Frankie Ballard Is Expecting His First Child With His Wife, Christina

Congratulations are in order for Frankie Ballard! The singer announces he and his wife, Christina, are expecting a child next year, although they are waiting to find out the gender. The couple married in March of 2017. The new arrival will be their first child.

“It’s been fun keeping this secret, but too hard to contain our excitement now,” Ballard told PEOPLE. “Chrissy and I started praying on when the time would be right to start a family, and we both felt God nudging us last spring.”

Although the baby was planned, Ballard admits he was still shocked to find out he was going to be a father.

“I can only describe it as a combination of emotion and words,” he recalled. “Shock-tacular, grateful, awe.”

Ballard and Christina together decided to wait to find out if they are having a son or daughter together, although that decision wasn’t easy.

“One of the hardest decisions was, ‘Should we find out the sex?’” Ballard noted. “But when else can you be truly surprised in this life anymore? The mystery is still intact. February is right around the corner, and we are so eager to meet this precious little gift.”

Ballard and Christina will experience many firsts over the next several months and years, but one of the more memorable ones was going with his wife to her first ultrasound.

“[It] blew my hair straight back,” he recalled of seeing his baby for the first time. “I had a thousand prayers answered in one appointment … To see toes wigglin’ and a strong heartbeat sent electricity through my bones.”

Ballard’s last album, El Rio, was released in 2016, but now that he will be a father, he expects his new role will serve as inspiration for lots of new music.

“Purpose is the gasoline of any great creative fire, and a growing family reminds me just how bad I want to make music for mine,” Ballard noted.

The 36-year-old is taking plenty of notes from other fathers, including Florida Georgia Line‘s Tyler Hubbard.

“[He] taught me that new babies require most of your love and attention, but to never forget how much TLC your Mrs. Sweetheart baby needs and deserves as well,” Ballard recounted.

For now, Christina is enjoying most of her pregnancy, including the odd food cravings.

“At first I wanted every kind of potato chip ever made and now I crave those mini pickles,” she revealed. “I recently told Frankie I’ve brought home jars of pickles he’s never even seen before because I eat them so fast!”

Photo Credit: Getty / Stephen J. Cohen