Epilogue

4 months later
RPOV
To say that it was a rough year would be too simple. But when I look back on to it all and look at my children, all my children, I don't regret it. Yes, I could've done things better, handled things better and thought twice about things before doing them. But it is just not the person I am.

That late night visit to my newborn children ripped open a couple stitches and it made my recovering a little longer than it should have been. But seeing my babies for the first time was worth all the pain I had to endure after that.

Our two girls, Lena and Janie, could go home after one month in the hospital. They were healthy enough to go further with our support. I had been home for one week and it was a good feeling to have them home with me.

But our baby boy, Ibe, he had to stay for another month. And eventually he spent his first nine weeks in the hospital. First on the NICU and after that he was transported to the children ward. That was a relief because it meant that he was doing better.

With nine weeks we had our three children at home and our night cut short to quick naps. Both needed sleep and we hadn't had conversation that were more than two words. But we loved our children and we loved each other so we just sucked it up and did what we needed to do.

It was a lucky thing for us that our sleep nights became longer or we would have fallen asleep standing. But I think that the most wonderful thing was that our children showed up to help us with their brother and sisters.

Logan already lived at home and even when he said he wasn't going to help us, his little sisters had wrapped him around their tiny fingers and he did everything for them. So he spend many late afternoons watching the babies and trying to play with them. As far as that can with newborns.

Tamara is spending all her free time back at home and she is even thinking about going to a college that is closer to home. We are trying to talk her out of that. Not that we don't want her close. But she doesn't need to feel that she have to do that. We can manage it on our own.

But she is happy to spend time with her brother and sisters. She has the patient that is necessary to take care of Ibe. He needs a little more care and has a little more doctors' visits than his sisters need so she is wonderful with that.

Anthony mostly likes to dress them up. And he can spend hours with Lena. Not because he doesn't like the other two. But Lena doesn't cry or struggle at changing clothes. She is perfectly content when he puts her in some nice clothes and holds fashion shows with her.

It is a small disadvantage that we all need to watch his fashion shows with Lena. The first two, three times were fun and we would encourage him and give him points and everything. But now he has done that so many times that we are fleeing when we notice him changing her.

Ivan is wonderful with the babies. He can just hold them and tell them stories and they will be quiet. No crying or any other sounds. Just their big eyes focused on their oldest brother. I think that we are very lucky with our seven children.

But the most amazing person with the children is Dimitri. He may have been a little nervous and unsure about the whole thing. But I always knew that he was an amazing father. He doesn't realize how much his children love him and want his attention. And seeing him with our children make my heart swell even more.

He is so patiently and kind when he is acting with them. He is my rock in this whole mess and seeing his smile every day gives me the energy I need. And he gives our babies the attention they need. He makes sure that our other children still feel like home and he takes the time to make me feel special and beautiful.

I don't know what the coming years are going to be like. But I know that with the support of my wonderful husband. And with watching our beautiful children grow up it will all be worth it. When I look back and see everything that happened from the moment that I left Turkey to the moment I have seven children…

There are no other words than live is magical if you decide to life it and give it all you have. And that some things are worth fighting for. I know that things with Dimitri and myself could have gone better but it was destiny that brought us together and made sure that we stayed together.

And now with being married to the love of my life for 21 years I can only hope that life will give us another 21 years together.

Thank you for all my followers, readers and reviewers. I know that this is a little short and after that wait it is a little short but their story was told and I guess that it is better to end it this way than drag this on for ages.