A stroke of light after a dark year

What a way to start to a new year. Lacey Mandoli and Zackary Morrison welcomed baby Kinzley Susan-Lynn Morrison into the world at 11:58 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, making Kinzley the first baby born in 2021 at Cloquet's Community Memorial Hospital and in Carlton County.

Mandoli is an experienced mother, but going through a pregnancy and having a baby during a pandemic was something new. The health care worker had to take more precautions, and suddenly became a higher-risk pregnancy. On top of it all, Morrison couldn't come to the doctor appointments with her because of all the Covid-19 precautions.

"It was definitely a different pregnancy than my other three," Mandoli said.

But the end result was the same - a beautiful and healthy baby. And Kinzley's prompt arrival - two weeks early - made her the official New Year's Baby here. She's doing great, mom said. They all are.

Morrison did get to go to the hospital for the birth.

"Having been through the rough times of this pandemic, it's a blessing in disguise, definitely," Morrison said of Kinzley, who joins the ranks of "quarantine babies" conceived and born during the worldwide pandemic. "I'd like to thank the Community Memorial Hospital for being all staffed and doing the best they can. It was a great experience. We couldn't have asked for anything better. On top of it all, to have the first baby of the new year ... That was part of my hopes and dreams but I kind of thought it wasn't going to happen, but it sure did," said the excited dad.

No family or friends were allowed to come visit them at the hospital because of the pandemic, so Kinzley's siblings - sisters Alexia, 10, and Ezmay, 2, and brother Carson, 6 - had to wait until their baby sister came home to greet her.

"They just adore her, they love her so much," Mandoli said. "And they're very helpful."

There are even more family members excited to welcome Kinzley, including a whole host of grandparents, dad said.

Her great-grandparents include Elizabeth Mandoli, Marie Bonneville and Susan and Stuart Morrison, paternal grandparents Sheri Lynn and Brent Bonneville and Jeff and Misty Radig, and maternal grandparents Nick Mandoli and Tonya Baker.

Mandoli gave a shout-out to CMH obstetrics nurse Karen Schwinn. "She's helped deliver all my children so I just wanted to give her a big thank-you for being so amazing."

"Throw in a shout-out to Dr. Krier for being so great," she said. "All the staff were amazing, they're very attentive, very caring."