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Shelley Osterloh ReportingA Farmington couple who wanted desperately to have a child got their wish this Mothers’ Day. In less than two years their family has grown to five children, all of them still in diapers.
Sue Ann and Neal Harris can only show pictures of their new triplets to their twin girls because the boys are still in Intensive Care. The Harris' adopted little Madeline and Sophia 22 months ago after trying unsuccessfully for five years to have their own children. Invitro fertilization had failed, so at ages 39 and 30 they put in for adoption.
Sue Ann: "We were told because of my age it would be a long time before we were able to adopt. And literally, three weeks after we put in our papers, a unique situation arose were we were able to adopt our twin girls."
They decided to try invitro one more time. More, they say, to close that door and begin to adopt other children. But this time it worked.
Because it was a high risk pregnancy, Sue Ann spent two months hospitalized in bed. Their niece Natalie helped Neal care for the Twins. Tuesday night Luke, Evan and Aiden were born one minute apart, all boys.
Sue Ann: "It’s really a special time to have little guys here and to finally meet them and see their faces."
The Harris’ say they are joyful beyond imagination at the arrival of these babies. But they say they are sensitive to the plight of other couples who struggle with infertility.
Su Ann: "There’s just a lot of heart break, disappointment and loss that you feel when you have an infertility problem."
Neal: "I just feel we are so fortunate, especially at Mothers’ Day. I know there's a lot of women for which Mothers’ Day is a hard day."
Sue Ann: "I just feel overwhelming gratitude that I'm a mom. And definitely more sensitive, after having gone thru this, to birth mothers and what they go through when they place their children for adoption. They are just absolute heroes."
Mother's Day used to be painful to the Harris, but now they have plenty to celebrate.
So what does it take to manage a family of five babies? Well, for one thing, Neal says the three boys alone will need about 28,000 diapers -- and they're still changing diapers on the twin girls.
