Charles Kelley and his wife Cassie welcomed their first child – Ward Charles Kelley – Thursday morning (February 11th) at 9:20a. The bouncing baby boy weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20 inches long. They announced through her women’s lifestyle website, Womanista.

“We can’t stop staring at him and he hasn’t stopped chitchatting with us since he arrived,” Cassie tells Womanista. “He’s got momma’s nose and daddy’s eyes and vocal chords and a head full of blond hair.”

Cassie was honest on her blog that they had a difficult time conceiving and had been trying for years after their June 2009 wedding. “Many months went by with negative pregnancy tests and a lot of shared frustration…we went through several years of trying before finally seeing our fertility doctor.” Once they made a plan, she woke up one morning and discovered she was pregnant.

Charles released his debut solo album, The Driver, last Friday (February 5th).

“can’t stop staring at this little nugget. he has @cassiemkelley nose, yay! and he’s so calm unlike his father. glad I didn’t head up to the @thegrammys events this week or I would’ve missed the coolest day of my life ha!”

For more audio on Charles becoming a father, click here.