Scotty McCreery has officially become a father.
He and his wife, Gabi, announced on Tuesday that they welcomed their first child, son Merrick Avery McCreery, into the world on October 24.
Gabi gave birth at 4:34 a.m. ET at a hospital in their hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, with the baby weighing 7 pounds and 13 ounces.
“Next to his mother, he is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. We have been waiting and preparing all year, and now we are so excited to have our little man here with us. We have begun a grand new adventure that will continue for the rest of our lives,” Scotty says in a statement, adding that he “could not be more proud” of his wife.
“Never known a love like this,” he writes on Instagram, alongside photos from the hospital that show the new mom and dad proudly smiling as the newborn lies on Gabi’s chest.
Merrick is named after Gabi’s father, but the couple will call him by his middle name, Avery.
Scotty will be on paternity leave for a month, returning to the road on November 30 with a show in Las Vegas.
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