The Bassett family just got a little bigger.
In an exclusive with People, Candiace Dillard and her husband Chris Bassett, announced the birth of their newborn son, Jeff Maxwell Bassett, on Thursday, October 3.
“He is just the cutest little thing,” the Real Housewives of Potomac alum gushed. “Chris and I couldn’t be happier. It’s so cliché to say, but he’s brought such joy to our lives in ways I never would have been able to describe before. It’s pure love!”
Dillard is beyond excited to begin her new motherhood journey.
“I just look at him and envision all the adventures we’re going to have,” she shared. “Throughout my pregnancy, when I would talk to him in my stomach, I would say, ‘I can’t wait to see who you’re going to be.’ And that’s been the joy in my heart that’s continued after his birth. It’s exciting to think about. I’m so ready for a lifetime of being on the sidelines, cheering him on.”
The couple named their little bundle of joy Jeff, which according to the “Drive Back” singer means excellence and abundance.
“Naming him took longer than I thought,” Dillard recalled. “I had been throwing names out to Chris the entire pregnancy and most of the ones I like was like, Those sound like nepo baby names.”
“But as soon as I read the meaning of his name [Jeff], I was like this is it. This is his name,” she added.
And “Chris agreed…he was like, ‘Jeff’s a cool name, he’s going to be a cool kid. They can call him J.B [Jeff Bassett].”
And when it came to giving their tiny tot two middle names, Dillard noted it was because, “I’m extra.” One of them Lee, comes from the singer’s father’s middle name.
Jeff joins Owen, 22, Mateo, 14, and Naya, 10 – Chris’ three kids from two previous relationships.
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Before welcoming her first child, Dillard had reservations about becoming a mom.
Her concerns were well-documented during her time on RHOP, with the former Miss United States admitting she was nervous about living up to the responsibilities of parenthood.
But now, with Jeff’s arrival and a month of motherhood under her belt, Dillard finds herself looking at things in a different light – something that even surprises her.
“Oh, I wish I started sooner, because I already want more,” the restauranter shared “And that’s a shocking feeling to admit because I hesitated and was afraid and doubted myself for so long. All of those circumstances around becoming a mom, like being pregnant, raising a child, etc.? It really scared me. But it’s been everything and more. I love it.”
“I wish I hadn’t waited so long,” she added. “But I also don’t regret that this is where I am now and that things worked out the way they did. And in a way, that’s comforting to recognize I don’t regret it, you know? Like, I’ve really welcomed every part of this journey with open arms, as it’s happened.”
And as for whether the couple see more kids in their future, they have discussed potentially “using a surrogate for the second one.”
However, Dillard said, “Let’s just wait and see.”
