I need to clarify something. I am not expecting four children. Or rather, I am but that is only part of the story. When I drank the juice, something happened. Something about it made my body no longer produce the hormone HCg or Human Choriogonadotropin. I cannot explain why this happened, I just know that it did happen. HCg is the hormone that is generally tested in those over-the-counter urine pregnancy tests that people use and wait anxiously for the second line to appear. I have always had difficulty passing those, as my HCg levels are low. If I wait a few weeks more than usual, I generally do pass though.

So, most people know that HCg is a "pregnancy" hormone. What is not common knowledge is that HCg is what prevents superfetation. It is the hormone that tells your ovaries not to ovulate any more. When I drank the juice, something happened that shut down its production in my body. I figured after I conceived the second set of twins that normal production would resume. I was wrong.

In June I conceived again-- quadruplets this time, a boy and three identical girls. They each told me their names when they arrived (saving me the frustration I felt with my very picky sons in selecting previous names.)

I conceived again in July, but one of the babies implanted on my cervix. I had a long talk with him about the dangers inherent in that position and what that would mean to him and my other children. With an amazing show of love he removed himself, knowing full well that he couldn't survive but willing to sacrifice for his family. I miscarried him and his sister.

In August I conceived the same girl again. I have had a lot of repeats with my miscarriages. I do recognize them. I know each one of my children and I love them. This time, she came with a different boy, who got creative and implanted outside of my uterus. How do I know that? I had a strong sense of wrongness, a pain outside the area. Again, I had a chat and prayed. Sweetly he left and she did too.

Those two boys came again early in September, identical to each other this time, with twin identical sisters. All four of them stayed. I have felt their tiny movements with joy.

This time I had detected a pattern and was very worried. I panicked about my body, but mostly my ability to give the children all the attention that I wanted to lavish on my babies. My husband and I carefully planned to time things so that I wouldn't get pregnant again. Our Father in Heaven, quite fortunately had a different idea. I got pregnant again less than three weeks later, this time a boy and a girl (the same one who had tried twice before) who each split into identical triplets. This time I did panic! Sextuplets due three weeks after quadruplets scared the life out of me. I didn't see how they could grow big enough! I prayed long and hard.

The answer I felt was clear. I hadn't trusted God. I was trying to put one over on Him. He knew what was happening, and it was happening with a purpose. I repented, reiterated my fear, and promised to let Him handle the spacing. Only two of those, the original boy and girl survived.

Well, it isn't over yet. Now, just days before my first due date, with the first two babies descending, my cervix ripening, and my hips shifting, I have conceived again. Again sextuplets, with the two passed over boys, both identical, and the two passed over girls with two more girls also identical. Identical twins and identical quadruplets.

I never ovulated more than two eggs at a time. The rest of the children are identical.

I am not worried. I fully expect to be late, and my Heavenly Father will make sure that I do not miscarry the later children when I give birth to the earlier ones. He has already told me how to stop labor (the same way I would react for hemorrhaging) and I feel at peace. I know the interval birth will be safe.

So what is the grand total? 20. That is isoplets. That word is my own creation based on the rules for decaplets (10) and higher. I couldn't find any word for 20 children from the same pregnancy. The highest number I found was 19, and the highest number for a recorded pregnancy is 15. I am not worried. If you are going to have multiples, the spacing out seems like a good idea. I am taking care of nutrition (super foods!!!) and I have more energy with this pregnancy than with my last pregnancy.

The one exception to that is week #5. About five and a half weeks (and that starts again next week! Eep!) I get just a tad morning sick. I feel a bit queasy in the morning and lack energy. Compared to the nine months of morning, afternoon and night sickness that I experienced with my last pregnancy before I knew what I know now, I am doing really well.

I know each of my children, and I love each of them already. Some have let me know preferences for colors, animals and other personality traits. They are each known, they are each named.

Merritt & Havala-- October
Laird & Caradoc-- February
Forrest, Eliora, Zerusha & Sabiya-- March
Duncan, Gareth, Phaedra, Nyissa-- May
Baden & Xaviera-- June
Jasher, Valeryn, Qaturah, Yassina, Idumea, Khalida-- July

Why do I write this? Why do I put myself out on a limb? I believe with all my heart that I am correct. If I am not, there is no hurt. But if I am correct, I believe it is very important for my children to have a record that I knew before hand what was happening to me. They need to know that they were wanted and loved.