It’s small and crowded, but Natalie Suleman’s home runs like a well-oiled machine. At least it appears to on a sunny weekday morning in February. Her 16-year-old octuplets—Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jonah, Makai, Josiah and Jeremiah—quickly and quietly move around one another, tidying their Orange County, Calif., townhouse apartment in preparation for People’s cameras. Out of sight are Suleman’s 18-year-old twins Calyssa and Caleb, along with her 19-year-old son Aidan, who has autism and is in school that day. Her three oldest children—Elijah, 23, Amerah, 22, and Joshua, 21—have moved out but live nearby and visit often. One mom, 14 kids and not a hair out of place? “I don’t like anything out of control. I’m a control freak,” says Suleman, 49. “And I’m addicted to productivity.”
In 2009 Suleman…
