The Adorable Story Of How Eric And Courtney Waldrop Really Met

TLC's hit show Sweet Home Sextuplets introduced the world to Courtney and Eric Waldrop and their brood of adorable children. Watching them juggle nine kids as well as jobs and everything else life throws at them has compelled audiences for years, not least because of just how cute the little tykes are. The other major pull for fans of Sweet Home Sextuplets is the relationship between Courtney and Eric itself.

They're just regular folks who got very lucky after struggling to conceive for a while, with Courtney getting pregnant with sextuplets, instantly changing their family forever. Even through their toughest moments, however, their love for each other shines through. There's nothing extraordinary about the Waldrops, but it's their ordinary love that continues to endear them to audiences nationwide. With a house this full, it's no surprise to learn this particular couple has been a team since day one.

As In Touch magazine notes, it was revealed on an episode of the show that they've been going out since all the way back in middle school. "Courtney and I, we've been together since eighth grade and never been with anybody else," Eric explained. The proud father continued, "It's kind of like one of those, I guess you could say, not high-school sweethearts, junior-high sweethearts." Courtney added about their first meeting, "I really would call it love at first sight."

Even though they apparently knew it was for keeps back then, nobody believed they were truly in love. But the Waldrops were undeterred. Eric proposed while they were both students at Auburn University in Alabama. The couple graduated in 2004 and got married just a month later. "We don't even remember life before, because it was like we were babies when we started dating," Courtney acknowledged of their lengthy courtship.

Having a baby can put a strain on a relationship, never mind having to deal with nine kids all at once, but as Courtney told Today, the children have actually made their relationship better. "Our relationship is stronger now than ever. We have nine kids together, and he's my rock and he gets me through. We have to be there for one another," she argued simply.