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| Evonne and Deon Derrico: parents of quints |
A family of six nearly doubled in size in less than five minutes, after ushering in a set of quintuplets.
Evonne and Deon Derrico from Las Vegas, initially thought they would be having quadruplets but later discovered a fifth baby in the womb. After doing all they could to prepare, they welcomed three girls and two boys last fall at the Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona.
"We are all doing great," Mr Derrico told the Las Vegas Sun today "Excited is an understatement."Mrs Derrico, 33, carried the babies for 32 weeks and two days, a month longer than the national average for quintuplets. They were born on September 6, 2013. Deniko, Dariz, Deonee, Daician and Daiten each weigh less than three pounds and were being cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit. (In keeping with family tradition, the babies' names all start with the letter 'D.')
They're joining an already-full house that includes the Derrico's seven-year-old daughter, Darian, a three-year-old son, Derrick, and two-year-old twin boys, Dallas and Denver.
The family of 11 will have to make some adjustments.
"We have a vehicle for the family right now, but we don't have a vehicle for the five others," said Mr Derrico, who works as a property manager. "There's just so much to figure out."
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| The quints at birth |
The new mother didn't know the babies' genders prior to birth, hospital officials said, and she announced 'boy' or 'girl' as each baby was presented to her in the delivery room. The babies are expected to remain hospitalized for several weeks, but the family plans to return to Las Vegas after they are discharged.
"This has humbled me," Mr Derrico told the Las Vegas Sun. "I feel very honored that God chose us."
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