The 2020 Gerber baby is the first adopted baby chosen for the Gerber campaign, a practice that dates back to 1928, when the first Gerber baby ever was chosen.
Magnolia Earl celebrated her first birthday on Saturday, May 9. Gerber says that Magnolia is the first Gerber baby who was adopted, making her the latest “spokesbaby” in a string of notable infants chosen by the company in recent years. Magnolia follows in the “baby steps” of the first Gerber baby with Down syndrome and the first one of Hmong descent.
Magnolia’s parents, Courtney and Russell Earl, along with Magnolia and their older daughters Whitney, 12, and Charlotte, 8, received the heartwarming news last Friday. According to TODAY:
“This is incredible,” Courtney Earl said. “It means that when people see our families, or if you see a family that doesn’t necessarily match, that you don’t have to question the belonging of anybody in that family.”
“Mommy always says a family is built on love,” Russell Earl said. “We may all look different, but we’re one family.”
The Earls adopted Charlotte, 8, previously, then Magnolia became the latest addition to the family a year ago, after the Earls waited for six months for the news that she would be joining their family. TODAY has more:
Courtney said they are still in regular contact with Magnolia’s biological parents.
“We celebrate adoption in our family every single day,” Courtney said. “The real hero in this story are Magnolia’s birth parents. They chose her life, and they sent her on this incredible journey.”
The proud mom said she spoke with her little girl’s birth parents on Thursday about Magnolia being a Gerber finalist.
