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SALT LAKE CITY — The day a baby is born has great significance for both the child and the family. Wednesday, on the last triple number date in our lifetime — 12-12-12 — a bunch of babies came into the world.
A rare birthday
Among the precious new lives who entered the world on this rare 12-12-12, there are a handful that have a bit of an edge in the luck department. Nate Hale's daughter, for example, was born at Alta View Hospital at 12:12.
"She's 7 pounds 5 ounces, so you put that together, it equals 12," the proud papa added.
Though the pregnancy was a surprise, Hale said his daughter's delivery was a scheduled C-section for medical reasons.
That wasn't the case for this next tiny miracle: Matix Tai Penrod decided 12-12-12 at 12:12 p.m. sounded like the perfect time to make a grand entrance at LDS Hospital.
"My water broke late last night," mom Markee Penrod said. "Everyone kept saying, ‘Did the doctor hold him in?' … No. Right at 12:12, he decided, ‘OK, I'm ready to come now!'"
A nurse pointed out the time just as he was born.
Now meet maybe the luckiest little lady: Natalie Whitney's brand new baby girl, yet to get a first name. Her delivery was a scheduled induction, and when the doctor and dad realized they might make it at 12:12, they timed it one step further.
"They said it was actually 12 seconds after 12," Natalie Whitney said. "She must have really great things in store for her."
Other 12-12-12 celebrations
Of course there were other events taking place this special day — birthday and wedding celebrations on 12-12-12 were taken to another level.
For one Utah girl turning 12 Wednesday, that meant a present at 12 minutes past each hour throughout the day.
She got "some clothing, some boots, some different things, and then finally her gift this evening will be a shotgun," said the birthday girl's mother, Debbie Larsen.
Related:
Americans finding dozens of ways to mark 12-12-12
A Michigan sixth-grader will put aside her nerves and get her ears pierced on her 12th birthday. Two law-enforcement officials will exchange wedding vows at 12:12 p.m. in Pittsburgh's federal courthouse. And gamblers can take advantage of promotions some casinos are using to lure in patrons who want to test their luck.The shotgun, of course, will be a 12-gage.
But birthdays aren't the only way one can celebrate the day. In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts spokeswoman Yvette Monet says most of the six casino wedding chapels the company has along the strip are close to fully booked for Wednesday.
According to Vicki MacKinnon, who practices numerology, the study of the occult significance of numbers, Wednesday's date represents two energies merging, including masculine and feminine energies.
MacKinnon, of Calgary, Alberta, author of "Please Take a Number: Numerology for Real Life and Everyday Success," said Tuesday that those kinds of energy are good news for couples planning to marry on 12-12-12.
Some are even taking on the date as their theme: Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Johnson and Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Allen were married at 12:12 p.m. as they exchanged 12-word vows. 8212;
