent of 10 years of taxable income.

[65mickey]

Ten years is the maximum that you must work and pay into social Security for survivors benefits.  But the younger you are at the date of death the less quarters that you need. I don't know the breakdown for this.  Certainly not wishing anyone in the Bates Family to pass away. But as adults with children we all should be aware of this and make plans for taking care of minor children.  I get the feeling that these people live with the belief that God will provide somehow. I wasn't raised that way. I know that God is not going to deposit checks into my account each month like Social Security and my retirement plan does. 

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, 65mickey said:

Yeah Social Security would help but it would probably not enough to support Erin and 6 kids.

Social Security only pays if the worker paid into SS on enough salary or self-employment income for enough time which would be based on the worker's age at time of death.  With the attitude of many of our fundies, I have to doubt they are thinking about this and diligently reporting self-employment income.  Chad did work for wages but not for very long.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Absolom

[65mickey]

That's what I said. Whether not they paid into Social Securty is anyone's guess.  But if they ever need it I hope they did. 

[GeeGolly]

I'll guess the average 36 year old father of 6 children, the oldest being 8, would have at minimum 10 years of taxed income. I wouldn't be surprised if Chad has less than 5.

Anyway, if Erin was left on her own to support soon to be 7 kids, I assume she'd just move back home with K&G.

[Salacious Kitty]

3 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I'll guess the average 36 year old father of 6 children, the oldest being 8, would have at minimum 10 years of taxed income. I wouldn't be surprised if Chad has less than 5.

Anyway, if Erin was left on her own to support soon to be 7 kids, I assume she'd just move back home with K&G.

What did Chad do before he moved to TN? Was he in construction in Oklahoma? 

[65mickey]

Wait, they are on their 7th child? How did I miss this? I thought they were on the 6th. 

[GeeGolly]

27 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

What did Chad do before he moved to TN? Was he in construction in Oklahoma? 

I don't know, but he worked for a junkyard or something for the first couple of years in TN.

Oh oops, they're expecting their 6th kid.

[ozziemom]

23 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I don't know, but he worked for a junkyard or something for the first couple of years in TN.

Oh oops, they're expecting their 6th kid.

Didn’t he do some kind of office work before Paine Construction? Then he trained Bobby for the job before Kelton hired Bobby to be office guy for his plumbing business. It’s very sad that I remember this……

[Salacious Kitty]

4 minutes ago, ozziemom said:

Didn’t he do some kind of office work before Paine Construction? Then he trained Bobby for the job before Kelton hired Bobby to be office guy for his plumbing business. It’s very sad that I remember this……

Yup, that's how it all shook out. 

[65mickey]

Actually Bobby took over for Chad when Chad quit to go into the construction business.  Bobby worked there a short time before going to Nashville I believe to work in some kind of church  ministry. This lasted about 6 months and they moved back to Knoxville where Kelton gave him a job as a plumber trainee. That didn't last long. I don't think Bobby was up to getting down and dirty. So he became the office manager for Kelton's business.  I am ashamed to admit that I remember this. I have a very boring life. 

[SabineElisabeth]

On 8/8/2023 at 3:30 PM, GeeGolly said:

I looked back at Layla's room - her crib was a mini crib too.

This is Ryker's crib.

 

Not that this really matters at all, but I've been wondering since I saw the video of them assembling the crib why the 4 corner pieces of wood are natural colored rather than white like the rest of it?  It looks unfinished / cheap, IMHO.  It also amuses me how Trace goes on about how skilled Lydia is at decorating their house because I'm sorry, it's sweet he's supportive of his wife, I guess, but yeah, no . . . their house is not cute.  At all.

Edited August 14, 2023 by SabineElisabeth

[SabineElisabeth]

Good Lord, their new video . . . Why do I even watch these?  I need a life.  Anyway, another OB appointment.  Lydia giggles on the way there because of course, she doesn't do numbers, so can't remember what percentile her baby was on the fetal growth chart at her last appointment.  Cut to Lydia and Trace back in  the car after the appointment, where Lydia tries to explain the baby is still measuring small so her doctor wants to deliver him 2 weeks early because, ummmm, something to do with the placenta, ummmmm, not working the same the last two weeks. Giggle giggle.  And oh my word, 2 weeks early!?!?!  How can she possibly get everything done in time?  And she has a girls trip scheduled . . . should she even be traveling so close to her due date?  Giggle.  But, of course she's going.  Because, priorities!  

Upon arriving home, she decides she must pack her hospital bag right now.  But, she's sooooo tired so rather than exert herself by packing, she naps instead.  Cut to the next day, open suitcase next to Lydia on the bed, as Lydia tells us that she's going to pack her things first, then Trace's, then the baby's things, if they fit.  I'm assuming she meant she's going to pack the baby's things in that bag, if they fit;  otherwise, the baby's things will go in another bag.  But the way she says it, it sounds like the baby's things may or may not make it to the hospital, depending on how much crap Lydia packs for herself - because as she tells us, she's definitely going to overpack because, again - priorities.

SMH.  I seriously cannot with these two.  🙄

[3 is enough]

These two are totally clueless. They are in for a rude awakening when the baby arrives. If he is tiny and needs some extra help will they even  be able to follow instructions?

[65mickey]

I watched that video and thought these two come across as stupid. I thought that Lydia had more sense than she showed on this video. I'm beginning to think that she is trying hard not to come across as smarter than Trace. And that would be a difficult task as Trace really appears to to be seriously lacking in the brain department 

[3 is enough]

6 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I watched that video and thought these two come across as stupid. I thought that Lydia had more sense than she showed on this video. I'm beginning to think that she is trying hard not to come across as smarter than Trace. And that would be a difficult task as Trace really appears to to be seriously lacking in the brain department 

Well she already pretends to be shorter than him so why not dumber as well? 🙄

[Salacious Kitty]

She really is stupid. Complaining about getting bigger and more tired, yet hopping on a cross-country flight at 34+ weeks pregnant for a frivolous "girls' trip." I wonder if she told her doctors. 🙄

[GeeGolly]

11 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

She really is stupid. Complaining about getting bigger and more tired, yet hopping on a cross-country flight at 34+ weeks pregnant for a frivolous "girls' trip." I wonder if she told her doctors. 🙄

Arizona? Is this why Josie is there?

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

Arizona? Is this why Josie is there?

Appears so. There may be others there as well. 

[GeeGolly]

Most women going through a first pregnancy with some atypical issues would be somewhat concerned, while maybe somewhat reassured by their OB. Or possibly basket cases. All would be, to me anyway, expected feelings. I can't think of anyone I know who would be as unconcerned as T&L.