Vanessa Bryant is bathing her daughter, Natalia Bryant, in love on her 18th birthday.
On Tuesday, Vanessa, 38, posted several sweet tributes to Natalia on Instagram, including two retrospective photos of the teenager with her late father, Kobe Bryant, who died almost a year ago on January 26 alongside her 13-year-old daughter. , Gianna and several others in a helicopter accident.
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In a photo, Vanessa and Kobe sit on the Los Angeles Lakers court with then baby Natalia for a sweet family photo. In another photo that same day, the NBA legend sweetly looked at his little girl as he held her in his arms.
“Daddy’s little princess, Natalia. ❤️🎉🎂🎉 # 18 # BirthdayGirl”, she subtitles Kobe’s second post holding her daughter.
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Vanessa – who is also the mother of daughters Bianka, 4, and Capri, 1 – shared more posts with recent photos of Natalia, one including a long and heartfelt tribute in which Vanessa thanked Natalia for helping to care for her younger siblings.
“Dear Natalia, happy birthday! Mom and Dad are very proud of the young woman you are,” wrote Vanessa. “You have shown so much strength and grace throughout the most difficult year of our lives. Thank you for intervening to help me with your little sisters.”
The proud mother went on to call Natalia an “amazing older sister” and “a beautiful model”, adding, “Thank you for being kind, polite and gracious in everything you do. You have no idea how happy and proud Mom and Dad is that you are our daughter. “
“We love you always and forever, forever and ever,” she added. “Happy 18th birthday to our eldest, Natalia, our prince! Always love, Mom, Dad, Gigi, BB and Koko❤️.”
The rest of Vanessa’s posts, with smiling pictures of Natalia, had short but pleasant captions. “Our sweet Natalia. ❤️ # 18 🎉🎂🎉😘💋”, she wrote next to a photo of the teenager, while captioning another photo, “I ❤️you @nataliabryant! # BirthdayGirl # 18.”
Last month, Vanessa took her three daughters on an after-holiday ski trip with her friend Ciara, who brought her children Future, 6, and Sienna, 3.
During the trip, Natalia sprained her finger and wrist during the trip, which Vanessa teased as “revenge” for making fun of her father.
“This is revenge for making fun of Daddy’s fingers. I was hoping for that [Gary Vitti] pulling my finger, so I tried to distract her, “she wrote on Instagram at the time, referring to one of Kobe’s previous injuries and Vitti, the former Los Angeles Lakers athletic trainer.” Fortunately, this was not necessary.
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Before the one-year anniversary of Kobe and Gianna’s death, Vanessa recently spoke about her experience with grief – and shared a few words of encouragement for those who may be experiencing similar emotions.
“Grief is a confusing cluster of emotions,” she wrote in her Instagram Stories Friday. “One day you are laughing right now and the next day you have no desire to be alive. I mean that to people who struggle with pain and a painful loss. Find the reason to live. I know it is difficult.”
Vanessa then said that it is her sons who help explain the reason: “I look at my daughters and try to overcome this feeling for them.”
“Death is guaranteed, but not living the rest of the day,” he concluded. “Find your reason.”
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