Mark Steines Celebrates Baby's First Word Amid 'Flurry of News & Emotion' from Hallmark Channel Exit

Stephanie Petit
Updated

Despite his abrupt departure from the Hallmark Channel, Mark Steines has plenty to smile about.

The Entertainment Tonight alum’s wife, Julie, shared a happy photo of Mark holding their 10-month-old daughter Parker Rose in the pool on Friday, just one day after the network announced that Mark will no longer host Home & Family.

“Amidst a flurry of news & emotion today, with her brothers playing guitar alongside the pool, Parker said her first word: Dada,” Julie captioned the snap on Facebook.

Parker joined the family on July 28, a month before her due date, via an emergency C-section.

“It was a surprise for us because she wanted to show up early and meet Mom and Dad face to face so it happened really quick,” he told PEOPLE of his baby girl, who was born weighing 5 lbs. and measuring 18 inches long.

Mark also has two sons from a previous marriage — Avery, 14, and Kai, 16 — as well as the couple’s golden retriever Fred and Julie’s therapy dog Norbert.

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Mark Steines
Mark Steines

Steines was surprised by Hallmark’s decision to suddenly pull him from the show. The 53-year-old entertainment journalist had hosted Home & Family since 2012, and Debbie Matenopoulos joined as co-host in 2016.

His rep told PEOPLE that when he went to work on Wednesday, he did not know it would be his last day.

“Hallmark gave us some vague reasons regarding ‘creative’ and specifically said it was not for cause,” his rep adds. “We have received nothing but positive reviews of him as the host of Hallmark Home & Family. The show just received another Emmy nomination — that was the third. We know ratings have been up, and if you watch the episode this morning, you will see the shock and sadness by the cast when they had to make this announcement on air.”