Kateri Schwandt Hopes for Girl, Gives Birth to 12th Boy

A Michigan couple raising 11 sons told friends and family to "think pink" when they found out they were expecting their 12 th child.

Now the couple, Jay and Kateri Schwandt, of Rockford, Mich., can start telling friends to "buy blue" after Kateri gave birth to a son last weekend.

"Realistically we knew it was going to be a boy," said Jay Schwandt. "There was no big shock. You know, you kind of hold your breath a little bit, out pops the baby and the doctor says, 'It's a boy.'"

"After like the seventh it kind of became routine," said one of the couple's 12 sons.

Kateri delivered son Tucker Ray on Aug. 4.

He joins the brood of 11 older brothers, ages 21, 17, 16, 14, 11, 10, 8, 6, 5, 3 and 19 months.

"There's a lot of testosterone going around," said Kateri. "That feminine touch is kind of…"

"Lacking," her husband helped out by adding.

The Schwandt boys, who could practically field their own sports team, don't seem too sad about not having a sister to welcome into their boys-only club.

"It's normal for us. This is what we've grown up with," said one of Tucker's older brothers. "The greatest thing is living with 11 of your best friends."

The Schwandts manage their household of rough-and- tumble boys through a system of flow charts and chores. It also helps that Jay is self-employed, allowing him the flexibility to help out at home.

What Jay worries about is not the now but the future.

"This year we'll have a senior in high school, a junior in high school and a freshman," he said. "When they all turn 16 and get their driver's licenses, our driveway, a lot of times, looks like a used car lot."

Even though they have a happy dozen, the Schwandts say they may not be done expanding their family.

"That seems to be the million-dollar question," said Jay. "Let nature take its course. If it's meant to be, I'm sure it will be another boy."

And that, Jay, a protective dad, says may be okay.

"The things that go on in this house, I wouldn't want my precious daughter experiencing that stuff," he quipped.