Awaiting first Mother’s Day after ‘gift from God’

About 12 years ago, Bill and Susan Armbrecht decided to call it quits on trying to have a child.

“We used to avoid going to church on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day because it was too painful,” Bill Armbrecht recalled.

On Sunday, Susan Armbrecht will celebrate her first Mother’s Day. Their daughter, Allie Grace, was born Sept. 28.

“I believe that we wouldn’t have this child if it wasn’t for our faith,” he said. “I truly believe that this baby is a gift from God, the desire of our hearts.”

The Armbrechts had tried for years to conceive. Recalling the fertility treatments, she said, “Bill had to chase me around the house to give me shots.”

They considered adoption, but the cost proved prohibitive.

“The doctors couldn’t tell us why we couldn’t have children, and we couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t have children,” she said.

One day early last year, she felt a little strange and decided that her symptoms must be menopause-related.

Wanting to rule out pregnancy, she used one of the tests sometimes given to female patients at the Alabama Orthopedic Clinic, where she served as a technician in pain management.

Surprised and unsure when she saw the result, she asked a nurse to interpret it. The nurse said that she was pregnant.

On the way home that day she purchased a greeting card, put the test results in it and placed it in the kitchen where her husband could find it.

“Is this for real?” he asked.

As the months advanced, the Armbrechts read everything they could about pregnancy in older women. That information caused some concern, but they decided against medical tests such as amniocentesis — used to identify potential birth defects and other problems.

Instead, the Armbrechts relied on their faith.

Susan Armbrecht said that she experienced a smooth pregnancy, with no morning sickness and little weight gain.

Allie Grace arrived three weeks early, a situation her father jokingly blames on the excitement of the Alabama-Georgia football game played the previous day.

“She heard all the yelling and screaming and said that she wasn’t going to miss the rest of the season,” said Bill Armbrecht, a Crimson Tide fan and owner of The Brick Pit, a local barbecue restaurant.

Sitting in the living room of their west Mobile home recently, they played with Allie Grace and joked about being simultaneously amazed and sleepy.

Bill Armbrecht said he hopes their experience will encourage other couples who still want children, but fear parenthood is beyond their reach.

Allie Grace’s parents now playfully compete about their daughter’s future: Mom wants her to be a ballet dancer and a cheerleader. Dad wants her to become the first female field goal kicker on scholarship at Alabama.

“What fascinates me the most is that every day I’m holding this little girl, it’s like holding an angel,” he said. “Those blue eyes look up at me and I feel like I’m holding an angel.”

“She wakes up at 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and she’s smiling,” Susan Armbrecht said. “You can’t be mad at a baby that’s smiling at you. She’s a good baby. I said if God was going to give me one this late in life, he’s going to give me a good one.”

Read more: Awaiting first Mother’s Day after ‘gift from God’

Couple unaware of pregnancy give birth with help of 911 dispatcher

Make sure you listen to the 911 audio.

For most dispatchers, it is a once-in-a-career experience. For Angie Adams, it came only three days after training ended.

Adams was working the night shift at the Montcalm County Dispatch Center just after 2 a.m. Thursday when she answered a call from a frantic father yelled that his wife was giving birth in the family bathtub — a delivery that apparently came as a surprise to Carri and Ryan Emmons.

 

Ryan’s report that Carri “thinks she’s having a baby” is quickly firmed up, as Carri can be heard yelling in the background “the head is out!”

“Oh my God, I’m looking at a baby,” the 31-year-old father announced as Adams tried to calm him down and get an address to send medical personnel.

“I didn’t know my wife was pregnant,” Ryan said of his 27-year-old wife, already a mother of three.

“You didn’t know she was pregnant?” Adams asked.

“No, no,” Ryan answers. “(I) had no idea my wife was pregnant.”

Later, Carri gets on the telephone and tells Adams the baby is fine and blowing bubbles.

“What a surprise,” Adams said to Carri.

“Yeah, it was,” Carri responded.

But Adams said she was not concerned about whether the baby was a surprise. She wanted to make sure mother and baby boy were OK.

Adams said her six months of training had her ready.

It showed as Adams kept the frantic husband calm and told him to make sure the baby’s air passages were clear. She even talked to Angie’s 10-year-old son, Tyler, who talked matter-of-factly about the event that seemed to have the adults in a tizzy.

“My mom said there’s like baby poop all over his head,” Tyler said.

Carri later tells Adams that she had never seen a baby right after delivery up close.

“Yeah, they’re usually wiped off,” Adams said.

Ryan also got to deal with the less flowery aspects of birth as he helped gathered the placenta from the bathtub so it could be examined by doctors.

“Ugh, … disgusting,” Ryan moans.

But the reward came as the new boy’s cries were heard loud and strong over the phone lines.

“Well, that baby’s got some good lungs,” Adams said.

Read more and hear the audio from the 911 call: Couple unaware of pregnancy gives birth at home with help of rookie 911 dispatcher

Family finds the Easter Bunny’s nephew? [Video]

Doctor Carrie Sutor lives across the street from where the baby bunny debuted.

It was certainly the hours-old bunny’s misfortune to become separated from his mother who must have built her nest in the mulch pile, but the fact that Doctor Sutor is a veterinarian may have proven lucky for the little guy.

“He got into the right mulch delivery,” Dr. Sutor said.

Unfortunately, a second baby rabbit who rolled out of the mulch didn’t make it.

The Sutor children were thrilled with the unexpected arrival and have named the bunny Sweetie Pie, although Floppsie might be more appropriate.

“I thought it was the Easter Bunny’s nephew because it’s little,” Olivia Sutor said.

In 11 years of practice Dr. Sutor has never had a patient or pet this tiny. Giving Sweetie Pie some oxygen was a challenge. Instead of wearing a mask, the bunny sat inside the mask. He also got some fluids.

“He’s looking better than he did yesterday afternoon, so I think he’s going to do okay,” Dr. Sutor said.

In a couple of weeks, the Sutors will know if the bunny can be domesticated or must be set free. Of course, the children are hoping they can keep him.

Dr. Sutor will take Sweetie Pie home over the weekend so she can keep an eye on him, so the lucky bunny will spend Easter with his new, if not accidental, family.

Watch this story: Baby bunny surprise for doctor’s family

Girl makes special greeting cards for sick Dad

This is a remarkable young girl who is shining in the face of a major tragedy. This story is heart-wrenching, but there is something strangely inspirational about it.

If you can… please take the time to buy a stack of cards or donate to the family. I know that I will!

Watch this story with some tissue near by.

It would be hard to say no to Reese Schroeder, a beautiful 5-year-old girl with a big smile and her father’s green eyes. But it would be impossible to turn her away from your doorstep once you hear why she wants to sell her cards.

“Because I wanted to raise money for my dad because he’s in the hospital. But now, he’s not in the hospital anymore because he died,” she said. 

Jon Schroeder died early Tuesday morning months after he’d been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. He was 29 years old.

While at the hospital, he suffered a collapsed lung and was diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a rare and almost fatal disease.

During her father’s long stay at the hospital, Reese’s kindergarten art teacher decided an art project might help. She kept Reese after kindergarten for two weeks and helped her draw pictures of animals that would be printed on cards.

Julie Bauman didn’t even know the Schroeders but knew she wanted to do something to help.

“Stacie (Reese’s mom) is now a single mom with little three kids and I just knew there would be a lot of possible expenses to keep the house going, I just figured anything we could do to help,” Bauman said.

Bauman got a local printer to donate the card printing and then recruited volunteers to put the packets of cards together. She also brought Reese to her Monticello neighborhood to sell the cards to her neighbors.

“I think it’s really sweet, really sweet of her teacher and it’s really sweet that she’s able to go out and do that for her dad,” said Stacie Schroeder. “He would have been so proud of her.”

Jon never saw all of the cards while he was in the hospital because he was too sick. But he’ll be buried with them with a special note from Reese.

“I feel kind of happy that he chose to go with Jesus, but I do feel kind of sad that he’s not with us,” she said.

You can make a donation to the Jon Schroeder Benefit Account at:

 Wells Fargo Bank
12916 Main St
Rogers, MN 55374

You can also buy Reese’s card from the Albertville Primary School, 763-497-2688. They are $10 for a pack of 6. The money will go to help Stacie Schroeder raise her three kids.

Watch this story: Girl Makes Special Greeting Cards For Sick Dad

Heroic PE teacher pushes mother and children from path of car

A physical-education teacher at A.K. Suter Elementary School in Pensacola is being called a hero after he was struck by a car this morning near the school while he protected children.

Patrick Judd was transported to Baptist Hospital. Colleen Kirsch, spokeswoman for the hospital, said Judd was in good condition this morning.

Deputy Superintendent Norm Ross said witnesses saw Judd push a mother and her two children out of the path of an oncoming car.

By doing so, Judd took the brunt of the hit and suffered a leg injury.

District officials applauded Judd’s selfless actions Friday.

Laura Richards, 37, dropped off 6-year-old Abigail for school this morning and was crossing the street while talking with Judd.

She had 2-year old Laura Sophia sitting on her hip and 4-year-old Isabella holding her hand as she walked.

“He jumped back to take the full impact,” Richards said of Judd. “I don’t really know what happened. It happened so quickly but when it was all said and done we were safe on the side of the road and my daughters’ flip flops were still on the pavement.”

Richards said she know Judd because she sees him every morning and afternoon doing crossing guard duty. The last day of school before Christmas break, Richards said, Judd wears a Santa Claus costume while guiding traffic.

“We’re so grateful,” she said. “We pray for him and that he’ll be alright. If if he hadn’t been there it would have been us. My two little girls are so tiny.”

“The incident this morning was certainly an act of heroism,” Ross said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. He’s been a longtime employee and has demonstrated throughout his career his dedication to students and the school.”

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said he was proud of Judd’s service to the schools.

“This is just another example of the dedication of our employees in this district,” Thomas said.

In 1999 Judd won the Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award from the county.

Read more and see the family he saved: ‘An act of heroism’

Students help injured classmate complete project and graduate [Video]

This is a a great one! If you are soft-hearted, get the tissues ready.

Last January, a Seneca Valley High School student was killed in a tragic accident on I-79 while driving to a sporting event.

But her best friend, a passenger in the vehicle, survived serious injuries and is now looking forward to a bright future.

Family, friends and teachers say it’s nothing short of a miracle to see Dana Hughes, a Seneca Valley High School senior, up and walking again. Two months ago, the teen was critically injured in an auto accident while heading to a lacrosse match.

As a senior, in order to graduate, Hughes had to complete her senior project of training and competing in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s ”Just A Short Run” marathon at North Park.

However, the accident left her not well enough to run so about 90 of her classmates got permission to complete the project for her.

“She’s like a big sister to me. All my life, she’s always been my role model, so I wanted to do something for her,” said one of Hughes’ classmates, Megan Condit.

Hughes, just out of rehab, was able to walk five miles of the marathon, and dedicated the effort to in the memory of Quail. And today she had a chance to thank all of her classmates and friends who supported her.

“Everything that I got when I was in Pittsburgh Institute, in the hospital, the prayers especially helped,” she said. “I think, God was shining over me. I know he was.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I never thought I’d be so excited to go back to school,” added Hughes.

Read more and watch this heart-warming story:  Students Help Injured Classmate Complete Project

Hockey team for women over 30-years-old [Video]

This is a great story!

Step aside, guys. It’s the ladies’ turn to hit the ice.

The Triangle-based Carolina Black Widows is the only USA Hockey-affiliated team in North Carolina for women more than 30 years old.

“I started at (age) 44,” said hockey player Nancy Difede.

“We’re the old nags,” her teammate Sue Mitran chimed in.

The hockey players come from a variety of backgrounds: Mitran is a bookkeeper, Gloria Cabada-Leman is a lawyer, and Jaden Taylor is a research scientist with Wyeth Vaccines.

That diverse experience comes in handy for the team, hockey player Wendy Bard joked.

“When somebody’s injured on the ice, you make sure you put your doctor on the ice. You take your lawyer with you if you have a physiotherapist,” Bard said. “You’ve got to have somebody from every walk of life.”

The hockey moms and career-driven women said playing on the side is great fun.

“It’s a wonderful escape from reality. We have a lot of fun and get along really well,” Cabada-Leman said.

Some of the players are Canadians who relocated to the Triangle. Others are women who had never before touched a hockey stick in their lives.

“More women play because they see us out here,” Mitran said.

But for amateurs, the Black Widows have their fair share of talent: They went 13-2 in the 2009-2009 season. This weekend, they’re competing in a USA Hockey national tournament. On Friday, they won one game and lost one.

Team members, though, said that winning’s not their goal.

“We get out there and skate hard and have fun. That’s basically what it’s all about,” Mitran said.

Watch this story: Women’s ice hockey team hits the rink

Young at heart: Elderly librarian says kids keep her alive [Video]

Here is a library worker who is older than many of the books on the shelves but she says her elementary students keep her young at heart.

Arlene Greene turns 82 this summer and she credits the kids at Wengert Elementary for her new lease on life. “When I first came here to Nevada I was sitting around, doing reading, watching T.V. and I was slowly dying and my daughter said, mom, ‘you are going to die like this. You’ve got to volunteer.’”

Greene now volunteers five days a week. Wengert’s principal, Suhaila Mustafa, says, ”She is very sweet, very kind to them.’ Mustafa says Greene resembles grandma and provides a family atmosphere.   

Greene is no push over, though, and the kids know it. A book overdue is a book overdue. And she is a stickler when it comes to saying “please and thank you.”

Greene says, “I would encourage everybody who doesn’t know what to do with themselves, who have nothing, their children have married or gone away, jump into a school. Volunteer and work with the kids. It’s like living all over again.”

Read more and watch this story: Cool at School: Young at Heart

Photo: Flickr user apdk

10-year-old crossing guard pulls child away from path of truck [Video]

For 10-year-old Matt Krause, it was all in a day’s work.

A member of the safety patrol at Waterville Primary School, Matt couldn’t help but notice a tearful kindergartner emerge from his mom’s car. The little boy, Cole Dorner, didn’t walk into the school as he should have, but ran down the sidewalk as his mother pulled into a parking spot.

One safety patroller called out to Cole to stop, but when he didn’t, Matt stopped him before he stepped into the path of an oncoming pickup.

“I just ran over and grabbed him by the shoulder with one hand,” Matt said, recalling that the driver of the pickup was talking on a cell phone and drove on by, apparently unaware of what had nearly happened.

 

“I told him, ‘It’s OK. Your mom’s coming,’ and then his mother came over and said, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’” Matt said. 

Five-year-old Cole, for his part, was more interested in reuniting with his Mom than noticing that Matt had just saved his life.

 

Read more about this young hero: Waterville boy pulled child away from path of pickup

(Caught On Tape) Hero police officer saves little boy [Video]

Talk about being at the right place at the right time. You’ve got to watch the video!

A Grosse Pointe Park police officer is being called a hero for pulling a toddler out of the street.

The rescue was captured on the officer’s patrol car Dash Cam video.

Officer Ryan Willmer was talking with a driver he had just pulled over for speeding on Altar road when he heard a woman yelling for her son.

The woman and her 3-year-old son had just come out of a grocery store when the toddler darted out into the busy street.

When the officer saw the child in the street he quickly ran out, scooped the boy up and handed him back to his mother.

The toddler was not hurt.

Officer Willmer said he was just doing his job and that many of his colleagues would have done the same.

Read more and watch this story: Hero Cop Saves Little Boy