Leap Babies

Do you or any of your children have a birthday on leap day? If you do, then you know as well as I that this year there was no leap year – we went straight from February 28th right into March. I was born on February 29th. I was due on March 2nd, which was my grandfather’s birthday. He “yelled” at my mother when she had me early “You couldn’t hold out TWO MORE DAYS? You had to go and have her on leap day of all days!” As if she had any say in the matter…

As a child, this was a very difficult birthday to grow up with. The other kids would tease me “You’re only 4 years old!” and the things that you take for granted, didn’t always happen for me.

For instance, I have a vivid memory of being in Kindergarten. We had a large calendar at the front of the room and each month everyone who had a birthday would get a BIG birthday cake sticker with their name on it on the calendar. Well, when February came, I was turning 6, so there wasn’t a leap year that year – and when the February calendar went up, there was no February 29th on it and no birthday cake with my name. I must have gone home crying because the next day when I came in to school, there was a 29 added to the calendar and I had a birthday cake sticker with my name on it. I kept that sticker until I was in college!

Then I remember in the 4th grade, my teacher told me that I should invite all of my friends over on February 28th at midnight for five minutes! That didn’t sound like a very fun party to me! I know she was just joking, but to me it was a stab in the heart. I would get teased so often about my birthday, that I started to lie about it. I told everyone that I was born on February 28th. It got to the point where I actually had to stop and think about it to determine what day my birthday really was because I was so used to telling this fib.

Birthdays were extra special when they did come. I ALWAYS had a party in a leap year. Some of my friends wouldn’t understand why my parties might be mid-week – but I always had them on February 29th. I remember in graduate school, I had a party for all of my friends for my birthday. I invited everyone over. Leap day was a Tuesday that year and so many of them asked me “Can’t you celebrate your birthday on the weekend?” But they didn’t understand – their birthday came every year – so the actual day wasn’t that big of a deal. But my birthday – it only comes once every FOUR years. So when it happens, I can’t “postpone” my celebration until the weekend – I have to celebrate on MY DAY.

My last birthday (2008) came in the middle of a blizzard. My husband had planned an extra special party for me – invited all of my friends and hired people to come in and pamper us. It was the storm of the century and SO MANY people canceled – including all of the hired help (all but 1). Those who knew me well, trudged through the snow to spend my special day with me – even though it took them hours to get here. And it was a wonderful party – despite the smaller than planned crowd. We had LOTS of food and one masseuse who took care of all of us!

On years without a leap year, I celebrate my birthday on February 28th. I figure I was born on the last day of February – whatever that happens to be. All my life, I have been asked when I celebrate. And I never understood the question. I wasn’t born in March, so why would I celebrate on March 1st? For me it was a no-brainer. But I hear that there are other leap year babies who do choose to celebrate in March – so to each his own, I suppose!

Did you know that every 100 years, they skip leap day? I found this out as the millennium was approaching. Luckily for me, this rule is suspended for the millennium. But seriously, if you need to skip a day every 100 years to set the calendar straight – can’t we skip someone else’s day?? Why should us leap year babies have to go EIGHT years without a real birthday? Seriously….

Were you born on leap day? What do you do to celebrate your birthday? Please leave a comment and let us know.

By the way – I had this post ready to go on February 28th, but post-poned it until March 1st, because I wanted to see what Facebook did with my birthday. You know how on facebook, you get those little reminders so that you don’t forget the birthday’s of any of your friends? Well – no one got one for my day – facebook just pretended it didn’t exist. No reminder February 28th and no reminder March 1st. As far as facebook is concerned – us leap babies just don’t get a celebration this year.