Life isn't necessarily always so easy, even when you're lucky enough to be the first baby born in Crow Wing County in 2009.
When Kevin and Ashley Vice of Baxter were at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd with their newborn daughter, Caitlynn, who was born at 12:41 a.m. New Year's Day, the young couple received some bad news.
They had been storing their belongings in Kevin's mom's garage after moving into Kevin's sister's basement. The couple and their 1-year-old son, Caden, had moved from their two-bedroom apartment as a cost-saving measure; Kevin has been searching for a job while Ashley works at Subway Restaurant on Washington Street.
Caitlynn Renee Ann Vice was examined intently by 1-year-old brother Caden the day she was born at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd. The daughter of Kevin and Ashley Vice, Caitlynn was the first baby born in Crow Wing County in 2009. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.
Unfortunately, a pipe burst in an unoccupied townhome at his mother's townhome complex in Brainerd, flooding her garage and destroying most of the Vices' belongings, including baby supplies and equipment and boxes of clothing they and Kevin's mom, Alexi Isle, had bought for Caitlynn before she was born. The couple had been buying baby items and clothing of all sizes for Caitlynn when they found it on sale and had purchased a two- or three-month supply of diapers for Caitlynn that also sustained water damage and are unusable. The only box that was salvaged was clothing for an 18-month-old, which, of course, doesn't fit Caitlynn yet. The water damage also destroyed most of Caden's toys, which were frozen in thick ice to the concrete garage floor. Caden's baby book was ruined but they were able to save some of the photographs.
So little Caitlynn is wearing a few salvaged outfits of Caden's - all of them blue - that hadn't been in that garage. Kevin Vice said everyone keeps stopping his wife and telling her they have a cute little boy because she's dressed in blue all the time.
"Mom definitely wasn't happy about that," Kevin Vice said, of his wife, with a laugh.
The family doesn't have the resources to replace their children's belongings and supplies that they lost to the water damage. If you would like to help the Vices and have new or gently used items you are willing to donate for their family, particularly clothing for Caitlynn, contact Kevin Vice at 251-6505.
In the past, the Brainerd lakes business community provided gift baskets for the county's first baby born in the new year but that hasn't been the case for many years.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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