Valley welcomes six Leap Day babies

Leap Day 2012 marked the arrival of five boys and one girl in the Flathead Valley to begin their lives as leaplings who never grow older than their 20s but face the frustrations of computers refusing their birth dates and official birthdays only in years divisible by four.

At North Valley Hospital in Whitefish, Kacey Rickel gave birth to Hudson Charles, weighing in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 21 inches.

He joins sister Ellie, 16 months, and his father, Jay, at their home in Columbia Falls.

The other leapling arriving at North Valley Hospital was Alden Remington Linnell, born to Lonney O’Hara and Dallas Linnell of Fortine.

He entered the world weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring more than 19 inches.

Alden joins a brother, William Glen Ophus, 2, who had the honor of naming his brother. His parents wrote on Alden’s birth announcement that William came in the room, looked at his brother and said, “Baby all done,” so they decided to call him Alden.

Kelli McMahon-Staats, manager of Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s birthing center, reported that three boys and one girl were born there on Feb. 29.

Two couples were available to approve release of their names.

Byron Mandela Lloyd said his son Byron Mandela Lloyd Jr. was born at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday to mother Ciara Olson.  

Lloyd said the new baby joins a sister and brother at home. Byron Jr. weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 20 inches.

Benjamin Nicolas Goulding arrived at the Kalispell birthing center at 1:27 a.m.

He was born to Amber and Peter Goulding of Lakeside.

Peter Goulding said his son weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 inches long at birth.

Goulding said he and his wife were not hoping to have their baby born on Wednesday.

“She went into labor on Sunday, so it was quite long,” he said. “We were just glad he wasn’t born on March 1.”