Bradley Gilvin Bates (born October 29, 2014) is the first child and first son of Zachary Bates and Whitney Bates.
He is the brother of Kaci Bates, Khloé Bates, Jadon Bates and Lily Bates.
Early life
Bradley as a baby
On March 3, 2014, Kelly Bates mentioned in a comment on one of her blog posts that her oldest son, Zach, and his wife, Whitney, were expecting a child.
The couple did not comment on this pregnancy publicly themselves until July 26, 2014, when they posted that they were out registering for their baby shower for Bradley. On August 17, 2014, they posted a more typical pregnancy announcement post, mentioning that Bradley was due October 2014.
On September 25, 2014, Zach and Whitney posted that they had just gone to their 36 week sonogram, making Bradley's due date sometime during the week of October 23, 2014.
At 10:12 p.m. on October 29, 2014, Bradley Gilvin Bates was born at Tennova Healthcare Physicians Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. He weighed 7 pounds and 10 ounces, and was 19 inches long. He is the fifth generation of Bates boys to have the middle name "Gilvin", which means "trusted". His parents were very excited to welcome him into the world:
"We can't even begin to explain how overjoyed, excited, and grateful we are to be parents! We just can't seem to take our eyes off of him. He has already brought so much joy into our lives, and he's enjoying being the center of attention in the Bates family. We are thankful to the Lord for this precious gift of life!"
On June 20, 2016, Bradley's younger sister, Kaci Lynn, was born. Bradley instantly took to his little sister. His parents described their first interaction in an interview, saying, "It's an incredible feeling to finally see her face and see Bradley meet his baby sister. Shortly after her birth, Bradley joined us, and our hearts melted when he leaned over to give her a kiss. We could not ask for more!"
On August 9, 2018, Bradley's parents announced that they had suffered a miscarriage in June 2018. This was said to have had a huge effect on Bradley, as he had been looking forward to having a little brother and was taking the loss hard.
Bradley is said to have a joyful personality.
Career
Education
Along with his siblings, Bradley is currently being homeschooled. His schooling likely began when he was four years old, as his mother said he was "almost halfway through with kindergarten" on his fifth birthday.
Television
Bradley was regularly featured on the UpTV show Bringing Up Bates. His birth was featured on the episode "Welcome Grandbaby Bates".
Wedding involvement
Bradley was a ring bearer at his aunt Josie's wedding to Kelton Balka on October 5, 2018.
He was a ring bearer at his uncle Nathan's wedding to Esther Keyes on October 22, 2021.
He was a ring bearer at his uncle Lawson's wedding to Tiffany Espensen on May 12, 2022.
He was a ring bearer at his uncle Trace's wedding to Lydia Romeike on October 1, 2022.
