Baby shower a deluge

That's what happens when friends and family go shopping for a mom of sextuplets.

By CARRIE RITCHIE
Published June 25, 2007

Karoline Byler smiles as she and her mother Patty Kiewra open a matching clothes for all six of the babies she is currently pregnant with.
	[Times photo: ZACH BOYDEN-HOLMES]

A pile of gifts, wrapped in pastel paper imprinted with ducks, bears and Sesame Street characters, towered over Karoline Byler's living room couch during her baby shower Saturday afternoon.

Byler, pregnant with sextuplets, unwrapped each with delight and gratitude. Underneath the wrapping lie a wealth of onesies, preemie diapers, bath accessories and toys. And whenever Byler held up a pink outfit for the lone baby girl, the crowd of about 40 female relatives and friends let out a collective "Aww."

Aside from a lunch and three rounds of baby bingo, gift giving was the party's main event.

And rightfully so. Her family and friends worked hard to get those presents. Before the party, they all wondered, how do you shop for a baby shower honoring six expected children?

A lot of strategy is required, from going to multiple stores to planning who buys what, they said. Their focus, though, was what she would need most based on the 110 items listed on her Babies "R" Us registry and their own personal experience with children.

"Stores should have plans to help couples with multiples, " said Anne Stoppa, a neighbor who bought Byler basics like diapers and bottle cleaners. "Karoline should parlay that into a business."

Kirsten Denney, another neighbor, said she bought Byler diapers because she has twins and understands how quickly multiple babies go through them. She also bought baby clothes and got weird looks from cashiers.

"I got six of the same outfit, and people at the register asked me if I knew I had six of the same thing, " she said, laughing.

Donna Ahr, Byler's aunt, had trouble finding enough outfits for all of the babies. She said she had to go to two different Gymboree stores and two different Wal-Mart stores to get matching preemie outfits for the five boys.

"How many people go in and buy five of the same thing?" she said.

Ahr also bought her niece playpens that each hold two babies so she can pack up her six kids in pairs and distribute them to various friends and relatives to baby sit, she said jokingly.

Ahr was able to secure another form of transportation for the babies.

She ordered a Triple Decker stroller, which costs about $300 and seats three babies, but when the manufacturer learned her niece was expecting sextuplets, it threw in another stroller for free.

The whole family worked together to coordinate gifts, said Patty Kiewra, Byler's mother. Kiewra would relay Byler's needs to Ahr, who would then make calls to see who wanted to buy what.

At the end of the day, Byler said she was overwhelmed by all her gifts, especially the two cribs she received - one from her friends in her MOMS Club and one from a childhood friend.

"I'm so excited, " she said. "Everyone was amazingly generous."

Byler was grateful for the basics too. She said her biggest needs are diapers, wipes and car seats, since she'll need those as soon as the babies are well enough to come home from the hospital.

She said she'll probably go through plenty of diapers every day, and at about $30 per pack, that gets expensive.

To help absorb some of those costs, the MOMS Club is throwing a huge baby shower at the end of July that will be open to the public.

All the proceeds will go toward helping the Bylers support their growing family.

"I'm moved that everyone rose to the occasion for my daughter, " Kiewra said. "I feel like everything is going to be okay because she has fantastic friends and family."

Carrie Ritchie can be reached at critchie@sptimes.com.

Fast Facts

About this series

For the Bylers of Wesley Chapel, the next five months will bring many life-changing events as Karoline Byler's due date approaches. The Times will document the story of the Byler family as it deals with the expected multiple births.

On the Web

• For previous stories about the Bylers, visit pasco.tampabay.com.
• For more information about multiple births, visit www.mostonline.org .

[Last modified June 24, 2007, 20:22:56]