To say that Alexis, 39, who works overtime as a stay-at-home mother and fitness instructor, and her husband, Davie, 44, who works as a train conductor, were surprised by the news would be putting it very mildly. “I just didn’t really think we were capable of making a girl,” she explained. “We barely thought it was worth finding out the gender, because it’s the same every time.”
But for once, the baby’s gender reveal was something other than a foregone conclusion. “When we opened the envelope and found out we were having a girl, I thought they'd got it wrong,” she admitted.
While the Bretts never intended to have so many children, they have enjoyed each and every one so much that they just kept going. Ironically, mom Alexis is an only child herself.
These days, their brood consists of Campbell, 17; Harrison, 16; Corey, 14; Lachlan, 11; Brodie, 9; Brahn, 8; Hunter, 6; Mack, 5; Blake, 3; Rothagaidh, 2; and last but certainly not least, their first girl, baby Cameron, who was born on Aug. 17, 2019.
Despite all the work entailed in having yet another baby, the family, who live in the small town of Dingwall, north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, are thrilled to finally have a girl. “We’re over the moon,” Alexis told the Mail on Sunday. “When I found out it was a girl, my face was a picture. I was shocked but delighted. Now she’s here with us, it’s a fantastic feeling.”
While Alexis has never regretted giving birth to so many boys, she did admit to being “thrilled that [she’s] not quite so outnumbered at home any more,” per Seven News. The moment of truth came at 17 weeks through the pregnancy, when Alexis had a sonogram. She and Davie didn’t even bother asking the technician what gender the baby was, as prior habit made it seem having a girl was impossible.
After the shocking revelation, the couple decided to choose the name Cameron, inspired by their admiration for actress Cameron Diaz. “It’s funny, because obviously Cameron can be a name for a boy or a girl, but we just fell in love with it,” Alexis admits. “We have always tried to give our children unusual names and Cameron is definitely more unusual for a girl.”
As for Cameron’s numerous older brothers, the novelty of having a little sister has beguiled them just as much as it has their parents. Dad Davie explained to the Mail on Sunday that the extra feminine presence in the house was “already having a good influence on the boys,” adding that, “They have generally been much better behaved around her, trying to keep quiet in case they wake her up [...] It’s been great.”
Every day, Davie gets up at 4:30 a.m. for his job with ScotRail, which he has been working for over 20 years. Alexis wakes up to be able to enjoy some quiet time, a shower, and coffee before rousing all the boys, who attend schools ranging from daycare to secondary school.
Despite their vast parenting experience, the Bretts admit that it can sometimes be difficult to know what to do for a female child. “Everything just seems so strange,” Alexis tells Seven News. “It feels as though we’re doing it for the first time again. I’m already worried about learning to plait hair.”
Davie does as much as he can after work to give his wife a hand, from going shopping to doing cooking, or anything else that comes up. He struggles with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2013. However, despite his condition, he told the Mail on Sunday, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. My medication helps with the symptoms, which are thankfully still minor.”
Cameron is one more mouth to house, feed, and transport in a very complex living operation. Alexis doesn’t drive, so dad Davie has to ferry kids in shifts in the family’s SUV. Meanwhile, grocery shopping involves purchases of spectacular proportions, from 16 loaves of bread to 50 pints of milk, 40 sausages, and 24 rolls of toilet paper, per the Mail.
While everything takes more time and effort than some parents would be willing to put up with, Mom and Dad do seem remarkably content with their lot. “David and I do look at each other sometimes to say ‘What have we done?’ but we could never imagine life with a small family now.”
