Jake Owen: Baby Pearl’s Delivery Was ‘Coolest Thing Ever’
Jake Owen has made plenty of great memories in the last few years. But of all of his memorable moments, he says none will ever come close to being there to experience the birth of his first child, daughter Olive Pearl, who was born on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) this year.
"I delivered her. I was right there, and I caught her when she came out," Jake tells CMT. "I've done a lot of cool things in my life. But that, by far, was the coolest thing ever. There's nothing that will ever top that. I don't understand what could be better than that."
The singer, who married Pearl's mom, model Lacey Buchanan, in August, recalls the events leading up to his daughter's arrival: "The night before Thanksgiving, we thought, 'Maybe we'll have the baby tomorrow. Then in the morning, Lacey started having contractions. We timed them, and they were like 12 minutes apart. Then 11. Then eight. Then four. So we went to the hospital around 3:30, Lacey pushed a few times and Pearl was born at 5:15."
The Florida native enjoyed a few days at home with his family, before he had to hit the road again to return to his Summer Never Ends tour. "Leaving her ... to come here was hard," he admitted during a recent event. "Because I kissed her on her little forehead and said, 'I'll be back,' and I realized I'm gonna be saying that a lot to her. That's going to be so hard."
Jake will be on the road until Dec. 15, with Florida Georgia Line and Love and Theft joining him as his opening acts. He'll then enjoy a few months off before he heads out to serve as Jason Aldean's opener on the superstar's Night Train tour. Follow Jake's concert schedule here.
Watch Jake Talk About Fatherhood