Last month, Carlos celebrated his childrens’ first birthday and that very same day he mourned the first year since the death of their mother, Erica.
Speaking to People the incredible father admitted that despite the day being filled with laughter, friends and family, it was also a reminder of what has been painfully missing since his four kids, Carlos Jr., identical twins Erica and Paisley and Tracy, were born.
One year on: the kids have grown up so much!
“It’s all very bittersweet,” he said. “I’m celebrating their birthday, but I also lost my wife and they lost their mum.”
Carlos invited People to his kids’ special day where he and a group of his closest friends and family sing Happy Birthday to his babies at a playground near his house on January 16th.
“Erica would have loved this,” the 30-year-old reflected. “It would have been an even bigger party. She really liked this kind of stuff. She was looking forward to it.”
It was the couple’s dream to raise a family together. Now Carlos is making Erica’s wish come true.
The dad-of-four explained he’s had little time alone to think about the loss of Erica.
“I’m rarely alone,” he said.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year. I just wish Erica was here to see them crawl and see them start to walk. There are going to be so many more firsts she won’t be around for.”
Taking each day as it comes, it’s clear to those around him that Carlos is an incredible daddy to his precious kids.
“They have really grown up,” the humble dad admitted.
The kids at eight months.
“It makes me feel good. Hopefully I can keep on trying to do my best every day.”
The quadruplets were born premature on January 15, 2015. In a heartbreaking turn of events, just eight hours after they arrived, Erica died from hypovolemic shock, an emergency condition involving massive blood loss.
A year on, his wife might not be by his side, but his kids couldn’t be doing any better – Carlos credits his family’s ongoing support.
“It’s quite a challenge because we have different personalities,” his mother-in-law, Sondra Bridges, who moved in with Carlos, admitted.
“But we have the babies’ best interests at heart. We still have my daughter and his wife in common and that will always be.”
Carlos knew the moment he met Erica, she was the one.
Speaking of his wife, Carlos revealed the moment he first met her in 2006, he knew he wanted to marry her.
“I didn’t speak any English and she didn’t speak any Spanish,” he laughed. “But I asked her to dance and she said yes.”
Raising kids as a single parent is difficult at the best of times and multiply that by four – you can expect a bumpy road. But for the Arizona resident, the support he has received has lessened the burden.
Since Erica’s death, a GoFundMe page has helped the couple’s children, raising close to $500,000.
Thanks to the generosity of others, Carlos can provide a bright future for his loves.
“The financial support has just been a tremendous help,” he gushed.
“Having four babies gets a little expensive. Pretty much every time I go to the grocery store, people look at me and ask, ‘Are you buying this stuff for a daycare?’ When I tell them I have four babies they look at me like I’m a little crazy.”
It might be hard for the dad to stay strong when he remembers the loss but he has “four big reason” for carrying on.
“We planned for years to enjoy this together. I’m a great father because of her. I can’t let Erica down.”
You can donate to Carlos’ kids by heading here
