Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade have enjoyed all 365 days with their precious baby girl Kaavia James, aka Shady Baby. Now, they’re celebrating just how much their one-year-old changed their lives.
In a video montage of Kaavia’s best moments and milestones, Union wrote a sweet message to her baby girl in honor of her first birthday.
“Scared to hold you. Scared to burp you. Scared to reveal I have no clue what I’m doing. Scared to go to work. Scared to stay home. Scared when you sleep. Scared when you wake up. Scared I’m not living up to some impossible standard of motherhood. Scared I’d lose myself. Scared I’d be exposed as a failure, as less than, not as good as, not as comfortable as, not as… anything,” Union wrote in her heartfelt caption. “But there you were, everyday, looking up at me, like ‘gurl, you got this!'”
Union went on to say: “When I let go of my fears of judgement and just did my best and recognized that my best would and could change from day to day and life would magically go on… Man, I finally allowed myself to just enjoy you @kaaviajames and relax into the peace of imperfection. 1 year in and your whole village stays smiling. The family you know and all the cyber aunties and uncles you may never meet, we celebrate you.”
That’s not all! Mom and Dad made Kaavia Day extra special with more sweet posts in their baby girl’s honor. Wade, who is also the father of two sons, writes, “many nights I dreamed of what it would feel like to have a daughter—and this reality is wayyyy better.”
Get a load of these gorgeous smiles!
Since her arrival on November 7, 2018, Kaavia James has not only been the light of her family’s life, but a fabulous addition to our Instagram feeds. Her natural shade-throwing abilities and impeccable side-eyes earned her the nickname “shady baby.”
In an exclusive interview with ESSENCE, Union revealed that Kaavia had been displaying classic Scorpio signs early on. For instance, she’s passionate about her wants. “She’s very specific,” shared Union. “She likes what she likes, and she doesn’t [like] what she doesn’t.”
She’s also not easily charmed by baby talk, according to mom. “She’d prefer to listen to CNN over baby talk any day. She’s not with that. You can have a normal conversation with her and she’ll react.”
Happy Birthday, baby Kaavia! Never change.