Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra were just young high school sweethearts when the made the heartbreaking decision to give up their daughter for adoption, as seen in a 2009 episode of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant. Now the pair are married 29-year-olds with a family of their own. But they still fear that Brandon and Teresa Davis, who adopted Catelynn and Tyler’s daughter named Carly, could restrict access to their first born child. Tyler says that they have to constantly live with that “anxiety.”
“I feel like whatever happens, I have to kind of, like, filter through Brandon and Teresa first,” Tyler explained to hosts Dr. Drew Pinsky and Nessa Diab about his relationship with Carly during a sneak peek of the Apr. 27 Teen Mom OG season nine reunion. “I don’t trust what I’m gonna say sometimes. It’s just very difficult to navigate and feel close in a relationship when you have to second guess your approach and delivery all the time. It’s anxiety.”
Tyler feels it is the “responsibility” of Brandon and Teresa to make him and Catelynn, “feel comfortable and feel safe.” He added, “Me and Catelynn have talked about it many times, we’re almost 30 now and we still feel, like, this inferior position.” Cate was quick to add, “In the snap of a finger, they could take (our access to her) away.”
Tyler continued, ‘“I don’t want it to come across like that, but at the end of the day, the reality is, I cannot get to Carly unless it’s going through Brandon and Teresa. Respectfully, that’s her parents, I agree with that.” He and Cate are parents to daughters Novalee, 6, and Vaeda, 2, and announced on Feb. 22, 2021 that they have yet another little one on the way. The following day, the couple confirmed they’re having their fourth daughter together (including Carly).
However, Tyler wants the couple to know how much he and Catelynn appreciate the life that their 11-year-old daughter has had with her adoptive parents. “The only thing I can say to Brandon and Teresa is thank you for giving my daughter the life that she has. She would not have anything if it wasn’t for them. I honestly have nothing to say to them but just gratitude.”
Over the years, Tyler and Cate have got to see Carly a handful of times on visits. On June 29, 2019, Catelynn tweeted to her fans, “Today is a very special day we get to see Carly and her parents,” and excitedly added, “Nova & Vaeda get to hang with their sister.” Just a month prior to that, Tyler lamented on his Instagram, ““We [gave] you everything your innocent life deserved that we just couldn’t provide at the time. 10 years ago, we held each other and wept as we watched you drive away in the back of the car with the only parents that were worthy to be yours. We love you so much and hopefully get to see you soon baby girl.”