The couple now hope to adopt more children. Katya Kirichenko thinks children are the greatest joy in life. The woman is just over 30 and she works as a mother every day. Katya and her husband Janis have 12 children. Their eldest son is 14 years old and the youngest is only one year old. Katya has been pregnant almost every year since she was 18. She gave birth to her first child when she was 19.
The Kirichenkos met very romantically. Young Katya and Denis knew each other through mutual acquaintances. The guy took Katya’s phone number, but hesitated for a long time before calling. Finally, the future lovers agreed on the phone to meet. However, they had to cancel the date, as Denis broke his leg following an accident.
The guy was recovering at home, and Katya had to go to the hospital herself. She needed treatment, but all her friends left for the New Year holidays. Janis visited Katya every day and, with a broken leg, climbed the stairs to the ninth floor, because there is no there was no elevator in the hospital. His sensitivity and kindness touched Katya’s heart. The girl accepted his proposal to start a family; they married when Katya was 18
A year later, the first son Maxim was born in the Kirichenko family: “It was very difficult for me with my first child. It all seemed very difficult to me. I couldn’t cope and I cried. For a long time he could not sleep at night. My husband and my mother took turns. Crying, teething… I often remember how we decided to have a second child. When Maxim was one year old, I realized that I had not yet experienced the joys of motherhood, ”says our heroine.
The dream of the spouses was the birth of a daughter. When Katya was 20 years old, their daughter Eva was born. The girl was calm, and Katya liked to talk about the weather. Because of this, she and her husband decided to have a third child. Now their family is 12-year-old Maxim, 14; Eva, 12; Alice, 11; Milana, 10; Kolya, 9 years old; Veronique, 7 years old; Yana, 6 years old; Lera, 4 years old; twins Vitalina and Leva, 3; Tolya, 2 and a half years old; Vic, 1 year old.
They shared a bedroom and a half with their husband and 11 children. Before the birth of the youngest daughter, the Kirichenko family lived in a private house in which there was no running water or sewage. They lived in one and a half rooms with an area of 34 square meters.
The house needed repairs. Her husband disappeared from morning to evening at work, Katya received allowances for having many children, but their financial situation was still difficult. At first, the couple could not afford separate beds for the children, so they had three sofas on which the children slept. The volunteers then gave them two bunk beds, which made it easier for the children to sleep. The family took turns having lunch and dinner. The kitchen could only accommodate three or four people at a time. They were washing dishes in the bathhouse and the washing machine was constantly running. Katya devoted herself entirely to solving everyday problems. Although the woman had hobbies like embroidery and knitting, she did not have enough time for them.
With the help of the media, she received a new apartment. The issue of housing for the Kirichenko family aroused great interest in the local media. She is a mother-heroine, medalist for the birth of 12 children and their education. Journalists and deputies came to congratulate her each time she left the hospital. But no one was in a hurry to solve the problem of dilapidated housing.
Of course, the Kirichenko family received land on which to build a new house. The couple started saving money for building materials. However, it turned out that the land is located in the middle of the forest, has no roads and cannot be inhabited at present.
Finally, a local businessman became interested in the problem of a large family, who bought a three-story house, repaired it well and moved the Kirichenko family there completely free of charge. Now the children have their own bedrooms, a large playroom, living room, gym, swimming pool, spacious kitchen and all the necessary amenities.
“We boil 14 liters of soup and peel a bucket of potatoes a day…”
To prepare breakfast, Katya got up at 6:30 a.m. every day. She drew water from the well and cooked 50-60 eggs or about 100 pancakes. Then she sent the
