![EXCLUSIVE: Natalie 'Octomom' Suleman cooks up a family meal for her 8 children, the only surviving Octuplets in the world, now 8 years-old at their home in Laguna Niguel,California. The family posed for some fun photos together before sitting down to a vegan dinner in the apartment they share with Sulemans other six children. Suleman talked about turning her back on the Octomom stigma and finally finding peace after contemplating suicide due to the stress of raising such a large family. The Octuplets, Makai, Josiah, Isaiah, Jonah, Maliyah, Jeremiah, Nariyah and Noah turn 9 in January. 11 Dec 2017 Pictured: Octomom, Natalie Suleman. Photo credit: MOVI Inc. / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA147234_002.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/octomom-shares-rare-photo-of-8-kids-meg.jpg?quality=100&w=440)
‘Octo-mom’ Nadya Suleman, 44, just posted a new photo of her octuplets and we can’t get over how grown-up they look! Brothers Noah, Jonah, Makai, Isaiah, Josiah, and Jeremiah along with sisters Maliyah and Nariyah Soloman — who turn 11 on Sunday, Jan. 26 — were all-smiles as they hung out at a sunny park! “While Aidan was sitting, distracted with sensory exploration in the dirt, I snapped a quick picture of all the little kids together,” Nadya captioned the sweet photo on her Instagram, posted Wednesday, Jan. 8. Aiden, 14, is the octuplets’ older brother who Nadya has previously confirmed is “severely autistic” and “non-verbal.”
“This is a rare occurrence considering how crazy active and energetic they all are!” she also noted, adding the hashtags “#ActiveLifestyle #FitFamily #KidsBeingKids.” The siblings were all dressed for a sunny day outside in casual t-shirts and sneakers, and looked so cute for the family day out! In addition to the octuplets, Nadya is also mom to Elijah, 18, Amerah, 17, Joshua, 15, Aiden, 14, and twins Calyssa, and Caleb, 12, who were not pictured. With 14 kids total, that’s one busy household!
All of Nadya’s children were conceived via IVF — which she has openly spoken about — however, the octuplets do carry the last name “Soloman” for their sperm donor. The former stripper made headlines back in 2009 when she gave birth to her eight babies — earning her the nickname “Octo-Mom” — and the kids are only the second-ever surviving set of octuplets known to be born in the United States. As a single mom of 14, she certainly drew criticism — but it seems like she’s doing better than ever based on another post she shared on Jan. 2.
Captioning an image that said, “Don’t judge my story on the chapter you walked in on,” Nadya reflected on her life over the last 10 years — including why she stepped out of the spotlight. “Despite the pain of my past, I’ve chosen to use my struggles as stepping stones, promoting my pursuit of achieving the goals I’ve set for my family,” she wrote, thanking those who have supported her over the last few years. “2020 marks the seventh year since escaping the false life I was leading; forging on, building a better life for my family. I made a decision to repudiate all requests from tabloid type media (despite how lucrative the offer), as my goal is to progress, and publish my full true story.” She also shared that 2020 marked the the “seventh year since escaping the false life I was leading,” but that she would be sharing more about her family life going forward.