Over the weekend, Gabrielle Union and husband Dwyane Wade celebrated the birthday of their first child together, Kaavia James Union Wade. Kaavia is the perfect combination of her mommy and daddy with those delicious chocolatey soft puffy cheeks...forgive me, my baby fever cannot deal! The superstar-in-the-making's parents seem to be equally smitten with her because for her second birthday, they shared a precious tribute of the growing toddler from birth up until this point:
This victory is a bit sweeter for Gabrielle because she revealed in her memoir We Are Going to Need More Wine that she never really had a deep desire to have biological children of her own until she entered a relationship with her husband, long-time love Dwyane. Eager to act on this newfound inkling, she was disappointed to find out that she would be facing fertility issues, including a diagnosis of adenomyosis.
"For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant. I've ever been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle or coming out of an IVF cycle."
After her initially unsuccessful three-year IVF journey and multiple miscarriages, she and her husband made the life-changing decision to open their hearts and minds to the next step: finding a surrogate. In a cover story for Women's Health, Gabrielle shared:
"There's nothing more that I wanted than to cook my own baby. The idea of (using a surrogate) felt like surrendering to failure… People want to see the bump, hear that you got hemorrhoids - they want to know you're like them. I was like, 'This is going to seem like the most Hollywood (expletive) ever.' ...It's terrifying."
Those feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty disappeared for the actress once Kaavia arrived. And although it wasn't the way she imagined becoming a mom, going the surrogate route became the best decision for her and her growing family with Dwyane.
It seems like we learn more and more about surrogacy in the Black community as time goes on from public figures that use their platform to be vulnerable enough to share their journeys. Just because the journey to becoming a mother may look different does not mean that you cannot have your desired outcome in the end, and Gabrielle is proof of that fact.
In honor of Gabrielle becoming the mom of her dreams her way and Kaavia's birthday, here are 10 times Gabrielle and her mini-me were mommy-daughter goals.
Pep In Our Step
Drippin' Chocolate
All Smiles
Blue Never Looked So Good
Bring It On!
Rise & Shine
Better Together
Into The Blue
It's A Vibe
Cocoa Butter Kisses
Are you a member of our insiders squad? Join us in the xoTribe Members Community today!
Featured image by Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com