The already exceptionally rich family of Gwenny Blanckaert (33) and Marino Vaneenoo (40) from Staden, Belgium, has expanded again, with baby Laxe. The family is known for the special names of the children, which all consist of combinations of the same four letters.
On March 16, the couple welcomed their thirteenth child. Remarkable, because the couple announced after the birth of their twelfth offspring that they would stick to those twelve.
All of the new baby’s siblings – five sons and eight daughters – have names consisting of the letters A, L, E and X. It all started fifteen years ago with Alex, who was named after Marino’s stepfather. A year later, Axel was born and the parents decided to continue using the same letters. After Alex and Axel came Xela (13), Lexa (12), Xael (11), Xeal (9), Exla (7), Leax (6), Xale (4), Elax (3), Alxe (2), Laex (1) and now Laxe. The boy was born on March 16 in the hospital in Ypres and is doing well.
Now really complete
Initially, the couple wanted to keep it to twelve children, but nature decided otherwise. “It was a surprise, but also a pleasant surprise,” says Gwenny. “Laxe really completes our family now.”
The four brothers and eight sisters are also happy with the arrival of the new sprout. According to Gwenny, they were looking forward to the birth and even helped with the care. “Do we still have enough room in the house and in the car? Sure. We have two vans with nine seats each, so plenty of room. And there is still room at the table.”
Whether the same four letters are not confusing? Not for us. The teachers have a little more trouble with it
From the start, Gwenny and Marino wanted a big family. “We like a bit of life in the brewery,” Gwenny said about this when Laex was born in April 2022. “I am a full-time mom, but luckily I can also count on the support of my husband. He works night shifts, but as soon as he wakes up in the afternoon, he helps with the housework. Whether the same four letters are not confusing? Not for us, we are used to it. The teachers at school have a little more trouble with it.”
A new family expansion is no longer planned. Although, strictly speaking, there are still letter combinations left. There are 24 possible combinations with four letters. So Xlae, Lxae, Lxea, Xlea, Exal, Elxa, Ealx, Eaxl, Aexl, Aelx, and Axle are still forgivable.
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