Joanna Gaines Admits Chip Left Their Newborn Son Home Alone Twice in One Week
Chip and Joanna Gaines are now bonafide parenting experts, having had four children in the span of six years. But back when their eldest child, Drake, now 11, was a newborn, the Fixer Upper stars admit they made a few rookie mistakes. Joanna gives fans an inside look at the bumps along the road as Chip adjusted to becoming a father in the couple's new book, The Magnolia Story.
Joanna: Just as Drake turned six weeks old, I decided to lose some baby weight. Chip and I were both still getting used to the idea that we had a baby now, but I felt it was okay to leave him with Chip so I could take a short run.
Chip was so sweet and supportive. When I got back he had prepared an elaborate breakfast for me, as if I'd run a marathon or something. He'd actually driven to the store and bought fresh fruit and real maple syrup and orange juice. Drake was sound asleep in his swing, still wearing nothing but his diaper.
"Chip, did you take Drake to the grocery store without any clothes on?"
"Oh my gosh," he said. "I totally forgot Drake was here. He was so quiet."
"Chip!" I yelled, totally freaked out. Anyone who's met Chip knows he can get a little sidetracked, but this was our child!
Chip: He was in that dang swing that just made him perfectly silent. I felt terrible. It had only been for a few minutes. But I literally got on my knees to beg for Jo's forgiveness.
Joanna: Several days later I decided to go on a good long jog, trusting that Chip would not leave Drake again. On my way back I saw Chip coming down the road in his truck. He rolled up to me with his window down and said, "Baby, you're doing so good. I'm heading to work now."
I looked in the back, thinking, Of course, he's got Drake. But I didn't see a car seat.
Chip: "Chip, where's Drake?" she said, and I was like, "Oh, shoot!" She ran like lightning all the way back to the house as I turned the truck around. I sure hope no one from Child Protective Services reads this book. They can't come after me retroactively, can they?
Joanna: Chip promised it would never happen again. So the third time I went running down Third Street and made it all the way home. I walked in, and Chip and Drake were gone. I thought, Finally he remembered to take the baby. But then I noticed his car was still parked out front.
Moments later, Chip pulled up on his four-wheeler-with Drake bungee-strapped to the handlebars in his car seat. "Chip!" I screamed,"What in the heck are you doing?"
"Oh, he was crying, and I'd always heard my mom say she would drive me around the neighborhood when I was a baby," Chip said. "He loved it. He fell right to sleep."
"He didn't love it, Chip. He probably fell asleep because the wind in his face made it impossible to breathe."
I didn't go for another run for the whole first year of Drake's life, and I took him to the shop with me every single day. Some people might see that as a burden, but I have to admit I loved it. Having him in that BabyBjörn was the best feeling in the world.
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Read more of Chip and Joanna's stories in their new book, The Magnolia Story, out now!
Excerpted from The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. Reprinted with permission. For more information go to magnoliamarket.com/book.
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