03-01-04

SPRINGFIELD - Micah Allen didn't expect to be there when his daughter was born.

A lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Allen has been serving in Iraq and was able to attend the birth only because of bereavement
leave granted to him following the Feb. 19 death of his stepfather, Cliff-Wayne Yetter.

Partner Kathleen Ramsey, who went into labor shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, gave birth in the wee hours Sunday -- 12:32 a.m.,
to be exact -- to an 8-pound, 12-ounce girl. Mom didn't care whether the baby was born Saturday or Sunday, but Dad had an
inkling it was going to be a Leap Day baby.

"Fortunately, she dragged it out past midnight," Allen said. "It's got to come out on the 29th. I made the prediction back in July."

Somebody was listening.

"I felt the urge to push and I heard someone in the room say, `It's 10 minutes until midnight,"' Ramsey said.

While they have yet to decide when to celebrate their daughter's birthday -- Feb. 28 or March 1 -- they have a more immediate
task at hand: what to name their firstborn.

Ramsey likes Serena, while Allen favors Regan. A compromise name of Regina is also under consideration.

Allen enlisted in the Army after graduating from Churchill High School. In 1998, he enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers' Training
Corps program at the University of Oregon, where he received a business degree. After graduation, he was stationed in the Sinai
Peninsula of Egypt as part of a multinational peacekeeping force.

He was deployed to Iraq in mid-January.

Sunday's birth was also plenty special for Allen's mother, Jane Allen of Eugene. "It makes the transition easier after losing a
husband," she said. "Now I have a granddaughter."

Micah Allen still has about a week to share time with his family before flying back to Iraq. It won't be easy having to return, but
he'll do so with a better attitude than before.

"I got to say, having a baby definitely improves my morale," he said.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)