The early aughts were a garbage dump of bad fashion, terrible trends, misogynistic pop culture and orange spray tans, and yet… people these days have so much nostalgia for that era. Personally, I think the youths are simply nostalgic for any pre-social media era, but here we are. I’ll admit it, I have a wistfulness for some of the celebrity pairings from that era, and my wish for a Bennifer reunion ended up happening. And now this – Ashanti and Nelly dated, on and off, for many years. They started happening in 2003 and finally called it quits for good in 2013. Then earlier this year, they rekindled their spark and started dating again. Now she’s knocked up!

Ashanti is pregnant with her first child after rekindling her romance with Nelly earlier this year, Us Weekly can confirm.

“Nelly and Ashanti are welcoming their first baby together,” a source exclusively tells Us. The baby will be Ashanti’s only child, while Nelly, 49, shares daughter Chanelle, 29, and son Cornell Haynes III, 24, with ex Channetta Valentine.

Ashanti, 43, first sparked pregnancy speculation over the weekend when she attended Nelly’s Black and White Ball in St. Louis with her partner. During the event, the “Only U” singer put her hand on her stomach while on stage with Nelly and he did the same. According to a fan video shared by TMZ, the couple broke into laughter after seemingly hinting that they are expanding their family.

Ashanti and Nelly dated on and off from 2003 to 2013 after meeting during a Grammy Awards press conference. In April, the duo sparked reconciliation rumors when they were seen holding hands at a boxing match in Las Vegas.

Nelly confirmed the relationship in September in a clip from Philo TV’s “Boss Moves with Rasheeda,” saying, “Yeah, we cool again.” He revealed that the rekindled romance “surprised both of us though,” adding, “It wasn’t anything that I don’t think was planned.”

That same month a source exclusively told Us that Ashanti didn’t expect to get back together with Nelly after 10 years apart. “A few years ago, Ashanti never would’ve imagined reconciling with Nelly, but they’re enjoying spending time together,” the insider said at the time. “They don’t want to rush anything.”

[From Us Weekly]

Honestly, I get it. Some people get to a certain age and they don’t want to start all over with someone completely new. It’s nice to have a shared history as a base for your relationship. Something nice is that Ashanti knows she and the baby will be okay if the relationship goes t-ts up as well – she’s 43 years old, not some naive kid. This is probably her last-chance baby and Nelly seems supportive. He’s not a naive kid either, and he’s got two grown adult children. And no, I don’t want to talk about his history in this post. Sending love to Ashanti and congrats to her.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.