Gabrielle Reece Digs Deep, Finds More to Give Daughters
 Price/Ertischek/Splash News Online |
The inner reserves of love and patience that parents find they have with a subsequent child is always a pleasant surprise. In the cover story for the February/March 2008 issue of Fit Pregnancy magazine, Gabrielle Reece admitted she was worried about how the introduction of a second daughter — Brody Jo, now 18 months — would impact her first daughter, 5 ½-year-old Reece Viola. “When you have your second child, you’re surprised that you have more to give,” Gabrielle says in the magazine’s August/September issue. “With one, you feel like you’re giving everything you have, and then a new baby arrives and you’re amazed you can give even more.”
Still, it was a “big transition” for Reece to make; Because she is “very close” with dad Laird Hamilton, Reece needed to learn how to share his affections. When her older daughter struggles with as much, Gabrielle says she reminds her of all that she has gained. “I explain that Brody Jo will potentially be the closest person to her in her life, that it’s a good thing to have a sister,” she adds.
Motherhood has transformed Gabrielle, who says that when she is pregnant often feels like “a sitting duck, just holding your breath until the baby comes out and you hear a cry.” She adds,
“When we are separated as a family, I am acutely aware of it.”
As a mom, the 39-year-old model says that she’s become “more direct about things,” making decisions quickly because “there’s no time to mess around with unnecessary drama and frivolity.” When asked how Laird fares as a father, Gabrielle offers a description that many moms can relate to! “I see it in his face: When he looks at all the girls, I see so much love, but I also see him wrestling with the details of what it means to be a family,” she explains. “He knows when to step in, but he wants a medal after doing it.”
Source: Fit Pregnancy, August/September issue
