Alexis and David are said to be the first British couple who’ve had ten boys in a row, and now they have a new addition to the family – a baby girl. The boys whose ages range from 17 to two finally get to have a baby sister. Alexis told
The Daily Mail soon after she had given birth, "We’re over the moon.
I’d been expecting to hear we were having another boy but when I found out it was a girl, my face was a picture. I was shocked but delighted. Now she’s here with us, it’s a fantastic feeling.”
The little baby girl arrived on August 27 and is named Cameron after actress Cameron Diaz. Her brothers include Campbell, 17, Harrison, 16, Corey, 14, Lachlan, 11, Brodie, nine, Brahn, eight, Hunter, six, Mack, five, Blake, three, and Rothagaidh, two. Alexis promises that "We’re definitely stopping now,” she laughs.” No more! I remember saying that last time, but this time I absolutely mean it. I love my family as it is now.” So what’s is it like being the mother of 11 children? Alexis answers, ” Of course, we do get comments about the number of children we have. But it doesn’t bother me what people think.
We’re well used to it. Some people think we must be on benefits, but we’re not. David has a good job which means we don’t even qualify for full child benefit.”
"We’ve been asked a lot whether we’ve had so many children because we were hoping for that elusive girl. But I can honestly answer no. Cameron wasn’t planned, but I was happy all the same, and if another boy had been on the way it wouldn’t have bothered me. I’m an only child myself and I’d never planned to have a large family, but now that I do, I love it. I always joked I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with a girl anyway but that’s all changed now, of course, and I have to admit that we’re having a lot of fun buying pink things for the first time,” shared Alexis. She’s been with David since 1998 and they live with their children at a detached 5-bedroom house in Dingwall, Ross-shire.
44-year-old David works as a train driver and has been ecstatic at the birth of his first daughter. David said of his newborn, "She’s already having a good influence on the boys.
They have generally been much better behaved around her, trying to keep quiet in case they wake her up. They also want to help with holding and feeding her. It’s been great.”
But obviously, it’s not an easy task taking care of two-three children by itself, so one can’t imagine the struggles of bringing up nearly a dozen! Financially the weekly bill, excluding clothes, is about $378 and includes 9 large boxes of cereal, 16 loaves of bread, seven liters of fruit squash and 100 packets of crisps, 30 apples, 25 bananas, two kilograms of pasta and two tubes of toothpaste! Cleaning isn’t an easy task either; Alexis says she needs to vacuum the house at least 7 times a day! "It’s not easy with so many boys running around, but I like everything to be neat and tidy. I can’t stand mess.” Alexis has joked in the past that she is ‘immune’ to most birth control methods.
She hopes to get back to work as a part-time fitness instructor in a few weeks.
The family has other struggles as well. David was diagnosed with early Parkinson’s 6 years ago. He shares the housework and is a hands-on dad. "I wouldn’t have it any other way. My medication helps with the symptoms, which are thankfully still minor,’ he says.”I always try to have time for each of our boys. It’s difficult for us to have a holiday as one big group –that hasn’t happened for years.” The couple admits sometimes they’re surprised by how big their family turned out to be but still wouldn’t want it any other way. Alexis says, "David and I do look at each other sometimes to say ‘What have we done?’, but we could never imagine life with a small family now.”
