New parents welcome leaplings into the world

Just after midnight, Noah Jaes Eason came into the world and immediately joined the ranks of the "leaplings" - people born on Feb. 29.

"We tried not to, so he could have an actual birthday each year," Noah's mother Lacy Eason said Saturday afternoon from Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. Lacy delivered Noah, she and her husband's first child, at 12:48 a.m.

Lacy Eason said Noah's due date was March 4, but Lacy, her husband Lael Eason and their doctors decided it would be best to induce labor on Thursday.

Lael Eason said it has been a struggle for the couple to have a child.

"I was thinking this morning that it's just a blessing for him to have been born and to be born on this day is special in itself," Lael Eason said.

Amber Olivia Hildebrand also was born in the early hours of Saturday at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. Amber's mother Rebecca Zielinski knows something about being a newsworthy tyke. Rebecca was a New Year's baby herself, so a picture of her first hours ran in newspapers as well.

"So she was born on a special day too," Zielinski said. "I think it's cool, something to always share."

Amber was due to be born on March 8 and a C-section was scheduled for March 3, but clearly Amber had different plans.

Amber's father Bryan Hildebrand said initially he wanted "any day but Leap Day," but by Saturday afternoon he saw the humor in having a leapling in the family.

"We can just tell her she's getting a pony every birthday and she'll forget by the time it happens," Bryan Hildenbrand joked.

Lael Eason said his brother had a similar thought.

"He said at least it's not as expensive for us to buy her birthday gifts," Lael Eason said.

But really, most leaplings choose whether to celebrate their off-year birthdays on Feb. 28 or March 1, so its unlikely Noah or Amber will end up with a quarter of the birthday presents of their peers.