Father of 12 Sons Jay Schwandt: 'I'd Really Like a Girl'

A Michigan couple with 12 sons ranging in age from 22 years to 15 months will have another shot to bring a girl into their family this May, but whether they succeed will not be known until the baby is born.

“That’s kind of what gets my wife through the delivery process, the excitement and suspense,” Jay Schwandt told ABC News, referring to the rule enforced by his wife, Kateri, to keep the gender a surprise.

“I try every time to have me find out and not tell her, but that never flies,” he said. “It’s not worth even asking anymore.”

Schwandt, the owner of a commercial real estate company near the family’s Rockford, Mich., home, says he and his wife are also divided when it comes to their preferences for what the gender of their 13th child will be.

“My wife is pulling for another boy because that’s in her comfort zone,” he said. “I’m pulling for a girl.”

“Introducing a little girl to the family would certainly change things up,” Schwandt said.

“I’ve got all the boy stuff a dad could ever imagine – sports, hunting," he said. "As long as we’re raising all these children it would be neat to see what the other end of the spectrum is like, maybe cheerleading and the father-daughter dance."

The Schwandts, both 40, already have one college graduate in the family, as well as one current college student, two high schoolers and six elementary school students.

Their 13th child is due May 9.

The 12 Schwandt boys are, according to their dad, pretty “convinced” their new sibling will be another boy. The siblings are split right down the middle, though, as to whether they would prefer a new sister or another brother.

“Our house is all boy right now,” he said.

When asked what he would do if he had a girl who ended up being a tomboy, Schwandt appeared to have thought through that scenario already.

“I assume that’s how it would end up,” Schwandt said. “If it is a girl, I’d imagine she’d fit right in with the boys, with the rough housing and everything that goes on in our place.”

There is hope for Schwandt, however, if his wife gives birth to another boy next May.

"We don’t know that for sure," he said when asked if this would be the family's last child. "We feel like we wouldn’t have this many children if we couldn’t handle it."

"As long as they're all healthy and there’s no red flags, it is what it is."