Welcoming any baby into the world is a blessing that can only truly be understood by those who have experienced it.
Whether it’s one, two, three or more, having children really does change your life. It’s tough at times, stressful, draining, and there are periods where you can question it all.
At the end of each day though, nothing beats looking upon the face of your child and knowing that they’re your entire world.
I can only imagine, then, the pride Kateri and Jay Schwandt feel – the 45-year-olds have 15 children … and 14 of them are boys!
Yes, you read that correctly.
As per reports, Kateri gave birth to 14 boys in a row before getting a little girl, Maggie Jayne.
Now, I can remember my own mother admitting that she and my father had stopped trying to have children after my youngest brother was born. They had hoped to add a girl to the mix, but upon having their third boy, they realized that perhaps it just wasn’t written in the stars that they ever would.
By all accounts, Kateri and Jay had also set their hearts on having a girl, but they persisted where my parents did not.
Along the way, they became parents to boys Tyler, Zach, Drew, Brandon, Tommy, Vinny, Calvan, Gabe, Wesley, Charlie, Luke, Tucker, Francisco, and Finley. The, finally, two years ago, they were able to celebrate some fantastic news … they were having a girl.
Maggie reportedly came into the world weighing 7 lbs. 8 oz, rounding off a family that now – most likely – is complete.
Readers may recognize the Schwandts – it should come as no surprise that they’ve received plenty of attention over the years, on account of their large brood.
They’ve been featured on both local and national news networks in the past, and have a live-streaming program called 14 Outdoorsmen.
Some of Kateri and Jay’s sons are grown up now and live in homes of their own. Even so, theirs is still very much a full house.
Their oldest son, Tyler, 28, spoke to Today about what it means to finally have a little sister. He said: “My parents were finally blessed with the little girl they never thought they’d end up having. It’s been about 12 hours since my dad told us, and I still haven’t quite wrapped my mind around it.”
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Meanwhile, Jay, who has longed for a daughter for years, said: “We are overjoyed and beyond excited to add Maggie Jayne to our family.
“This year has been memorable in so many ways, for so many reasons, but Maggie is the greatest gift we could ever imagine.”
Incredibly, Kateri and Jay’s love story goes all the way back to when the pair were high school freshmen. Now, some 30-odd years later, they’re at the helm of a family that’s 17 strong (counting themselves, obviously).
Back in 2014, Kateri opened up on the prospect of one day having a girl.
“If we were to have a girl, I think we would go into shock,” she told MLive.com.
We can only imagine the shock Maggie is going to get when she’s old enough to understand that not only does she have 14 siblings, but that they’re all male!
Good luck, Maggie!
Wow, what an incredible story. I thought my parents had their hands full with three boys, let alone 14 and a little girl to contend with!
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