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By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BOARDMAN -- Bathed in the blue shadows of wintry twilight, the homes along Shelby Road appear snug and quiet.
The cozy split-level belonging to Brian and Becky George is no exception -- until you step inside.
Right away, a whirl of noise and activity welcomes you.
Girlish giggles, squeals of protest, the pitter-patter of running feet -- it only takes a second to realize silence and solitude are in short supply here.
What's not in short supply are silliness and busy-ness and tiny tots -- four tots, actually, and if you can't stand a little chaos, then you'd better get out of the kitchen.
There's drama, too. Plenty of it.
Just now, 3-year-old Emma George does not want to watch "Bob the Builder" on TV. She also doesn't want to have her dirty diaper changed.
Displaying a natural flare for theatrics, pint-size Emma strikes a stubborn pose and voices her disapproval in tones shrill enough to wake a hibernating grizzly.
While Emma has a meltdown, her 3-year-old sisters, Gretchen and Moira, dance through the living room in matching Disney princess nightgowns, laughing and chattering like magpies.
The beige carpet beneath their twirling toes is cluttered with toys, and every so often, tiny Gretchen grabs a rubber horn -- the kind clowns wield at the circus -- and gives it a piercing toot.
Could it be the George household is a circus in its own right -- a jolly, bustling circus with sweet, rambunctious children as its stars?
Becky George, mother of this busy brood, sometimes thinks so.
Seated in a recliner, calmly overseeing the Barnum and Bailey-ish capers, Becky shakes her head.
'Makes it all worth it'
"Some days I wonder what I was thinking," she said wryly. "But then there are those times when we all sit down together and hold each other and just enjoy being a family. That's the best part. That makes it all worth it."
Three years ago, after taking fertility drugs, Becky gave birth to quadruplet girls. After a high-risk pregnancy that required two months of bed rest in St. Elizabeth's Health Center and a spur-of-the-moment Caesarean section, the premature infants were placed in the hospital's neonatal intensive-care unit.
That was just the beginning of the challenges. After the quads finally came home from the hospital, Becky and Brian had to adjust to caring for four newborns at once -- a job that resulted in frazzled nerves and sleepless nights.
Numerous emotional ups and downs followed, including the sudden death of one of the quads -- Allison -- to spinal meningitis in April 2004.
Through it all, the Georges have kept their faith and kept their sanity. They've even made room for a new son, Seth David, who was born Dec. 21, 2005.
"We weren't exactly planning it, but we were open to having another child," Becky said as she cuddled Seth on her lap. "When we'd tell people we were pregnant again, they'd look at us like we were crazy and ask, 'How many kids are you having this time?'"
The possibility of another multiple birth wasn't all that far-fetched.
"Although we weren't taking any fertility drugs when I got pregnant with Seth, twins run in both of our families, so we wondered how many we were going to get," Becky said.
The Georges were relieved when they learned they were having just one baby the second time around. They were also elated to learn the child was male.
"Now I'm not so outnumbered," joked Brian as he sat in the living room amid the pink plethora of girls toys and trinkets.
Do the Georges want more boys to even up the score?
"I'd have more children," Becky said without batting an eye, but when Brian shoots her a weary look, she smiles and quickly adds, "But Brian doesn't want to."
One factor
Finances play a part in this decision.
Brian, 36, who works as a branch manager at National City Bank in Boardman, said keeping up with the bills can be tough.
"The biggest expenses have been formula and diapers," he said. "Now we are finally done with formula, but all four kids are still in diapers. None of the girls are potty trained yet."
The girls also are not in day care or preschool; Becky stays home with them every day.
"I don't really go that many places," she said with a shrug. "It's too much of a hassle."
Ordinary tasks such as grocery shopping can prove challenging.
"I usually go grocery shopping alone in the evening after Brian comes home from work," Becky said. "Or if I do take the kids, I'll go with my mom and she'll help me."
Becky also enlists the help of her sister, Jessica, for baby-sitting.
"Usually, though, we have to get more than one baby-sitter at one time because it's hard for just one person to watch all of these kids at once," Becky adds.
Carving out couple time can also prove challenging, but at least twice a month, Becky and Brian get a sitter and go out to dinner alone.
When they're feeling brave, they'll take all four children with them to family restaurants such as Chili's or Applebee's.
"Usually the kids are pretty good in restaurants," Becky said. "We usually have a pretty easy time there."
Ups, downs
One thing that is not easy, Becky said, is when everybody -- including herself -- gets sick.
"There was one time when everyone had the flu, even me, and I was so sick and the girls were walking around the house throwing up. I put bibs on them to catch some of the vomit," she recalled. "I'm laughing about it now, but that was a bad day."
Another thing Becky can laugh about now is the night she and Brian disassembled the girls' cribs and replaced them with beds.
"Their bedroom was wall-to-wall mattresses, so that encouraged plenty of jumping and also some wandering around in the middle of the night," Becky said.
After one of the girls crawled under a dresser and got stuck there in the wee small hours, Becky and Brian decided cribs were a must.
"We put the cribs back up again the next day, and they're still up now," Becky said. "That way when it's bed time, they're stuck in there, and they can't get out."
The cribs crowd a small room in the Georges' modest-size three-bedroom home. Despite creative furniture arrangements, the Georges are fast running out of space.
"We'll eventually have to move," Becky said. "This house just isn't big enough for all of us."
Rooms that overflow with toys and closets that burst with kids clothing prove Becky's point.
But Becky shrugs it off. She loves being a mom and relishes everything that comes with it -- especially the fun jobs.
For the girls' third birthday party -- a big affair at a local church -- she made a pi & ntilde;ata and constructed a giant castle from refrigerator boxes.
"It was a princess-themed party, so we really wanted a castle," she explained. "We went all out."
Touched by their story
They also invited plenty of guests -- an indication of the ever-widening circle of people who have been touched by the Georges' remarkable story.
"We are continually moved by the generosity of others," Brian said. "We have had so many people help us, and we really want to express our thanks for that."
Hand-me-down clothing and various donated baby items, including diapers, top the list of things the Georges are grateful for.
"We didn't have to buy any diapers the entire first year of the girls' lives," Becky said. "We had so many donations. It saved us a lot of money."
Even now, many people -- some total strangers -- continue to offer assistance in various ways.
"There is a lady from Campbell who sends us a check every year. We didn't even know her before she contacted us, but she just wanted to help," Becky said.
Remembering Allison
Knowing that others care has helped make the tough times easier, but Becky said one thing that's still hard to come to terms with is Allison's death.
"There are days when I still cry about it," she admitted. "I still think of my girls as quadruplets, never triplets. Gretchen, Emma and Moira know they have a sister in heaven and that her name is Allison."
In memory of her departed daughter, Becky has adorned the walls of her home with Allison's photographs as well as angel knickknacks and pictures.
Hanging in the Georges' living room, for example, is a large picture of a beautiful blond child with angel's wings.
"Allison had light hair, and that picture reminds me of her and what she might have looked like had she grown up," Becky said. "It's one way for me to remember her and keep her close."
The Georges consider it a gift from heaven that they learned they were pregnant with Seth David on April 22, 2005 -- the one-year anniversary of Allison's death.