Couple Prepares for First Christmas as Family of 6 After Adopting Daughter and Welcoming Triplets (Exclusive)
“We always dreamed of having a big family, we just didn’t realize it was going to happen all at once,” new father of four Zac Wolfe tells PEOPLE
courtesy The Wolfe Family and Jayna Cunningham Photography
Zac and Brittney Wolfe with babies Noa, Knox, Charlie and NavieChristmas came early for Zac and Brittney Wolfe of St. Marys, Pennsylvania, who went from waiting to become parents to being a party of six this year.
After adopting their baby daughter, Charlie Ann, in July, Brittney gave birth to triplets from donated embryos in October. “We always dreamed of having a big family, we just didn’t realize it was going to happen all at once,” Zac, 31, tells PEOPLE.
The father of four adds, “Our Christmas is going to be one for the books."
Son Knox and daughters Noa and Navie — who spent nearly 50 days in the neonatal intensive care unit — came home earlier this month to a house where the halls were already being decked in preparation for the holidays.
courtesy The Wolfe Family and Jayna Cunningham Photography
The Wolfe Pack - triplets Knox, Noa and Navie with sister Charlie“Christmas is my thing. I love it,” Brittney, 33, says. “The Christmas tree is up and the nursery is together. And presents. We have presents.”
Zac adds that prepping the house for the holiday and the triplets' homecoming was his wife's “stress relief.”
"She was at the NICU every day, and I was there every day I could after work,” says Zac, who works in quality control at Meco Industries. “So when we were home at night she got the lights up outside.”
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courtesy The Wolfe Family and Jayna Cunningham Photography
The Wolfe tripletsThe four cribs had to be modified to accommodate Zac’s wheelchair. At 19, he was in a rollover truck accident that resulted in a C5-C6 spinal cord injury and made him a quadriplegic.
Brittney, who was just a friend at the time of the accident, was a constant support system for him. The two fell in love and were married in 2015. They knew immediately they wanted to start a family, but they anticipated that there would be obstacles.
After struggling with fertility issues for years, last December the couple decided to try an embryo transfer. “We actually got pregnant, but unfortunately miscarried in January,” Brittney says.
However, she quickly jumped into preparing her body for another transfer attempt. Two of the triples came from eggs frozen in 2021, and another from an egg frozen in 2011.
It was around this time when the couple received a phone call from a neighbor who knew a woman who wanted to put her baby up for adoption.
In March, they joined the women at a restaurant, where the expectant mom asked if they wanted to adopt her baby. They agreed. The restaurant’s name? Charlie’s. In April, they did the embryo transfer and then just a few weeks later, they learned that Brittney was pregnant.
courtesy The Wolfe Family and Jayna Cunningham Photography
Brittney and Zac Wolfe with children Noa, Knox, Navie and CharlieThrough it all, Zac underwent years of rehab to recover to the point where he is physically able to take care of his babies.
“After my injury and moving forward, I overcame a lot of obstacles. But parenting was one that I was really nervous for because I didn't know how I was going to do certain things,” Zac says. “Picking Charlie up off the ground, moving her from the couch, changing her... I didn't know if I'd be able to, but I found a way.”
Zac adds that he’s learned he can do everything he needs to do, just in a different way. Before the triplets came home, Zac was taking care of Charlie all day by himself.
“It was a big relief for me,” he says. “I practiced with Charlie and now we’ve got three more.”
This year's Christmas will be a little subdued, but still full of joy for the newly minted family of six.
“We unfortunately are boycotting all of our family get-togethers just because they are so tiny,” Brittney says. “We don't want to risk them getting sick.”
Christmas will still include visits from the couple's parents, who live within 10 minutes of them, and their grandparents. “They’ll get to snuggle the babies more,” she says. “Everyone gets a baby. There’s plenty to go around.”
“This year topped all of our years together,” Zac adds. “It’s been a very happy year and we look forward to what next year brings.”
If you want to follow along on the Wolfe Pack’s journey, you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube.
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