Reba McEntire’s son, Shelby Blackstock, and his wife, Marissa, have welcomed their first baby. The couple introduced their son on Instagram Stories on Wednesday, October 21, after keeping his arrival private for several weeks.
His name is Shelby Archer McEntire Blackstock, but his parents are calling him Archie. It brings together his father’s first name and his famous grandmother’s surname.
“After everything it took to get here, we finally get to call ourselves mom and dad,” the couple wrote in a message shared by PEOPLE.
Shelby, 36, is McEntire’s only biological child with former husband Narvel Blackstock. Archie is her first biological grandchild, joining a blended family whose grandchildren the country singer has spoken about with affection.
Shelby and Marissa Blackstock Introduce Baby Archie in First Photos
The first hospital photograph showed Shelby wearing a surgical cap with Archie against his bare chest. His son was wrapped in a colorful blanket and wore a small cap of his own.
Marissa also shared a photograph of herself nursing the baby. In a separate video, Archie rested in a bassinet with a pacifier.
In the video’s caption, Shelby referred to a difficult first week, according to Taste of Country. He did not explain what had happened, and the announcement did not include an exact birth date.
Marissa Shared Her Pregnancy Loss and IVF Plans
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In a December 2025 post, Marissa described seeing her first positive pregnancy test on Thanksgiving morning, the day after her father died. She had been trying to conceive for three years, but the pregnancy ended in the days that followed.
Marissa wrote that the experience had given her hope about becoming pregnant, even as she grieved the loss. By January 2026, she was preparing to begin a second round of IVF and sharing another update with followers.
She said she felt excited and hopeful, while acknowledging that another unsuccessful attempt would leave the couple with one embryo before another egg retrieval was needed. She also thanked the friends and followers who had sent messages and prayers during treatment.
“Infertility is hard, but we don’t feel alone,” she wrote in her January update.
Shelby and Marissa Announced Their Pregnancy at Walt Disney World
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In their April pregnancy announcement, the couple posed near Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World with a white Mickey Mouse baby outfit bearing the words “Blackstock, October 2026.” They also included an ultrasound image and confirmed they were expecting a boy.
Shelby and Marissa married there on February 12, 2022, after meeting on Tinder in 2014 and beginning to date two years later.
In their wedding interview, Marissa recalled that Epcot was where Shelby first told her he loved her and later proposed. The couple exchanged vows at Magic Kingdom after the park had closed for the evening.
A Music-Themed Baby Shower Included a Note From ‘Grandma Reba’
Their summer baby shower took its inspiration from a concert tour, complete with backstage-style passes and signs promoting an imaginary new release. Photographs from the celebration presented the event as Archer’s “Welcome to the World Tour.”
Country Now reported that guests could leave messages on a custom record plaque and suggest songs for a baby playlist. A marquee-style display even carried a mock Rolling Stone review calling the expected arrival “The Hottest New Release of the Year.”
Other shower photographs showed Marissa posing against a red-carpet-style backdrop, surrounded by blue, black and gold balloons, including one shaped like an electric guitar.
McEntire left her own message on the record plaque. “We’re gonna have so much fun!” she wrote, signing it “Grandma Reba.”