Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez

“It’s been a long, painful journey for us,” the former Friday Night Lights actor, Zach Giford and his wife, Kingdom actress Kiele Sanchez shared with PEOPLE. “Zeppelin is the light of our lives.”

Gilford, 36, and Sanchez, 40, ultimately chose a surrogate to carry their baby and welcomed their little girl via surrogate in November 2016, a year after Sanchez suffered a late-term miscarriage.

“We have always wanted to be parents, and Zeppelin has made our dreams come true,” they tell PEOPLE of their new addition.