Parents rely on routine in caring for 1-year-old quintuplets

The Canfield couple has five times the work, but five times the love.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Anthony and Leslie Huddock's lives were forever changed July 30, 2002.
That was when their first child, Olivia, was born. But a minute later, three more children were born -- Samantha, William and Chloe. A minute after that, their fifth child -- Andrew -- came into the world.
The quintuplets, delivered by Caesarean section after only 26 weeks of gestation, recently celebrated their first birthday. Despite basically having a 24-hour job taking care of the children, Mom and Dad couldn't be happier.
Anthony Huddock has felt extremely blessed since the day his children were born.
"I believe God blessed us five times over," he said.
His wife agrees but also stressed the importance of a routine.
"To carry them as long as I did, and have them survive, is amazing," she said. "Having the babies around puts things in perspective. We try to keep our routine as much as possible all day."
A typical day
That routine goes something like this:
Luckily, all five of the children sleep at the same times. They usually awake about 7 a.m. and like to "jib-jab in their cribs and look at each other," Mrs. Huddock said.
They eat cereal at 11:30 a.m. and then take their first nap of the day. That nap ends about 1:30 and is followed by a bottle feeding. The children will then play until 4:30 p.m. and at that time will eat their dinner. They have their last bottle feeding at 7:30 p.m. and are in bed by 8.
This may sound like the schedule most 1-year-old babies operate on. But having quintuplets, of course, is a little different.
For example, every day the Huddocks go through 25 to 35 diapers, 15 jars of baby food and 10 bottles of formula -- not the inventory of the average baby.
"Everyday you're exhausted," Mrs. Huddock said. "But it's worth it. They are very good, well-behaved kids."
The future
Before she had the babies, Mrs. Huddock worked at a bank. She plans to return work once the children start going to school. Her husband works at the General Motors complex in Lordstown and usually gets home between 3:30 and 4 p.m.
But when he comes home, it's back to work in more ways than one.
Along with helping his wife take care of the children, he is building an addition to their Blueberry Hill home.
He is constructing one room for the boys and one room for the girls. He hopes to have the rooms completed by Thanksgiving.
"It's mostly on schedule," he said of the addition. "With the rain and everything, it's been hard to keep working. With my job and taking care of the kids, it is a 24-hour job."
As Huddock is speaking, his wife goes over to the babies to stop one of them from crying. As soon as one stops, one, two, three or four more could start at any time.
Huddock then paused and revised his statement.
"I have it easier than my wife," he said. "She definitely has the harder job."
rmeyer@vindy.com