Rago ? Since last year, Sondra and Eldon Headrick have endured fear of death, of a lifetime of taking care of children with birth defects, of poverty.

They stared it all down through the glare of television cameras.

Now, six months after their sextuplets were born, the Headricks acknowledge there have been sorrows.

Recently, they had one of those conversations that couples have when sleep and patience are gone. She told him to get out of the house.

“Don’t come back until tonight. Go do whatever you want, and I don’t care what.

“Leave.”

She calmed down, and Eldon came home after dark. The two of them talked solutions. They decided each of them would take a day off once a month.

They also decided to give their 4-year-old daughter, Aubrianna, who has pitched in to feed, bathe and play with her six siblings, an Aubrianna Day once every two weeks maybe read her a story one-on-one or take her somewhere.

The Headrick sextuplets, from left, Ethan Roy, Melissa Sue, Grant Douglas, Sean Edward, Jaycie Linette and Danielle Patrice are six months old today. The sextuplets were born April 6.

Meanwhile, the house that was always spotless before the births is no longer clean all the time. Sondra lets the dishes sit sometimes. Eldon lets the grass grow a bit.

While there were sorrows in these six months, the couple said there were also joys. Among them: watching Ethan spit up on every volunteer, every time to the point where Sondra wants to make him a sign that says “spit happens.”

Seeing six babies smile, one at a time, for the first time, roll over for the first time, eat mashed vegetables for the first time. Watching them discover their own hands and feet, recognize Mom’s voice, Dad’s voice for the first time.

Friends and volunteers still come nearly every day, to feed and change babies with Sondra while Eldon works.

Many didn’t know Sondra or Eldon before the births.

“I started out by calling these women volunteers,” Sondra said. “Now they are friends. And I am so thankful we have them.”