(Posted August, 1999) Bob and Cheryl Fillippini know a little something about numbers. Not to mention children. When the couple got married in 1993, Cheryl already had given birth to seven children from a previous marriage and her husband had three kids from his first marriage. But with most of their extended family of 10 children already grown up and on their own, the Fillippini's decided they would like to try to have one more child.

After four years of marriage and now with just an 11-year-old daughter living at home, the couple had their dreams realized in the summer of 1996 when Cheryl became pregnant. At four weeks into the pregnancy, an ultrasound showed the stunning news that Cheryl was carrying five babies.

On February 20, 1997, Cheryl delivered healthy quadruplets, Robert Charles Fillippini IV (Bobby), Rebekah Louise, Amanda Louise and Sydney Louise. The three girls and one boy instantly produced a family of 14. And introduced the Fillippini's to new numbers. Like 32 feedings and 40 diaper changes a day.

A registered nurse for more than 20 years who went back to school to earn a law degree in 1995, Cheryl claims she "retired" five months into her final pregnancy. Her husband is the welder for the local school district in Lompoc, California, not too far from Santa Barbara.

Bobby plays with sisters Rebekah, Amanda and Sydney

The Fillippini quads weighed between 3 pounds, 4 ounces (Amanda) and 2 pounds, 4 ounces (Sydney) and all four babies were home with mom and dad by the end of March. When Sydney joined her brothers and sisters at home, each baby weighed four pounds.

Cheryl admits her 20 years of nursing experience was a god-send and is what really helped her and Bob get through these past two years. "Having had other children is what enabled us to handle the quads," she told Twinstuff.Com in an email interview. "I worked (in a) nursery in hospitals for many years and as I told people I usually had six infants to care for at a time. One of my daughters reminded me that I did go home at the end of the shift though. I guess I still have 16 years till the end of my shift.

"Bob and I were stretched to the limit even though we had lots of experience. My 13-year-old is a big help. She is great with the kids and will play with them while I get work done around the house. None of the others (their other nine children) have been around. Only one lives in town but she works full time and is a university student."

Several of the Fillippini's older children are already married and in fact Cheryl and Bob have seven grandchildren ranging in age from 3 to 14. If raising two-year-old quads wasn't enough of a challenge, the couple also helped to plan weddings of two of their children this summer (including Cheryl's oldest daughter, Justine, 35) as well as another daughter's wedding next May. One of the 1999 wedding receptions marked the first time that all 11 of Cheryl's children were present together.

Cheryl and Bob at Their Daughter Justine's Wedding in August '99

Cheryl says the biggest difference between raising her quads and her previous seven children is the work load and the logistics. They have a quad stroller which they ordered from Italy as well as a pair of twin strollers which they use when both parents take out the babies. Finding a way to lug around 90 pounds of babies and a 73-pound stroller out of their car means that most grocery shopping is done at night by Cheryl when the babies are home sleeping under the attentive eye of their father.

The parents are used by now to the hundreds of questions that the babies elicit daily and Cheryl does enjoy taking the babies out to the mall although it is difficult for her to maneuver the quad stroller around large crowds.

"Many of the questions are like those the parents of twins get, are they identical, what are their names, who was born first, how much did they weigh, how do you do it, etc," Cheryl relates. "Many are personal regarding fertility treatments and our age." (both parents are in their 50's)

"However of the thousands of questions and comments we have received all but a couple have been positive with one exception. Many younger people ask if we are the grandparents. We get real tired of that one."

The Fillippini quads are the first multiples in this generation of the family (although Cheryl believes her 21-year-old, Lee, had his twin pass away during the fifth month of her pregnancy) but aren't the first instances of a multiple birth on her side of the family. Cheryl's mom, grandmother, great grandmother and great, great grandmother were all twins. Her mom and grandmother were fraternal twins. Her grandmother also had twin sisters and Cheryl also has a set of 2nd cousins who are fraternal twins.

So with those type of numbers in her background, the odds were pretty strong that Cheryl's 1997 pregnancy could produce multiples. What the Fillippini's didn't expect, however, was to join the small fraternity of parents who face the difficult challenges of raising quads. The work will continue well into the 21st century, but for Cheryl and Bob Fillippini, the numbers are on their side.