The newest member of the Brown Family is here!

We are so excited to announce the healthy arrival of our little GIRL (the polls were overwhelmingly in favor of a boy, but I got my way, I needed a little girl again to play dress-up with)! She has yet to be named - we have deliberated on girl names for months now. We had a boy name picked out, which or course according to Murphy's law (and our past experience with the other 2 kids) meant it would NOT be a boy. We will let you know when she has a name, but for now she is just too cute and such a sweet little thing. The rest of this you can skip, this is just for my recording (you know how quickly you forget these things), but if you care, this is how it all went: Her original due date was to be Feb. 28th, but she was measuring big, and Mason was not a little baby, so I was induced a few days early. The hospital called at 5:30 am to let us know that we could come in at 6:15 to start the induction (thanks a MILLION to my good friend Jami who was willing to take my kids that early in the morning!!!). We dropped the kids off, then headed to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. We checked in, then waited while they checked baby's heartbeat and prepped for the induction. The baby's heartrate dropped every time they increased the pitocin, so the dose was kept low and it was a LONG wait with not much happening. Dr. Holmes (who we LOVE) came in to break my water at about 1 pm. I let the nurses know that with my other 2 I was ready to push within about an hour of my water being broken, so they got everything ready, and we waited. And waited. I got my epidural because I was sure I would go fast and wouldn't have time for it to kick in if I waited. The nurse checked me at about 3 o'clock and I was only at a 4. So much for going fast. When she checked me, my water broke again. Apparently that is possible. I had 2 bags of water. She checked me again about an hour later and I was at an 8 and starting to really feel the contractions. They called my doctor and within about 20 minutes I was ready to push. Dr. Holmes came in, we got everything ready, pushed through two contractions (about 5 minutes), and baby was here! They didn't tell me what the gender was, they just held her up for me to see, we were so excited to have another girl! She was born at 4:59 pm on Wednesday February 24, 2010, weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. And, the best part was that she was perfectly healthy, even a little chunky :), no trips to the NICU, and for the first time in 3 deliveries we were able to hold her and enjoy those first few minutes with her without worrying about what was wrong. Matt's parents were down in the cafateria, so we called them up to come see her. Matt and his parents went to watch her get her first bath while they moved me down to recovery. It was so fun to have them be a part of all of the excitement! We are so glad that she is here, happy and healthy, and we can't WAIT for her to meet her brother and sister! We called my friend Janette (thanks a MILLION to her as well, she took the kids for the second half of the day) to talk to the kids. McKinley was THRILLED (jumping up and down screaming) that it was a girl, but Mason was not so happy. He kept asking me why it wasn't a boy. I tried to explain to him that Heavenly Father wanted us to have another girl, but he wasn't buying it. I think he will get over it in time :). Enjoy the newborn baby photos! Mom & Baby bondingDaddy and his new little girlProud Grandma BrownGrandpa Brown with his newest GrandchildSOOO exhausted after yelling at the nurses all through her bath :)We already love this baby so much! Now for a name.... :)