Lake Oswego infant shatters the odds with timing of birth

Matthew Alexander Lee Duhl did something remarkable the moment he entered the world.

The timing of his birth shattered the odds.

Little Matthew was born Dec. 12, 2012, at 12:12 p.m. in room 12 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.

His mother, Jennifer Miller-Duhl, Lake Oswego, did not exactly have her eye on the clock or calendar in helping her new son accomplish this wondrous feat.

“I just wanted him to be born,” Miller-Duhl said.

But once she had a chance to rest up a bit, Miller-Duhl was ready to celebrate as relatives, friends, doctors, nurses and loved ones rushed to congratulate the happy mother.

“I didn’t expect it,” Miller-Duhl said. “It’s pretty surprising. I think it’s fun. Once we figured out what had happened we thought it was really special. If I was going to gamble I would bet on 12. But as a banker, I should know better.”

Since the big event there has been lots of chatter on Facebook about Matthew, who weighed 8.6 pounds and measured 19 inches at birth. He has already been visited by two Portland television stations, and gifts with the numeral 12 on them are flowing in, especially since Christmas will soon be here.

“We got a bottle of wine called 12,” Miller-Duhl said.

However, 12-type clothing has been hard to come by for people of Matthew’s size. Miller-Duhl’s only choice was unacceptable.

“It was a Beaver jersey,” said Miller-Duhl, a University of Oregon graduate. “That won’t do in my house.”

Still, a special Christmas is shaping up for Miller-Duhl and her husband, Jay, and sons, Adam, 11, and Nathan, 8.

“Matthew’s big brothers are so excited,” she said. “They’re showing his pictures at school. They think that the 12-12 thing is the greatest thing ever.”