Hazel Sloane Balka (born June 14, 2021) is the second child and second daughter of Kelton Balka and Josie Balka.
She is the sister of Willow Balka and Miles Balka.
Early life
On January 5, 2021, Kelton and Josie Balka announced that they were expecting their second child, who was due in June 2021. In a statement to Us Weekly, they said:
"We are so excited to share that we have a new baby on the way. We are so filled with gratitude and we couldn't feel more blessed and more in love with the thought of being parents again! Though there are still fears, concerns, and uncertainties, we are taking extra precautions and praying diligently for the safety of our new little one. So far, we are all healthy and baby is developing perfectly. We are overjoyed to start this new year with such happy news and are beyond thrilled to become a family of four in early summer!"
On February 18, 2021, they revealed that they were having another girl and naming her Hazel Sloane Balka.
"Our hearts are overflowing with joy as we are anxiously waiting to meet our little Hazel Sloane! Willow has been running around the house saying "Sister, sister, sister" for the past few weeks, and I can't stop thinking about how much fun it's going to be to see the friendship they're going to create over the years. Growing up with sisters has been one of the sweetest things in life for me and I'm so so excited for Willow and Hazel to experience the special bond that sisters have."
Her birth was announced on June 15, 2021. Hazel Sloane Balka was born on June 14, 2021, at Tennova North Birthing Center in Powell, Tennessee. She weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces, and was 18 inches long.
"After so many months of dreaming about what it would be like as a family of four and anticipating our baby's arrival, Kelton and I are absolutely thrilled to welcome our little baby girl, Hazel Sloane Balka, into the world. This pregnancy was much more complex than our first due to complications we had from a previous miscarriage in August 2020, so we were a little nervous, but delivery went so smoothly thanks to Dr. Brabson's incredible birthing team, our midwife, Laura, and the kind nurses at Tennova North Birthing Center. We are so thankful and relieved to have our precious baby girl healthy and here in our arms. God has answered so many of our prayers throughout this journey, and it was such a tender and emotional experience to finally meet her and hold her."
On June 16, 2021, Josie and Kelton shared that she had some minor complications after birth and had to be transferred to the NICU at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. They revealed that Josie was diagnosed with an exceedingly rare blood condition, which caused Josie and Hazel's blood to fight against each other. Hazel developed a type of jaundice unique to her situation and had high bilirubin levels. Her body had to remove the antibodies fighting against her blood. Hazel was released from the NICU on June 21, 2020.
Education
Hazel will most likely be homeschooled growing up.
Career
Television
She will most likely appear on the UpTV show Bringing Up Bates. It is unknown if her birth will be filmed, as Kelton lost his mother while she was giving birth. Her sister Willow's birth was not filmed either.
