thedrifter
05-07-07, 10:24 AM
They were expecting twins...
Florida Times-Union, FL
... Instead, the Marine and his wife are getting ready for quadruplets.
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union
ST. MARYS - A magic marker is among the items Vernon and Chrisie Linnabary have recently added to their growing baby shopping list.
Of course, after learning they are the expectant parents of quadruplets, the St. Marys couple might need more than one marker to ensure they don't misidentify the babies after they are born. Doctors are scheduled to induce the birthing of the two boys and two girls sometime in late June.
"My husband wanted a boy, I wanted a girl," Chrisie Linnabary said. "We were trying to have one, but we didn't expect four."
The couple already have an 8-year-old son, Kurtis.
The expectant mother, who is about 22 weeks pregnant, said they did not use fertility drugs for the planned pregnancy, which makes the upcoming birth a statistical rarity.
In 2004, the most recent year statistics were available, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 434 quadruplet births in the United States. The CDC estimates about two-thirds of quadruplet births are due to fertility drugs.
Chrisie Linnabary said she wasn't surprised she was pregnant with more than one child because multiple births run in her family. She has a twin sister living in Texas, Nikki Ferguson, who is also pregnant - with triplets due this summer.
Early in her pregnancy, doctors told Chrisie Linnabary she would have twin babies, but an ultrasound examination changed the assessment. A doctor looking at the monitor showing one of the babies during the ultrasound made the observation that one of the babies appeared very large, she said.
"Then the baby moved and you could see the other babies," she said. "When I came out of the doctor's office, I was in shock."
Vernon Linnabary, a lance corporal serving as an armorer in a Marines unit at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, had a similar reaction when his wife called with the news he would be the father of four babies.
"We're just trying to keep up with everything," he said.
Chrisie Linnabary said she's feeling healthy after struggling until the past few weeks with nausea typically associated with pregnancy.
"I've been so stressed out about how we are going to get baby seats, cribs, clothes, everything," Chrisie Linnabary, who has registered at the Wal-Mart in St. Marys.
Marine Sgt. Brandon Watson, a non-commissioned officer in Vernon Linnabary's unit, said the Marines are ready to support the couple any way they can.
"We're going to take care of it one day at a time," he said.
The couple is also looking for a good deal on a larger vehicle such as an SUV capable of carrying four car seats.
Vernon Linnabary said the challenge is to prepare for the identical twin sons and fraternal twin daughters. The two boys will be named Vernon IV and Joseph Jeremy; the daughters will be named Elizabeth Rose and Victoria Caroline.
Chrisie Linnabary said she will be better prepared than the average person to raise four children at one time. Many people don't realize how important it is to treat twin children as individuals, she said. Still, she plans to dress her sons and daughters in matching outfits "until they don't want it anymore."
"When we were growing up, we were always competing with each other," she said. "You always want to outdo the other one."
Her husband added: "We won't have time to play favorites."
While the couple realizes there are many sleepless nights ahead caring for infants, the challenges are only beginning.
"Christmas and birthdays should be interesting," Chrisie Linnabary said. "Just wait until we have four teenagers."
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672
Ellie
Florida Times-Union, FL
... Instead, the Marine and his wife are getting ready for quadruplets.
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union
ST. MARYS - A magic marker is among the items Vernon and Chrisie Linnabary have recently added to their growing baby shopping list.
Of course, after learning they are the expectant parents of quadruplets, the St. Marys couple might need more than one marker to ensure they don't misidentify the babies after they are born. Doctors are scheduled to induce the birthing of the two boys and two girls sometime in late June.
"My husband wanted a boy, I wanted a girl," Chrisie Linnabary said. "We were trying to have one, but we didn't expect four."
The couple already have an 8-year-old son, Kurtis.
The expectant mother, who is about 22 weeks pregnant, said they did not use fertility drugs for the planned pregnancy, which makes the upcoming birth a statistical rarity.
In 2004, the most recent year statistics were available, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 434 quadruplet births in the United States. The CDC estimates about two-thirds of quadruplet births are due to fertility drugs.
Chrisie Linnabary said she wasn't surprised she was pregnant with more than one child because multiple births run in her family. She has a twin sister living in Texas, Nikki Ferguson, who is also pregnant - with triplets due this summer.
Early in her pregnancy, doctors told Chrisie Linnabary she would have twin babies, but an ultrasound examination changed the assessment. A doctor looking at the monitor showing one of the babies during the ultrasound made the observation that one of the babies appeared very large, she said.
"Then the baby moved and you could see the other babies," she said. "When I came out of the doctor's office, I was in shock."
Vernon Linnabary, a lance corporal serving as an armorer in a Marines unit at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, had a similar reaction when his wife called with the news he would be the father of four babies.
"We're just trying to keep up with everything," he said.
Chrisie Linnabary said she's feeling healthy after struggling until the past few weeks with nausea typically associated with pregnancy.
"I've been so stressed out about how we are going to get baby seats, cribs, clothes, everything," Chrisie Linnabary, who has registered at the Wal-Mart in St. Marys.
Marine Sgt. Brandon Watson, a non-commissioned officer in Vernon Linnabary's unit, said the Marines are ready to support the couple any way they can.
"We're going to take care of it one day at a time," he said.
The couple is also looking for a good deal on a larger vehicle such as an SUV capable of carrying four car seats.
Vernon Linnabary said the challenge is to prepare for the identical twin sons and fraternal twin daughters. The two boys will be named Vernon IV and Joseph Jeremy; the daughters will be named Elizabeth Rose and Victoria Caroline.
Chrisie Linnabary said she will be better prepared than the average person to raise four children at one time. Many people don't realize how important it is to treat twin children as individuals, she said. Still, she plans to dress her sons and daughters in matching outfits "until they don't want it anymore."
"When we were growing up, we were always competing with each other," she said. "You always want to outdo the other one."
Her husband added: "We won't have time to play favorites."
While the couple realizes there are many sleepless nights ahead caring for infants, the challenges are only beginning.
"Christmas and birthdays should be interesting," Chrisie Linnabary said. "Just wait until we have four teenagers."
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672
Ellie