Better late than never.

Isabelle Brianna Mitchell was expected to be one of the last babies born at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in 2007, but was instead the first of 2008.

At 3:01 a.m. Tuesday, mother Ashley Mitchell welcomed her healthy nine pound one ounce daughter into the world.

Isabelle was due on Dec. 30, but after more than a week of waiting, Ashley was induced.

“It was a rough pregnancy. I was sick a lot of the time, but in the end it’s totally worth it,” said the first-time mother. “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I was mom. It didn’t feel real, it still doesn’t.”

A Gravenhurst native, Mitchell recently returned from western Canada to finish her pregnancy with her parents.

Calm and quiet, little Isabelle is already getting used to a lot of attention from family members who have been visiting to snap photos and provide well-wishes since her birth.

Mitchell said Isabelle will fit right in with several other family members in the Barrie area who have also recently had children.

In the tradition of welcoming Bracebridge’s first-born, Mitchell will receive numerous gifts from Bracebridge merchants to celebrate Isabelle’s arrival.