First of 2021
Butler County's first new resident of 2021 was born sooner than her parents expected, and is happy and healthy in the family's new home in Slippery Rock.
Courtney McConnell, 27, delivered New Year's baby, Briley Ardell McConnell, at 8:07 p.m. on Jan. 2 in Butler Memorial Hospital. The baby weighed 7 pounds and 2 ounces.
“We had a little girl,” Courtney said.Her husband, Curtis, 33, was there to see the couple's second child enter the world and stayed with them in the hospital for two days.They then brought Briley home, where she met her older sister, Lennox Laine McConnell, 2, in the house the McConnell family had moved into just a month ago.Curtis said their old house had two bedrooms and they had been looking for a larger house, so both girls could have their own bedrooms.“We looked for a long time, and we finally found one. It was nice to be able to move in before this happened, and we were all settled in,” he said.Courtney and Curtis said they had planned for an early birth because Lennox was born a few weeks early and Curtis was born three weeks sooner than his parents expected.“She actually wasn't expected until Jan. 26,” Courtney said. “Our first daughter was born at 38 weeks, so we expected early, but not this early. We were all ready. Our bags were packed. Her room was done.”Briley isn't considered premature, but isn't considered full-term either, she said.“I was a little nervous, but not too nervous,” Curtis said. “Our first one was early and I was early. It really didn't matter to me, as long as the doctor felt she would come out healthy. We were 100% ready for this. We started planning six months ago.”It's been a busy time for the McConnells. In addition to the new baby and new house, Tuesday was Courtney's birthday.“So, it's been crazy here,” she said.Briley's first checkup was also Tuesday.“He said she was good to go, and she looked happy and healthy,” Courtney said.“It was the best you could hope for,” Curtis said.The names Courtney and Curtis selected for their daughters are combinations of new and old.“We like it different,” she said.They chose first names they liked and gave Briley a middle name from Courtney's side of the family. Lennox' middle name is a family name from Curtis' side of the family. And Briley's birthday is the same day of the year as Courtney's father's, she said.Everyone in the family is happy about the new addition.“Everybody is really excited,” Courtney said.She said she will return to her job as an investigation record technician at ASRC Federal after taking six weeks off. Curtis works as a heavy equipment operator for Allegheny Mineral Corp.
