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The New Year’s baby at Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center, in Wyoming, was born exactly 15 minutes past midnight Jan. 1, 2004. Makenna Faith Runk was apparently in a hurry to get here, making her appearance a full month ahead of schedule.

The daughter of Sheryl and Jim Runk, of Forest Lake, Makenna weighed in at 6 pounds, 1 ounce. She had some fluid in her lungs, Makenna was transported to the neonatal intensive care unit at Fairview-University Medical Center at Riverside, Minneapolis, where she was doing well, and eating and breathing on her own late last week.

Sheryl and Jim have been married for one year, and Makenna is their first child; however, the Runks have five children from previous marriages. Makenna’s brothers and sisters range in age from 23 to seven, and, with a little extraordinary help from Fairview Lakes‚ obstetrician Mary Kay Durfee, M.D., two of those siblings were present when Makenna was born. When Sheryl told Dr. Durfee that her nine-year-old son, Jon, would be disappointed because he had wanted to be there to cut the baby’s cord, Durfee offered to drive to the Runk’s home and pick up the two youngest children, Jon, and his sister Megan, 7. Doctor and children arrived in plenty of time to be there when Makenna was born.

Thanks to the Fairview Lakes Regional Auxiliary and the generosity of local merchants, New Year’s baby girl Makenna received a basket of gifts, including a U.S. Savings Bond from the Auxiliary.

The Fairview Lakes Auxiliary this year decided to present gifts to both the first boy and the first girl of 2004.

The first boy, James Bradley Dutcher, was born at Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center at 8:18 a.m. Jan. 1, to Ashley Moen and Nate Dutcher of Cambridge. James weighed 8 lb. 5 ounces and was 21 inches long. He, too, received a basket of gifts from the Auxiliary and local merchants.

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