Gigi Hadid celebrates daughter Khai turning 3

Former couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik still have one major thing in common: their love for their daughter, Khai.

Model Hadid, 28, and singer Malik, 30, welcomed Khai, in September 2020.

On Sept. 20, 2023, Hadid celebrated Khai's third birthday on Instagram. The proud mom-of-one shared photos of her and Khai over the years and said she's "so honored to get to be her mama."

In various interviews, Hadid and Malik have opened up about raising Khai together, including on TODAY. Hadid told Willie Geist on Sunday Sitdown in 2022 that she suspects her daughter is a genius — "but that’s what everyone says about their kid."

Khai is already interested in self-care, her mom told W magazine in a story published Sept. 6.

“We get ready together. She watches me do my thing,” Hadid said. “She’ll brush her teeth with me, and now she’s wanting to put moisturizer on, which is so cute.”

Hadid explained how fun it is doing life with her daughter, and doubled down on Khai being intelligent.

“She really makes me laugh. We crack up and dance all day and talk a lot. She’s almost 3, and she is a genius, if I do say so myself.”

Here's everything else Hadid and Malik have said about their daughter.

Hadid confirms her pregnancy to Jimmy Fallon

Hadid confirmed her pregnancy in a March 2020 video interview with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show."

Fallon congratulated Hadid on her baby news.

"Thank you so much," she said. "Obviously we wish we could've announced it on our own terms, but we're very excited and happy and grateful for everyone's well wishes."

Hadid said that she appreciated spending time with her loved ones during her pregnancy.

"It's a nice silver lining to be able to be home and together, and really experience it day by day."

Hadid poses for a maternity photoshoot

Hadid posted a series of black-and-white portraits showing her baby bump in August 2020.

"growin an angel," she captioned one of the posts with a smiley face.

She thanked her photoshoot team in another post featuring a set of photos.

"cherishing this time. appreciate all the love & well wishes," she said.

Both Hadid and Malik posted on social media for Khai's birth

Malik and Hadid's daughter Khai was born on September 19, 2020.

The couple did not reveal their baby's name at the time of her birth.

Malik posted a sweet message on Twitter about his daughter's birth alongside a photo of them holding hands.

"Our baby girl is here, healthy and beautiful," he wrote. "To try to put into words how I am feeling right now would be an impossible task. The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine, and thankful for the life we will have together x."

Hadid posted a similar photo of Malik and Khai holding hands on Instagram on September 23.

"Our girl joined us earth-side this weekend and she's already changed our world. So in love."

Hadid subtly shared her daughter’s name by updating her Instagram bio in January 2021 to “khai’s mom.”

Hadid opens up about motherhood and her birth story

In a February 2021 interview with Vogue, Hadid revealed that she had welcomed Khai in an unmedicated home birth, and that Malik had actually caught Khai as she was born.

“It didn’t even click that she was out,” Hadid said. “I was so exhausted, and I looked up and he’s holding her. It was so cute.”

Hadid also shared in the interview that she and Malik planned to raise Khai on Hadid's Pennsylvania farm.

“I think she’ll definitely be raised here,” she said. “The greenery and the farm-y lifestyle are similar to what made me feel really centered as a kid, and I think that’s really important to Zayn and me.”

She discussed how her life has changed since becoming a mother.

“You have a kid and you’re lying in bed together and you look over and you’re like, ‘OK, what now?’” she said. “And you ask all of your friends the same questions, and everyone has a different answer.”

“And that’s when you kind of realize that everyone figures it out for themselves," she continued. "And you do it in your own way, and you can take bits and pieces from people, but you’re always going to end up doing it a little bit differently. This is our way.”

She revealed that she wants to keep Khai out of the public eye as much as possible.

“I have friends who are public figures and that’s how they’ve gone about it, and I see their kids really blossom in a different way,” she said.

Malik shares his experience becoming a father

In March 2021, Malik opened up about being a dad on iHeartRadio’s "Valentine in the Morning."

“Honestly, it’s amazing. A lot of people that I was speaking to, obviously before she was born and stuff, were like, ‘It’s a big adjustment, and it’s going to be a massive change and stuff.' But honestly, she’s an amazing baby. It’s been really easy for me and Gigi to kind of, I don't know, just ease into it, I guess. She kind of made it easy for us. She sleeps really well, she loves her milk.”

“It’s just feeding and changing diapers at the minute," he continued. "It’s wicked. I’m enjoying it, for sure."

He also praised Hadid's parenting skills.

"She's a wicked mum. Obviously, she's a really big help with everything. Yeah, she's doing well."

Asked about what has surprised him about fatherhood, Malik revealed that having a child has shifted his focus.

"There's a lot of things that are definitely surprising. I didn't expect to be quite as into it. I was always doing my own thing — writing, recording, making music. I was very focused on my career. I had time for my relationships, too, but it was still solely about me," he said.

"The fact that she's been so easy to adjust to has been surprising to me, because I just love spending my days with her, hanging out with her, just doing relaxing chill stuff, watching kid's shows on TV, learning nursery rhymes, rolling around with her, singing to her. It's a really different pace of life, but it's been really easy to adjust to."

He also shared that he sings lullabies to Khai.

"Sometimes she kind of makes sounds back to me, which is amazing," he said. "I just like singing to her."

Hadid celebrates her first Mother's Day

Hadid posted a sweet tribute to Khai on her first Mother's Day in May 2021.

"The rumors are true: my best friend, purpose, muse, greatest pride & joy!" she said. "I feel so lucky and inspired bein your mama, my Khai !! An old soul full of sunshine, you light up everyone’s days! Thank you thank you thank you."

She shared a series of sweet photos of herself snuggling Khai.

Hadid gushed over Khai's growth in an interview with Access Hollywood in July 2021.

“The highlight I would say is the most simple things. Seeing her learn something new every day even if it’s like, picking up a cup or putting a ball in a hole, you just think they’re the best, most genius thing that’s ever been born,” she said.

Hadid asks photographers to respect their privacy

While Hadid frequently shares photos of Khai on her social media, she takes care not to reveal her daughter's face.

In June 2021, Hadid released a statement on her Instagram story asking "paparazzi, press, and fan accounts" not to post photos with Khai's face visible.

"As our baby grows up we have to realize that we can’t protect her from everything the way we wanted to and could when she was smaller," Hadid said. "She loves seeing the world! And although she gets a lot of that out near our farm, she also gets to experience other places — a true blessing. On our most recent visits to New York, she’s started to want her sunroof [of the cart] raised (something she’s used to at home). She doesn’t understand why she needs to be covered in town, or what I wanted to protect her from. I also want her to see the most amazing city in the world — the beautiful and diverse people who walk the streets of New York... that is, without the stress of the media circus that accompanies parents who are public figures."

"I know the laws change State to State, and I’ve seen some paparazzi photos of kids in New York with their faces blurred — but, from asking around, I believe that that comes down to the integrity of the photographer, publication, or fans sharing the images," she continued.

She asked that press and fans respect her and Malik's attempts to protect Khai's identity.

"I write all of this to say: To the Paparazzi, the press, and the accounts of beloved fans, you know that we never intentionally share our daughters’ faces on social media," she said. "Our wish is that she can choose how to share herself with the world when she comes of age, and that she can live as normal of a childhood as possible, without worrying about a public image that she has not chosen. It would mean the world to us, as we take our daughter to see and explore NYC and the world, if you would PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE blur her face out of the images, if and when she is caught on camera. I know it’s an extra effort—but as a new mom, I just want the best for my baby, as all parents do... And I hope this can continue the conversation to protect minors in the media, even if they come from a public family."

She thanked those who have respected her wishes.

"I would like to send a huge ‘Thank you’ to those paparazzi who have been so respectful, since I’ve asked them to keep a distance while I walked with the stroller since my first trip to NYC with Khai. I see you and I appreciate it."

"For a child, I can imagine that close or dramatic paparazzi frenzies must be overwhelming and disorienting...it still is as an adult that understands and deals with it often," she said. "Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope you can understand where I’m coming from."

She finished the statement by saying "With love, G.”

Malik makes a statement about co-parenting after his breakup with Hadid

The couple reportedly broke up in October 2021 amid reports that Malik had gotten into an altercation with Yolanda Hadid, Gigi Hadid's mother.

Malik posted a statement about the situation on Twitter on October 28.

“As you all know I am a private person and I very much want to create a safe and private space for my daughter to grow up in," he wrote. "A place where private family matters aren’t thrown on the world stage for all to poke and pick apart.”

He referenced the altercation with Yolanda Hadid in the statement.

"In an effort to protect that space for (Khai) I agreed to not contest claims arising from an argument I had with a family member of my partner's who entered our home while my partner was away several weeks ago."

“This was and still should be a private matter," he continued, "but it seems for now there is divisiveness and despite my efforts to restore us to a peaceful family environment that will allow for me to co-parent my daughter in a manner in which she deserves, this has been ‘leaked’ to the press."

“I am hopeful though for healing for all involved with the harsh words shared and more importantly I remain vigilant to protect Khai and give her the privacy she deserves,” he concluded.

Hadid tells Willie Geist about Khai's milestones

In a September 2022 interview on Willie Geist's Sunday Sitdown, Hadid gushed about Khai.

"I think she's a genius, but that's what everyone says about their kid," she laughed.

"It's so much fun, the more that she talks and understands and remembers, it just gets more and more fun, and she's a blessing.

She shared that Khai is "so mobile" and especially practices her motor skills early in the morning.

Hadid shares her "very mom" morning routine

In a January 2023 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Hadid shared that her morning schedule is dictated by Khai.

“Whatever time she’s waking up, I’m waking up,” she said. “I have a very mom morning routine.”

She also eats whatever Khai is having for breakfast.

“I make her pancakes and sausages every day. For Christmas, she asked me what I was going to ask Santa for and so I said I wanted a new pancake pan,” Hadid said. “I ordered myself, via Santa, this cool pancake pan — each little circle pancake is a different animal, so she can have lion pancakes or llama pancakes. It’s really fun.”

Malik opens up about Khai on "Call Her Daddy"

Malik told "Call Her Daddy" host Alex Spencer about his close bond with Khai in a rare July 2023 interview.

"Since I’ve had my daughter, the main thing in my mind is trying to be a good example to her,” he said. “That’s why I’m even doing this interview, you know? I used to get a lot of anxiety around having a conversation like this. And I want her to be able to look at me and be like, 'My dad’s doing this.'"

He revealed that he and Hadid share 50-50 custody of Khai.

"I'm hands-on with my child every chance I can be," he said.

“That time I have with her is so important because I feel like she’s grown up so fast,” he continued. “When I’m with her I don’t work. I just spend a full day with her doing the things that she wants to do, like painting, Play-Doh, this, that, go to the park, go to the theme park, go to the zoo, like we just have fun.”

Malik is careful about raising Khai in the public eye.

“I’m not necessarily trying to shield her from (my life) because she’s gonna know, you know, she will get to that point,” he said. “She’s going to have a certain level of awareness, she’s going to know what’s going on. I’m just trying to give her an option, so it’s like a choice for her. If she wants to be away from it, she can be out here.”

I feel like she is going to have a lot of options and whatever she wants to do in her life, obviously I’ll support her," he added.

For Malik, having Khai has brightened up his world.

“I feel like I’ve rekindled my own childhood through her. I feel like we get to a certain point in adult life where everything is kind of vague and grey and boring, and she’s brought that colour back," he said.

'Best of Summer'

Hadid shared a slew of adorable photos with her young daughter enjoying summer on July 31.

Though Khai's face is never shown, it's clear she has been having a great season at her family's farm. Pictures show the two picking blueberries, boating and eating popsicles.

"Best of summer ! 🙏💌🪴🍦," Hadid captured her post.

Hadid opens up about her experience as a working mom

In a September interview with PORTER, Hadid opened up about her work/life balance and revealed why being a mom has made her more "intentional" with her time.

“I think when you are a parent, you have to be intentional because, now, I literally have half the time. I work when my daughter is with her dad," she said. "And that’s the time I have."

"And the jobs I choose to fill that time with have to be ones that are fulfilling to me. I will literally fit in as many jobs as I can on those days. I’m sometimes a crazy person, but if it means a lot to me, then I do it.”

Hadid celebrates Khai's third birthday

Khai is getting older by the minute! On Sept. 20, 2023, Hadid celebrated Khai's third birthday when she shared some cute photos of them over the years.

In one snap, Khai was seen laying down next to her mother who drifted off to sleep on a bed, and in another, they were pictured having a beautiful day at the beach.

Hadid also shared a photo of Khai's "Frozen"-themed birthday cake and some lunch she gave to her daughter that had three lit candles placed on top of the food.

Hadid captioned the post, "Have been celebrating our THREE YR OLD this week 🌞🌈⚡️🌻 & just so honored to get to be her mama, to get to see life through her !!!! Happy Birthday to my sweetest, smartest, spunkiest bestie !!!!!!!! 💓 DREAM KID / love of my life🦄🦄🦄

This article was originally published on TODAY.com