Mom of 2 looks forward to turning 13

"I'm going to be 13," today said Alice Maupin of St. Charles, who has a 19-year-old daughter, Emma, and a 14-year-old son, John.

How can that be?

Maupin is a leap year baby, whose birth date technically rolls around only once every four years.

According to the Gregorian calendar that we use, every year divisible by four is a leap year, except for years divisible by 100. Hence, this year, Maupin gets to enjoy an actual birthday, which she is looking forward to celebrating with her extended family.

Two years ago, in what is traditionally a "big" birthday for the rest of us, Maupin got to wave it aside.

"A lot of people celebrate turning 50 in a big way. I didn't have a birthday that year," she joked, "so I didn't have to deal with that. Turning 40 was cool -- I turned 10. I had yellow pelicans on my front lawn, from my sisters."

When it's not a leap year, "we do celebrate," Maupin said. "I like to celebrate on the 28th (of February) and on March 1st."

For the past four years, Maupin could say that she's been 12 years old that entire time.

"I really get to soak up the age," she said.

As a child, "it really was kind of fun. We celebrated every year. You tell people and they laugh and have a good time with it. I have good memories. The earliest leap year birthday I remember is my 8th or 12th, when I was 2," laughed Maupin. "But I have to say, when there's a (29th) date on the calendar, it is really cool."

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year with one extra day inserted into February. The leap year is 366 days with 29 days in February as opposed to the normal 28 days.

Which years are leap years?

In the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar used by most modern countries, the following rules decide which years are leap years:

1. Every year divisible by four is a leap year.

2. But every year divisible by 100 is NOT a leap year

3. Unless the year is also divisible by 400, then it is still a leap year.

Why are leap years needed?

Leap years are needed so that the calendar is in alignment with the earth's motion around the sun.

Source: timeanddate.com/date/leapyear.html