Thomas Rhett And Wife Lauren Welcome Home Adopted Daughter Willa Gray Akins From Uganda [Pictures]

Thomas Rhett and his wife, Lauren, have welcomed home their daughter, Willa Gray Akins, who they adopted from Uganda. According to People, Willa arrived to live with her new parents on Thursday, and needless to say, it was a very joyous occasion.

“On the way to the airport, it was like Christmas Day,” Thomas told the magazine, while Lauren added: “It felt like a dream. I’ve dreamed of us all being on the same continent for so long. It finally feels like everyone is where they’re supposed to be.”

The new parents had been trying to conceive for a while before Lauren visited Uganda in 2016. It was then that she met and fell in love with Willa, who was given the name Blessing. Although they had just started talking about the possibility of adopting, Thomas could see that his wife and 18-month-old Willa had developed a special bond, and knew that she belonged with their family.

“Lauren had this amazing glow about her and it just felt like she was already our daughter in a weird way,” Rhett recalled about the first time he saw a photo of Willa. “‘I just blurted out, ‘We should bring her home.'”

Meet Willa Gray Akins! I can’t believe our daughter is finally home???????? Thank you to everyone who prayed every single day for this sweet girl pic.twitter.com/ykKFjI83wh

— Thomas Rhett (@ThomasRhett) May 12, 2017

The couple immediately started the long adoption process, making numerous trips to Africa over the coming months. During this time, they were shocked to find out that they would be welcoming a second daughter in August; Lauren was pregnant. In April, she traveled back to Uganda in hopes of bringing her daughter home, but because the adoption wasn’t yet finalized, and she had a pregnancy checkup, they had to wait an additional month. Lauren said it was strange leaving one daughter to check on the other, but in the end, it all worked out for the best, and now Willa is officially home where she belongs. Both parents shared the exciting news with their fans on their social media accounts.

“Meet Willa Gray Akins! I can’t believe our daughter is finally home???????? Thank you to everyone who prayed every single day for this sweet girl,” Rhett tweeted, while Lauren shared a lengthy Instagram post thanking her family and friends for all of their love and support during this process.

According to a previous article by the Inquisitr, Thomas is overjoyed to be a dad, but admitted that he was scared at the thought of fatherhood and all it entailed. Now that Willa is here, however, Rhett said he is getting used to being called dad.

“One thing I can’t wait for is to see what they’re interested in,” he said. “Are they gonna like music, or are they gonna resent it because that’s my job? And one thing I’m terrified about is, I’m already so busy … how in the world am I gonna balance the career and kids? And I think the answer is, it’s impossible. So, lots of Red Bull. Dierks [Bentley] said lots of Red Bull.”

“It is very weird to be called ‘Dad’ by a little human being,” he added to People. “But it is one of the coolest feelings in the world. Nothing beats that.”

Although there are many amazing changes taking place in Thomas Rhett’s life, he is still making time for his music, and will head back to the road to perform in Madison, Mississippi, on May 20. He will also take the stage at the Country 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 27, and on May 28 he will perform at the the Bayou Country Superfest in New Orleans.

[Featured Image by Evan Agostini/ AP Images]