Kaavia James Union Wade was living her best life as she celebrated her fourth birthday in Africa on Monday (Nov. 7). The youngster received lots of birthday love from her mom, Gabrielle Union, and her dad, Dwyane Wade.
“Kaavia The Explorer,” Dwyane said of his daughter. “Happy fourth birthday, my little queen,” Wade wrote to his little one.
Gabrielle Union also gave her daughter a birthday tribute. “Happiest of birthdays to my little brown girl with a soul wise beyond her years and a brain and spirit that is so open and free you inspire literally everyone around you,” the actress wrote to her little one.
“Watching you turn 4 years old in #SouthAfrica after traveling through three other countries throughout Africa has been one of the biggest blessings of our lives,” Gabrielle told Kaavia. “We love you beyond measure, baby,” the celebrity mom shared. “May the ancestors hold you close and guide you the rest of your days.”
Kaavia James is Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s only biological child together. The celebrity parents welcomed their little one via surrogate on November 7, 2018, after suffering through years of infertility. Gabrielle opened up about her family’s journey to expansion during a recent interview with TIME.
“I held out for a year after Dr. Baek suggested surrogacy, and instead chose to endure more IVF cycles and losses,” Gabrielle told the media source’s readers. “Everyone comes to the decision differently,” she added.
“Near the end of that year—that hopeful and hopeless year—I had a new plan to take Lupron, which basically quiets the adenomyosis,” the actress explained. “Dr. Baek told me I would have a 30% chance of bringing a baby to term. But the side effects of Lupron can be intense: you’re basically throwing your body into early menopause and you can break bones very easily.”
Gabrielle was willing to try Lupron in hopes of getting pregnant and having a child. She changed her mind, however, after having a conversation with Dwyane. “It was something my husband said that changed my mind,” Union shared with TIME readers. “I told him I wanted to try the drug. Dwayne was quiet, then said, ‘You’ve done enough.’”
Kaavia James is the youngest of four children Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade parent together.
Photo: Dwyane Wade/Instagram
