Carl was born two months prematurely in November 2004. His mother had tried for 10 years to have another baby after Carl's sister. Carl's twin sister Danielle was stillborn after only five days. Carl considers himself a triplet even though his younger brother also died while still in the womb at four months. Carl's family still grieves for Danielle but each deals with it differently. His father is excited by everything Carl does and his mother won't cut Carl's long hair because it reminds her of Danielle.