Before Audrey 2001
All four of us are beyond excited," the country stars said in a joint statement. "Gracie and Maggie can't understand why they have to wait until January to see the baby." Tim on the announcement of Audrey.
" Gracie and Maggie can't understand why they have to wait until January to see the baby"~ Faith and Tim about the girls country weekly July 2001
Having earlier downplayed reports of Audrey's "fight for life," Hill now admits, "It was an emergency. We didn't know what the outcome was going to be. It was frightening; it was alarming. We said a lot of prayers." At 4:39 p.m. Audrey arrived -- eight weeks early, weighing 3 lbs. 11 oz. "She came out screaming loud," says Hill. "She had this big old mouth on her -- this girl was nothing but mouth because she was so little." McGraw, 35, was in the room for the delivery and held the baby briefly before handing her off to hospital staffers, who whisked her into the neonatal intensive care unit. "The toughest thing was seeing her in her little Isolette," he says. "Not being able to feed her and seeing her lose a little weight." The newborn was 17 in. long -- "That's tiny," says Hill, "when you see that up against a baby who's 21 in." -- and her parents had to wear latex gloves to touch her because of the high risk of infection. "Her lungs were not developed," says Hill. "Her vitals, everything worked, everything was moving, but it was miniaturized. I'd stick my finger in the Isolette and my first knuckle would be her entire hand." Audrey spent her first three weeks in the hospital. Initially Hill and McGraw stayed there as well before moving into a hotel across the street. They visited every three hours. "I couldn't hold her for the first few days," says Hill. "That was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life." She fed Audrey her own breast milk stored in "these little bitty bottles." Lots of bottles. "I had a supply in the freezer for the entire city of Nashville. It was comical around the hospital. But Audrey was totally on my milk and did amazing." The baby came home on Christmas Eve, and doctors expect her to suffer no long-term effects from her premature birth. Faith recalling Audrey's birth, People October 2002

Audrey 2002
 

"They already want to dress her up! That's the only thing they can't figure out: why they can't dress her up yet. But they love her. They are incredible." Tim about how Gracie and Maggie are with Audrey, Country weekly February 2002
" We've got our baby at home and she's healthy and happy and we're happy and that's all that matter" Tim about rumors that Audrey was in bad health. Country Weekly February 2002
" Audrey is a Joy. She sleeps all the time right now. I like to take the middle of the night feeding. She's great. We just fell in love." Tim on Audrey, Country Weekly February 2002
As Audrey's first birthday nears, says Hill, the baby, now weighing in at 20 lbs., "is fat and happy, perfectly normal, though not quite up to the size and weight she should be." Faith in People February 2002

Audrey 2003
 

I think Audrey is going to be the biggest flirt of all. She's just a force of nature." Tim on Audrey in Redbook 2003
"Now she total normal. She fat and happy and laughing" Faith in Lifetime 2003