A new baby – first girl in family since 1947

HAYDEN – Sure, some parents-to-be might have a preference for a boy or girl, but mostly they want a healthy baby. And for parents Ashley Kiesbuy and Jason McGovern, the hope for a little girl was a hope against the odds.

There hadn’t been a baby girl born to the McGovern clan in 58 years.

But on March 25, Good Friday, Kiesbuy gave birth to Katie Alana McGovern.

“My niece said, ‘You guys broke the curse,’ ” said proud grandma Janet McGovern.

“My older sister Pat was the last McGovern girl born,” said grandpa Bruce McGovern. That was in 1947. Janet and Bruce McGovern had four boys. McGovern’s sister had a boy. Two of Bruce and Janet McGovern’s sons had boys.

Kiesbuy, the daughter of Grant and Jodie Hobson of Coeur d’Alene, has only brothers, no sisters.

“We had two ultrasounds,” Kiesbuy said. “The first one said it was a boy. The second one said it was a girl. We didn’t believe it.” But she hesitantly went along with a baby shower for a little girl.

Katie is the first child for Kiesbuy and McGovern. At Janet and Bruce McGovern’s Hayden home, little Katie is passed from waiting arm to waiting arm. McGovern and Kiesbuy act like old pros as they cradle their 3-week-old daughter dressed in a white gown. Several white and yellow items were purchased “just in case.”

McGovern, 28, was there for the delivery. “Through it all,” he emphasizes. “All my friends told me horror stories. You’ll pass out. Everyone told me you have to cut the umbilical cord. That was the neat part, actually.”

Kiesbuy, 19, heard stories, too. “Everyone told me horror stories about giving birth. It wasn’t hard at all. It was easy. The doctor said it was a textbook delivery.”

Kiesbuy is currently on maternity leave from her job at the UPS Store. McGovern works in maintenance at ShopKo.

Both say Katie is a very good baby, describing her as “content” and “not very demanding.”

“She likes to look around a lot,” Bruce McGovern said. “She’s not a crier.”

“The only time she cries is when she’s hungry,” Kiesbuy adds.

Asked if they have any special plans for the first girl born in 58 years, the parents say no, but grandpa McGovern quickly adds, “Spoil her.”

The difference between boys and girls, says Jason McGovern, is that “boys have to earn your first car. Girls you have to buy their first car.” Looking down at his daughter, he said, “You have to have a cell phone.”

What they’ve learned in the short time they’ve been parents is “how you can have something (that’s) so little. Right when she came out, it was unconditional love,” Kiesbuy said.

McGovern strokes Katie’s head as Kiesbuy cradles her. “I love her so much,” he said.