Ashley Tisdale Is Pregnant, Expecting First Child With Husband Christopher French

Ashley Tisdale is going to be a mom! The High School Musical actress announced Thursday that she and husband Christopher French are expecting their first child, sharing sweet couple photos showcasing her baby bump on Instagram. Tisdale, 35, looks radiant in a loose white dress as she looks down at her bump in the first photo, then up at her musician husband in the second. The couple decided to let the photo speak for itself, choosing not to include a caption with their announcement.

It wasn’t long before Tisdale’s friends were gushing in the comments. “Just the freaking cutest,” commented Tisdale’s friend and fellow High School Musical alum, Vanessa Hudgens. Amanda Kloots added, “YAY!!!! Luckiest baby in town! Congratulations mama! See you later.” Haylie Dufff chimed in, “Been waiting for this!!! Can’t wait! Best mama & papa combo!” while Lea Michele added, “So happy for you babe! You’re going to be the best mama!”

After marrying French in September 2014, Tisdale opened up about trying to get pregnant last summer, telling PEOPLE, “For me, it’s like, it’s okay to not want to start a family right away. People are always asking me about that, but it’s just not the right time.” Quarantine appears to have been the right time for the couple, with the actress telling the magazine recently that spending so much time together at home has only strengthened their bond. “He’s a really great guy,” she said at the time. “We’re lucky because we’re very independent people, but we love spending time and hanging out together. …Being in quarantine together, it’s still that easy. It’s still hanging out with your best friend,” she added.

Tisdale admitted there have been “ups and downs” spending so much time at home for the first time ever in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, explaining that her home renovation coming to a sudden halt made things very difficult. “I actually was in the middle of renovation as everything was shutting down. I didn’t actually have a kitchen, and so it was definitely a little difficult. But now that we’ve been here for so long, the kitchen is completely done and we’ve moved onto another part of the house,” she said. “I’ve been passionate about interior design and I was trying to find something that just would take up some creative space and I’ve been helping others with their interior design, which has been really cool.”