It's a girl! Joe Nichols and wife Heather are proud to announce the arrival of Dylan River Nichols, born Tuesday (April 17). The gorgeous newborn weighs in at 7 lbs, 5 oz, and measures 21 ¼ inches long. Mom and baby are both said to be happy and healthy.

"Our prayers have been answered," says Heather, who suffered a miscarriage in 2008, followed by painful fertility issues. "We went through years of loss and heartbreak to get to this point and now our little baby girl is here. I want to thank everyone for their well wishes, thoughts and prayers and our doctors and nurses who have walked along side us in this process. I know that we are going to love this little girl, and I am so thankful that she is ours."

"We have been trying to have a baby together for many years, and this gift is not something we take for granted," adds proud Papa Joe. "We are going to try to be the best parents possible."

Dylan is Heather's first child and her country singer husband's second daughter, joining 13-year-old big sis Ashelyn, his child from a previous relationship.

Joe and Heather were married in 2007, after knowing each other for more than 12 years. "She grew up a lot faster than I did," Joe joked with The Boot when we asked what took him so long to pop the question. "She's a very smart person with a lot of ambition, goals and a lot of intelligence. For me to catch up with all that, it took a while. But I eventually did, and she's been a great friend to me for a long time. And it is great to be able to say I am married to my best friend."

The couple recently moved from Nashville to Texas, to be closer to Heather's side of the family. (Free babysitting!) Needless to say, they are thrilled to be adding to the Nichols clan.

"I've got a lot of wisdom -- from my own pain, from my own trials and from my own success -- that I can offer a child," Joe tells The Boot. "I've got a lot of love to give, too. I can't wait to be a dad again."

Watch Joe Nichols' 'Take It Off' Video

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