Country star Scotty McCreery and his wife Gabi welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Merrick Avery McCreery, on Monday, Oct. 24.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The happy parents shared their excitement on social media.
"Never known a love like this. Merrick Avery McCreery joined us 11 days early on October 24th at 4:34am! 7 lbs 13oz of nothin but love," the couple shared in an Instagram post, featuring a photo of the family of three from the hospital room in Raleigh, North Carolina.
According to a press release, the baby is named after Gabi's father, Merrick (Tre) Dugal III.
"Next to his mother, he is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," the 29-year-old singer-songwriter and American Idol alum said in a statement. "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."
"Gabi was a total rock star during Avery's birth. I could not be more proud of her," McCreery continued. "She has already taken to motherhood like a champ. Part of my joy as his Dad is watching Gabi already crush it as his Mom."
First Time Parents
The couple first announced the news to People magazine on June 21, 2022, sharing photos of them holding an ultrasound.
"We got a little man on the way," McCreery told People.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter told the magazine that he and Gabi are ready to expand their family after spending the first few years of their marriage on the road.
"We've gotten to live a lot of life and do some cool things, so seems like now's a good time to settle down a little and expand the family," McCreery said. "We always knew we wanted kids, but we always knew we wanted the first few years to travel and have time on the road, to see things and experience life."
But the couple still plans to bring the baby on the road from time to time.
"Travel is so much a part of our life that I feel like if we start at a young age, it'll prepare him a little bit," Gabi said.
With the arrival of their little one, the couple will be adding a boy to an extended family of mostly women.
"I was the only boy on both sides of my family, the last McCreery boy out there," McCreery said. "Gabi's from two sisters in her family, so I just figured it would be a girl. But we got a surprise of a boy."
McCreery married Gabi Dugal, a pediatric nurse, in 2018. The pair met when they were in kindergarten and began dating as seniors in high school.
McCreery, who released his most recent album Same Truck in 2021, added that he and Gabi are so excited to meet their son.
"[This is] uncharted waters for us, but we can't wait to dive in and meet the little man."
