By Melissa Dunson

mdunson@joplinglobe.com

Leap-day babies have to stick together.

At least, that’s what Randy Ewen thinks.

Ewen, a security guard at Freeman Hospital West, was born on Feb. 29, 1960, and jokes that depending on how you count it, he is either 12 or 48 years old. To celebrate his unusual birthday this year, he decided to give someone else a present. Ewen presented a $100 savings bond to Keigan Isaiah Meek, the first leap-day baby born at Freeman on Friday.

“Every birth is special, but leap years only come around every four years, so it’s four times as special,” Ewen said.

Keigan was born at 10:56 a.m. Friday, and weighed 7 pounds and 12 ounces, and was 20 1/2 inches long. Stefanie Meek, 26, of Pineville, is Keigan’s mother. She said from the very beginning, her son’s due date was leap day, but she never thought he would actually be born on it.

She was scheduled to be induced today, but went into labor Friday morning. It only lasted an hour before Keigan arrived.

“I thought it was kind of weird, but it just makes him more interesting,” Stefanie said, looking exhausted but pleased Friday afternoon. “I’m just glad he’s here.”

Stefanie also has a 6-year-old daughter.

Ewen worked the night shift Thursday into Friday at the hospital, and said the hours began to drag on as he waited to meet the first baby to share his birthday in 2008.

It’s hard to put a finger on the significance of a leap-day birthday, Ewen said. It’s more than just a birthday to him. He said he has never knowingly met another person born on leap day, that is until walking into the Freeman nursery for his first look at Keigan. It was, he said, a little bit special.

“I told (Stefanie) I want an invitation to his first birthday,” Ewen said laughing. “I’ll be there.”

Ewen was also scheduled to be born on leap day, 48 years ago, in Joplin, but a severe storm meant he was born in the Baxter Springs, Kan., teaching hospital.

“The only leaping I did that first day was leaping from changing table to changing table for the students to practice on because I was the only baby born at that hospital that day,” he said.