HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Howie Dorough is now a father!

The Backstreet Boy and his wife, Leigh, welcomed a baby boy Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles, a rep for the pair confirmed to People.

The couple's first child, James Hoke Dorough, was born at 2:30 p.m. He weighed in at 4½ pounds and measured 16¼ inches, the magazine said.

Dorough met his future wife in 2000 when she was hired on to manage his band's official Web site. They were married on Dec. 8, 2007.

Dorough and his wife, both 35, announced the pregnancy in January.

"I know she's going to be a great mother," he told People when announcing the news. "If she can take care of me, the biggest baby in the entire world, I think she's going to be okay with the little one coming along."