Four times blessed

Bryce Alderton

Twins they were ready for, but Darian and Jacqueline Dahl were shocked

when they heard they would have four additions to their family in one

shot.

Having taken the fertility drug Clomid the couple thought they might

have twins, but they were stunned when they heard quadruplets.

Five children in five years of marriage and the Huntington Beach

couple couldn’t be happier.

“I would do it all over again,� Jacqueline Dahl said as she and her

husband sat on the couch holding hands. “Four seemed impossible, but now

having all four here, there’s so much love for each one of them.�

Dahl gave birth to quadruplets Sept. 30 at Long Beach Memorial

Hospital. She had three boys, Devin, Damon and Jacob, and one girl,

Hannah. Their older brother, 2-year-old Corban, was overjoyed.

Devin came home Oct. 4, but the other three preemies are still in the

intensive care unit at the hospital receiving prenatal care.

It was more than they expected, but the couple may not stop at five

children.

“The door has not shut,� she said. “The possibility for more kids is

still there, just maybe not four next time.�

That may be easier said than done, she realizes, since Jacqueline Dahl

would have to take the fertility drugs again.

The couple hopes to stay in Huntington Beach, but a larger home may be

in order. They currently reside in a three bedroom townhouse.

“We might have to start looking for something else,� she said.

She is a stay-at-home mom -- more than ever now -- while Darian works

two jobs. He is an administrator at a Long Beach nursing facility, and a

disc jockey at weddings and functions on the weekends.

But nothing is too much to handle for this family.

“I believe that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle,� Darian

Dahl said. “I’m humbled by the miracle of life, no matter the sacrifices

I may have to make.�

At 26, Jacqueline Dahl can’t wait until all four children are home,

although she realizes the demands five children will have on her.

“You know you won’t have the time you used to and instead of one baby

sitter, we’ll have to get two or three,� she said. “Our whole lives have

completely changed, it’s a child make-over.�

His mother, Linda Reeves, was staying with them and helping out during

the last several months of her pregnancy and plans to stay and help with

the new babies. The Dahls already have two friends lined up to help with

night feedings and one person during the day to help with laundry and

house cleaning.

Darian Dahl, 33, is both anxious and eager to raise five children, but

waiting to see the impact they could have on other’s lives.

“I was shocked and excited thinking, ‘How are we going to do it?’ but

you take it a day and a week at a time, knowing the feedings and the

changings will work out,� he said. “I just love kids and know these kids

are going to make a difference in life.�

* BRYCE ALDERTON is the news assistant. He can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at [email protected]