Welcome Baby Audrey!!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Audrey Day Nielson, who was born at 0759 on April 1 2010, three weeks before her due date (following in Andrew's footsteps) (and no, this is not an April Fool's joke).

Audrey weighed in at a bruising 5 pounds 4 ounces and 19 inches in length. She also measured 100% in cuteness, as determined by the most stringent peer-reviewed scientific methods known to man. She is the spitting image of her older brothers and future tormentors Clark and Andrew, but we are confident she is a girl because the nurses plunked a pink beanie on her minuscule head. And don't be deceived by her small size. She suffered pricks and shots and all manner of abuse at the nurses' hands with more grit and discipline than her male counterparts in the nursery.

Audrey has blond hair (yeah, what a surprise), an eye color of some sort that is not yet ascertainable (no doubt they will lighten in the coming days) and she is right-handed, her favorite color is blue, and her favorite hobby is watching movies with her daddy (okay, I admit it, those last couple of items were complete fabrications).

Cherylyn suffered ... err ... experienced contractions throughout the night, and at the glorious hour of 4am, we (and when I say we, I mean Cherylyn, since Tanner had just been woken up and was still in a "what! what is it! what time is it!" kind of mode) decided it was probably time to head to the hospital.

Upon arriving, Cherylyn got all souped up on her bed, epidural put firmly in place, and sweet sweet medication coursing through her lower half. After about an hour and a half, Cherylyn complained of pressure. A nurse came in, checked her, and quickened her pace around the room and went to page the doctor. Cherylyn, concerned with the level of sensation still present in her legs, asked if the dosage could be upped a smidgen, to which the nurse responded, "honey, one push and this baby is coming out."

At this announcement Tanner dashed gallantly to Cherylyn's side and promptly removed his wristwatch (even now it is not fully known why Tanner felt his wristwatch needed to be removed, but there was no time for contemplation and he acted on pure primal instinct). After everyone took their positions, Cherylyn pushed ferociously, and was then asked to rein in her ferocity a tad, as the doctor appeared slightly disquieted at the rate Audrey approached. After retooling the pace, Audrey gracefully entered the world.

Cherylyn is recovering nicely, and as these things go, this was one of the easier labors she has undergone. So easy in fact, that she is chomping at the bit to get pregnant with baby number four (okay, another fabrication). The boys came to visit Audrey this afternoon and Andrew couldn't refrain from showering her with slobbery kisses and Clark couldn't refrain from asking Cherylyn if he could have some of her food.

Needless to say, we are incredibly happy to have Audrey as the newest addition to our towheaded clan. She is a beautiful little girl and we are excited about the opportunity we will have to share our lives together.

A natural sun-bather

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A happy mother with her new baby girl

Another Seahawk fan in the making

Our baby burrito

Kisses from Clark

Slobbers from Andrew

A typically docile interaction between the boys. And yet, look at Audrey's sheer stoicism and impressive ability to concentrate