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A mother who gave birth in Berkeley to special fraternal twin boys said today that the family is already planning for the unusual circumstances that will come since one was born minutes into Leap Day and will have his first birthday years after his brother. 

Miles and Walter Erickson, born to Oakland residents Summer and Ryan, came 11 minutes apart at Sutter Health's Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Miles was born at 11:58 p.m. Sunday and Walter was born at 12:09 a.m. Monday, meaning his Feb. 29 birthday will come only once every four years. 

"We would be lying if we didn't already anticipate a lot of teasing of each other about it," Summer Erickson said by phone from the hospital today. 

She said her husband "is already party planning in his mind about how we're going to manage the birthdays," with a tentative plan to celebrate them both on Feb. 28 during non-leap years and have "a multi-day blowout bash" every four years. 

The twins were born premature at 26 weeks, with Miles weighing 2 pounds, 2.6 ounces and Walter weighing 2 pounds, 4.7 ounces, and will likely stay at the hospital for the next few months, hospital spokeswoman Carolyn Kemp said. 

"Obviously we just want them to grow big and strong, and healthy enough that we can take them home," Summer said. 

She said the couple's 4-year-old son Bruce met his new little brothers for the first time on Monday and then went back to school the next day and "instantly started telling everyone he's a big brother ... he's very proud." 

Summer, who expects to get discharged from the hospital Thursday, thanked the staff at Alta Bates for their care. 

Because of the higher risks involving twin pregnancies, she said the family was "very deliberate" in choosing a hospital and picked the Alta Bates campus in Berkeley for what she called its "top-level" newborn intensive care unit. 

"As scary and overwhelming as the whole experience has been, we've had a lot of calming moments because we know Walter and Miles are in the best of hands," she said.