This is a very big week for a Calgary woman and her family.
They’re marking a day that only comes once every four years, this time celebrating with a special new arrival.
Nicole Plesa was born on Feb. 29, 1992, so, technically, she’s turning eight this week.
It’s the first birthday Plesa gets to celebrate as a mom, with her five-month-old daughter, Hayden, now marking it with her.
“Yeah, that’s exciting. The best birthday present I could’ve ever asked for – my first birthday as a mom,” Plesa said. “It’s a joy!”
Although Plesa’s now on maternity leave, she stopped in with her daughter at her workplace for a birthday visit.
It’s a real family business, including Plesa’s mom and dad, along with her three brothers and a sister-in-law.
They’re carrying on a family tradition that originated because Plesa’s birthdate is Feb. 29.
“Because I was born on a leap year, technically I don’t get a birthday every year, so we get ‘birth week,'” Plesa said. “I’ve set a trend for the whole family and now everybody gets to have a ‘birth week,’ so it’s not a bad deal – we celebrate the whole week.”
The tradition brings extended fun for all members of Plesa’s family, with more days to celebrate together with dinners and cake and all the other things that come with birthdays.
This week also has family members thinking about the peculiarities of a having a birthday on Feb. 29.
“When Hayden turns 10, I’ll be 10 in leap years,” Plesa said. “So, pretty cool.”