Country star Jo Dee Messina [ tickets ] has begun to assemble dates for a tour next spring as she anticipates the impending arrival of her first child and the release of her new album.

The Grammy-nominated singer shows a few obligations in December, including a three-night Dec. 12-14 stretch in Las Vegas, before she takes a break from the road to concentrate on becoming a mother. Messina has slotted a March 16 date in Verona, NY, as her initial return to live performing, with six shows in all currently lined up for the spring trek. Details are included below.

Three production teams worked with Messina on her forthcoming new studio album, "Unmistakable": veteran country producer Dann Huff and Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus; Jerry Flowers of Keith Urban's band; and producer Chris Farren.

"My management, at the time, thought, 'Let's get these guys together and we'll get the best material out of all of them,'" the singer told LiveDaily earlier this year. The album was originally scheduled to drop late last year, but was shelved indefinitely and still waits for a firm release date.

The singer is currently expecting her first child with husband Chris Deffenbaugh. "I am in my third trimester now," Messina told People Magazine last month. "We knew we wanted to have kids, but we just said, 'Whenever it happens, it happens.' And it happened!" The singer added that she'll be taking the newborn (she's expecting a boy, she told the magazine) on tour with her next year.

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