Leap year baby celebrating first official birthday
Feb. 29—Walker Benson is celebrating his first official birthday this year. Born Feb. 29, 2020, the Pecan Plantation boy is turning 4 — or 1 if you're going by his official birthdate.
He is also celebrating his birthday with his youngest sibling, Rhett, who will turn 1 on Saturday.
"This year is extra special to us because two of our boys will be turning one," the boys' mother, Kaleigh Benson said. "We are celebrating them both with an 'oFISHally' 1 fishing birthday theme. We are planning to have our party with family and friends to celebrate."
For the past three years, the family has celebrated his birthday on Feb. 28, but they are excited to celebrate his first "real" birthday this year.
"We love that Walker was born on such a magical day that only occurs once every four years," Benson said. "We should have gone to Vegas with those odds!"
The thought that they might have a son on Leap Day never occurred to Benson and her husband, Phillip. His due date was set as March 1.
"Walker's potential birthdate was a bit of a surprise because my husband and I hadn't even realized it was a Leap Year," Benson said. "We were so laser-focused on that date of March 1. When my doctor brought it up, the realization it was a Leap Year hit us."
Their doctor suggested Benson be induced before the due date.
"She had mentioned us coming in that upcoming Saturday since that would be the start of her rotation and she would be 'fresh,'" she said. "As we were looking at the calendar to get it on the schedule, we realized that it was going to be Leap Day. That made it extra exciting for us!"
Walker, however, had other plans. Benson was scheduled for induction that morning but labor started the night before.
"My husband, Phillip, and I were having a special date at Japanese Palace in preparation for our lives changing," she said. "Phillip asked if we needed to hurry up and leave. I told him 'not a chance!' I wasn't going to miss out on my Emperor's Dinner."
They made it through their dinner date, but contractions progressed when they arrived home.
"We tried to wait it out," she said. "This was my first baby and being so inexperienced, I was worried they would turn me away or send us back home if my labor hadn't progressed enough. I wasn't even supposed to be there until 7 a.m. How silly, right? We waited as long as I could take it and ended up heading to the hospital around midnight of the 28th."
Walker was born at 1:57 p.m. that day, and it was a special delivery as the doctor allowed Benson's mother to deliver her first grandchild.
She was also able to deliver Rhett, just one minute later at 1:58 p.m. March 2, 2023, on Texas Independence Day.
"Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, she wasn't able to be present at [our second son] Callen's birth," Benson said. "They only let my husband and I in the room for his delivery."
Since this is his first official birthday, Benson said Walker hasn't really grasped the concept in previous years.
"This is the first birthday that he is really starting to comprehend it all," she said. "We've looked over some Leap Year reading passages, discussed the significance of the Leap Year and why it was created, as well as introduced some math concepts focusing on the numbers 29 and 4. He hasn't fully absorbed everything it means, however, he does know that this year is extra special for him. He's very excited to celebrate!"
Benson said Walker thinks it's wonderful that he gets to celebrate with his brother each year.
"I believe if he could have all of their birthdays on the same day he would love it even more," she said. "He knows that he and Rhett's birthdays are only 'two sleeps' apart. He has been anticipating their birthday party since before Christmas."
A quality the family admires in Walker is that he loves to share all the good things in his life with his brother.
"We are very blessed to have such a caring, thoughtful boy," she said. "He's a lot like his father. I'm sure as the years go on, he will want to celebrate in his own personal way. We will strive to give each of them their own special day and special moment. Birthdays are a time to celebrate the blessing of your life here on earth and we believe each one is important. Birthdays are a time to show others that they are thought-of, loved, cherished and treasured. We hope all of our children feel that way all year-round, and especially on their birthdays."
Benson said she never in her wildest dreams thought that she'd have a Leap Day baby. She's not wrong in thinking that, as the odds of having a Leap Day baby is 1 in 1,461. But Walker is just that special.
"Walker is such a blessing to us," she said. "He is the best big brother to Callen "Calboy" and Phillip "Rhett." He steps in to help without being asked, and he anticipates the needs of others. He is loving, kind, joyful, inclusive, clever, strong and protective.
"We feel very privileged to be raising these three incredible young men. With all of them being so close together in age, there will not be a shortage of love, laughter and celebrations in our family. We pray that they always support one another, build each other up and lead by example.
"We are wishing our 'Little Leapster' a very merry first official birthday, our Texas Forever Boy a very merry first birthday and everyone else celebrating a Leap Day birthday a very merry birthday, too! May your day be filled with love and joy."
