The Newest Gerber Baby, Magnolia Earl, Is The First Adopted Baby Ever Chosen

Gerber has announced their choice for the brand’s 2020 spokesbaby — Magnolia Earl of California. Magnolia is special not only because she was chosen for this title, but because she is the first adopted baby the company has ever picked. Her story is helping to shed light upon the life-changing process of adoption. The tradition of choosing a yearly Gerber baby dates back to 1928, according to Today.

Magnolia will be turning 1 on Saturday, May 9. She was adopted by Courtney and Russell Earl, who have two other daughters — 12-year-old Whitney and 8-year-old Charlotte. They waited for months to bring an adopted child into their family, desperate for the phone call that would tell them their dream had come true. Finally, the phone call came, and the family adopted Magnolia nearly a year ago.

Courtney and Russell are extremely proud of the fact that their daughter was chosen as the Gerber baby, because it allows them a chance to speak about the beautiful experience they had with adoption. The two parents explain that just because their family members may look different, this does not mean that they are not an authentic family.

“This is incredible. 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,” Courtney said.

As Russell explained, love is what brings the family together.

“Mommy always says a family is built on love. We may all look different, but we’re one family,” he said.

The Earl family have a good relationship with Magnolia’s birth parents, and are grateful for them for bringing her into the world — and for allowing them to become her parents.

“We celebrate adoption in our family every single day. The real hero in this story are Magnolia’s birth parents. They chose her life, and they sent her on this incredible journey,” Courtney said.

Courtney held back tears while recalling the moment she called Magnolia’s parents to tell them she had been chosen as the Gerber baby.

“If you could hear the joy in their voice of how proud they are of this little girl,” she recalled.

Throughout the years, Gerber has made a point to choose babies of diverse backgrounds. In 2018 they celebrated another first by choosing Lucas Warren, the first ever Gerber baby with Down syndrome, as The Inquisitr previously reported. The very first Gerber baby is still alive. Her name is Ann Turner Cook, and she is now 93.