How Vanessa Hudgens Celebrated Husband Cole Tucker's Birthday Hours Before Baby News  

Vanessa Hudgens certainly had her head in the game July 3. 

Even before news broke that the High School Musical star had given birth to her first baby,   she had plenty to celebrate as her husband Cole Tucker marked his 28th birthday. 

Vanessa honored the baseball player by posting a cute carousel of photos to Instagram, including one of the couple sharing a sweet kiss on the couch in front of balloon letters reading Mr. and Mrs.

"Happy birthday to my slice of heaven," the 35-year-old gushed in the caption. "You make the world a brighter place just by being you."

But his trip around the sun isn't the only start of something new for Vanessa and Cole, who tied the knot in December. Hours after her social media message, a source with knowledge confirmed to E! News that the actress had given birth to their first child. They haven't shared the little one's name or sex.

As for what her next steps will look like as a new mom, Vanessa shared in April that there's "no crystal ball" telling her how to handle her eventual return to work.

"I am leaving it to the wind," she said in an interview with Bustle. "There's a lot that I want to do regardless of the timing. There's a lot I feel like I still haven't done, so I'm just continuing to work towards those things in whatever way."

For now, she's celebrating her next chapter with her loved ones—and has even earned well-wishes from her former costars. As Zac Efron put it when Vanessa and Ashley Tisdale were both pregnant at the same time, "They're gonna be the best moms ever."

He told Access Hollywood June 13, "Those girls, are you kidding me? We're gonna have some fun family reunions coming up."

And with their new addition finally here, read on to bop to the top of Vanessa and Cole's love story.

Vanessa shared her first Instagram photo with Cole on Valentine's Day 2021, three months after the two sparked romance rumors with a romantic dinner date in Los Angeles. She captioned the pic, "It's you, it's me, it's us. @cotuck."

The couple made their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere of the film, starring Vanessa, at 2021 AFI Fest in Hollywood, Calif.

The two attended the premiere of the Netflix movie in New York City.

"Happy vday from us crazies," Vanessa captioned this Instagram pic.

The two watched John Mayer perform at Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium for SiriusXM and Pandora's Small Stage Series.

The pair walked the carpet at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Santa Monica, Calif.

"Happy opening day my [king]," Vanessa captioned this Instagram tribute to her partner, a Pittsburgh Pirates player at the time, which she shared on the MLB's opening day in 2022.

The actress appeared with her partner on the baseball field.

"Happy Halloween from Sting and Miss Argentina," Vanessa captioned this Instagram pic.

"Merry af," Vanessa captioned this Instagram photo.

Vanessa and Cole confirmed their engagement on Feb. 9, sharing a picture of the actress rocking some bling on her wedding ring finger. "YES," the Instagram post read. "We couldn't be happier."

Vanessa joked about eloping with Cole after running into roadblocks during the wedding planning process. "Finding a venue is tough," she admitted on The Drew Barrymore Show. "I kind of just want to elope. I'm lost, I don't know."

The couple tied the knot on Dec. 2, 2023 in Tulum, Mexico. The 100-guest ceremony was attended by family and close friends, including Sarah Hyland and Alexandra Shipp—who sereved as bridesmaids—as well as Vanessa's former High School Musical costars Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel.

Cole celebrated Vanessa's first birthday as a married woman with a romantic tribute reading, "Happy birthday to my wife!!!!!!"

Vanessa announced her pregnancy on the 2024 Oscars red carpet, showing off her baby bump in a black turtleneck gown by Vera Wang.

A source with knowledge confirmed to E! News on July 3, 2024 that Vanessa had given birth to their first child.