“Just being together, having a calm and relaxing day with all my friends, is enough,” Digna, 31, said in Spanish. “But ‘relaxing’ and ‘quiet’ are not easy to come by in this house anymore,” she added with a giggle.
Digna and her husband, Victor, are getting used to having such a full house. The couple also have an 8-year-old son, Jhan Carlos.
“It’s hard to go out with six friends,” Digna said. “Just knowing they are with me, happy and healthy, is the best feeling.”
On a recent afternoon, the ƄaƄies rested on six Ƅassinets lined up in two neat rows in the family’s living room. Genesis smiled, anticipating her reward. Justin, ever the quiet one, waited patiently. Once Jaden started crying, Joel, Jezreel, and Danelia followed suit.
“Everyone is developing their own personality,” said his mom. “To others, they look the same. I already know who is who.”
The joy of Digna and Víctor has not come without sacrifices, they admit it.
The fillers keep piling up. Fixed expenses—$5,000 for electricity, money for groceries, and all those diapers—can be hard to cover on the $900 a week salary Victor, 35, earns as a maintenance worker.
Two Visiting Nurses of New York nurses help parents care for their daughters. But once they leave at 6 p.m. m., both Digna and Víctor know that sleeping will be a luxury.
“I don’t want to feel overwhelmed,” Digna said. “I’m already thinking that I’m going to need an ʋan or a Ƅus to take them to school.”
While Digna and Victor know money will be tight for a long time, looking at their friends’ adorable faces makes it all worth it.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m going to go crazy and then I look at them. It’s the best feeling,” Digna said. “It is the best gift for a mother.”
