Clay Aiken News

Good news, Claymates: The Claynation has welcomed its first heir.

Clay Aiken and platonic baby-making partner Jaymes Foster welcomed their first child together in North Carolina this morning.

"I'm sure you know...I hate putting the cast before the horse," AIken wrote on his site. "Not my way to tempt fate. But I wanted to stop by, if only for a second, so you could be the first folks I tell...HE'S HERE!

"My dear friend, Jaymes, and I are so excited to announce the birth of Parker Foster Aiken (No hyphens. One first name. One middle name. One last name)."

Aiken also confirmed what his mother, Faye Aiken, let slip earlier this morning.

"Parker was born at a hospital in North Carolina just this morning at 8:08 a.m. Wow...8:08...08/08/08," he wrote, adding that the tyke tipped the scales at 6 pounds, 2 ounces and measured in at 19 inches.

"The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy. Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also. The Aiken family, the Foster family, and the Parker family are all thrilled."

Parker is the surname of Aiken's late stepfather, whom the singer has frequently credited with helping raise him.

The American Idol alum's mother turned proud grandma was the very first to announce the new arrival this morning, phoning in to Raleigh radio station WRAL.

The elder Aiken said the newborn did not inherit dad's fiery red mop, instead sporting dark hair. Upon seeing his progeny, the "Measure of a Man" singer was "smiling from ear to ear," she said.

Foster's pregnancy was confirmed in May by a rep for her brother, legendary music kingpin David Foster. He verified what everyone was thinking and announced that the "couple" had conceived the child through in vitro fertilization.

Aiken, 29, and Jaymes Foster, whose age has been pegged somewhere around the 50-year mark, have been friends for years. She worked on several Aiken albums, including A Thousand Different Ways and On My Way Here.

Although theirs is not a romantic relationship, the duo plan to raise the baby together.

(Originally published on Aug. 8, 2008, at 8:05 a.m. PT.)

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