Melissa Rycroft Strickland is a mom. The ex-"Bachelor" contestant and her husband, Tye Strickland, welcomed a daughter named Ava Grace Strickland on Wednesday.

Ava is their first child, weighing in at 6 pounds 13 ounces.

"Our lives have changed so much in the last two years and today we've been blessed with the best change ever, our beautiful baby girl," Strickland says in a statement (via UsMagazine.com).

The former Texas schoolteacher became reality-TV famous while competing for Jason Mesnick's love on "The Bachelor" in 2009. Mesnick chose the bubbly brunette as his bride-to-be on the series finale -- but, in a devastating twist, Mesnick later dumped her for runner-up Molly Malaney during the "After The Final Rose" special.

Photos: The Stricklands Hit the Red Carpet

Her heartbreak instantly evaporated, however, when she rekindled the flame with Tye Strickland, an insurance agent, getting engaged just four months after Mesnick's oh-so-dramatic change of heart. They got married in Mexico in December 2009.

Somewhere Mesnick, who famously sobbed over a balcony while choosing between Rycroft and Mulaney (his now-wife), is writing a tear-soaked letter of congratulations to the Stricklands.
Read More: Yahoo