Kennedy Grace Trcka

Babies are blessings and sent from God, but little Kennedy Grace Trcka, Montgomery’s First Baby of 2017, had a special angel help her get to earth on her birthday, February 9, 2017. She had her sister, Brielle Marie, who passed away almost one year before, help her on her journey.

Kennedy Grace was born to Matthew and Rae (Stangler) Trcka of Montgomery on February 9, 2017, at Methodist Hospital in Rochester. Because doctors considered it a high-risk pregnancy, Rae delivered Kennedy in Rochester, quite a distance from Montgomery. However, her job as a nurse manager at Mayo Clinic Health System had her in Owatonna the day of the delivery. Matthew’s job at Crystal Valley Cooperative in Janesville also kept him close. Rae recalled, “I went to work, actually. Then I called him and said, ‘I think we gotta go.’ He picked me up in Owatonna. It was still a decent drive.”

Kennedy came into the world with a full head of dark hair, which she still has today. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21.25 inches long. Grandparents are Dave and Amy Peterson of Montgomery, Dennis and Karen Trcka of Montgomery, and Rodney Stangler of Veseli. Great-grandparents are Shirley Trcka of Lonsdale, Ruth Gaul of Montgomery, and Phillip and Linda Rueger of Prior Lake.

Kennedy’s parents said she is doing great, but she’s still not sleeping through the night. “It’s getting a little bit better. She’s starting to stretch out her sleeping habits a little bit. We can get by on three to four hours at night instead of one to two,” said Matthew.