Last sextuplet to come home Wednesday

Charlie Craig Byler, the last sextuplet at All Children's Hospital, is scheduled to be released Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving.

"He may have to be on a small amount of oxygen," said father Ben Byler, but aside from that, "there was really no reason to keep him there any longer."

To be released, babies must weigh at least 4 pounds and be able to eat and breathe on their own. Charlie now weighs about 6 pounds and is feeding a lot better now, Ben said.

Charlie will join his sister, MacKenzie, and four brothers, Brady Christopher, Eli Benjamin, Jackson Robert and Ryan Patrick, at the family's home in Wesley Chapel. The couple already has a daughter, 4-year-old Zoe.

The sextuplets, Florida's first surviving set, were delivered by caesarean section shortly after 9 p.m. Sept. 1 at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. They were taken to the neonatal unit at adjoining All Children's Hospital. Karoline was at 30 weeks' gestation, about 10 weeks short of the normal gestation time for a single baby. Karoline, 29, and Ben, 30, became parents to the six babies after using infertility treatments in an effort to give Zoe a sibling. Karoline has a polycystic ovarian syndrome, a condition that makes conception without assistance difficult.

Their births drew worldwide media attention, including a visit from Gov. Charlie Crist, who held Charlie and pronounced the babies adorable.

Byler said he and Karoline have taken turns staying up nights caring for the babies. He said he has been drinking lots of coffee and Mountain Dew to stay awake when he needs to.

Having all the babies home by Thanksgiving was unexpected. Doctors earlier had said Charlie would be released  later. Despite the chaos, the Bylers will have a turkey dinner, courtesy of Karoline's mother and grandmother, who are helping out.

"We're going to try our best to celebrate it," he said.

On Monday night, the Bylers celebrated something else: the purchase of a 10-seat Dodge Sprinter van.

Ben said the couple found the silver van, with a diesel engine and 30,000 miles, on eBay. They contacted the dealer, Hurricane Motors of Tampa, and asked whether the van could be taken off auction and sold outright.

"The dealer said he had heard our story and that the babies were born on his birthday," Ben said. The dealer, a father of five, agreed to sell them the van. They close on it tonight and plan to take the whole crew to All Children's to pick up Charlie.

- Lisa Buie, Times staff writer