All About Kate Upton and Justin Verlander's Daughter Genevieve

The Sports Illustrated model and her MLB star husband welcomed their first child in 2018

Motherhood is Kate Upton’s greatest accomplishment.

The supermodel is the proud mother of a daughter named Genevieve “Vivi” Upton Verlander. Upton announced that she was expecting her first child less than a year after marrying her baseball player husband, Justin Verlander. Three days after celebrating their first wedding anniversary in November 2018, the couple welcomed Vivi to their family.

“She melts my heart. I’m so obsessed with her,” The Other Woman actress told PEOPLE ahead of her first Mother’s Day in 2019.

Earlier that same year, Verlander opened up about what it was like becoming a dad. “I really can’t even put into words how much I love this little girl,” he shared with PEOPLE. “It’s been an amazing experience that I’m not taking for granted. I’m relishing every moment.”

Upton also told Today with Hoda & Jenna that motherhood has changed her “entire perspective.” She said in November 2020, “Everything I do is for her. Wanting to make the world better for her. Wanting to be better for her. Wanting to be with her more,” adding that it has "really changed everything.”

From how she got her name to how she’s being raised, here's everything to know about Kate Upton and Justin Verlander's daughter, Genevieve “Vivi” Upton Verlander.

She’s a Scorpio

Upton and Verlander became parents on Nov. 7, 2018. The model announced her daughter’s arrival with a black-and-white photo of her baby girl's face and hand.

“Genevieve Upton Verlander 💗 11.7.18,” Upton captioned the Instagram post three days later.

Verlander also shared the news on his Instagram with a black-and-white picture of him and Upton holding their daughter's hand. Alongside the precious image, he penned, “Welcome to the world Genevieve Upton Verlander. You stole my ❤️ the first second I met you!!! 11.7.2018.”

She was named in a unique way

While the name Genevieve was Upton’s top pick for their daughter, the actress let her husband, who had “some real name-commitment issues,” make the final decision.

“We were going back and forth even in the hospital,” she recalled in an interview with Extra in January 2019.

Upton ended up “kind of” leaving Verlander “on his own.” She said, “He knew that Genevieve was my favorite, so I just left him to fill out the paperwork. I was like, ‘I can’t deal with that right now.’ ”

Today, Upton and Verlander often refer to their daughter as Vivi on their social media accounts.

She’s being raised to be happy

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2019, the Strong4Me Fitness co-creator said that she is raising Vivi “to be as happy as she can possibly be and to grow up in a healthy lifestyle.” Upton pointed out that “eating healthy and working out is putting you in the best mental place to be your best self and to have that confidence."

She helps her mom work out

The model has incorporated Vivi into her at-home workouts. In 2020, Upton shared a video of herself doing lunges while holding her then 1½-year-old daughter. “My baby girl is my favorite addition to my @strong4mefit workouts,” she wrote on Instagram.

The year after giving birth, Upton shared with PEOPLE that working out again was “so hard," but she celebrated the "little wins" along the way.

“I personally don’t love getting on the scale too much, because it fluctuates from so many things," she said in 2019. "So I always try to focus on my weights — am I going up in weights, do I feel stronger when I’m doing lunges. I’m definitely getting stronger and feeling better.”

Upton also noted that she wants to be a good example for Vivi and strives to do that by being healthy and caring about herself so she “can be a great mom.”

She celebrated her dad’s World Series win in 2022

Vivi was on the field of Minute Maid Park in Houston celebrating with her dad after his World Series victory in 2022.

“Congrats to @astrosbaseball and my husband on winning the World Series! And even more reason to celebrate … now we get you home! ❤️,” Upton captioned photos of Verlander and their daughter on Instagram.

Vivi sat on her dad’s lap as he appeared on Fox following the Houston Astros’ win. Upton dropped by the set, where she reflected on the “incredible experience."

"Having Justin home and being able to be together as a family is so amazing, and then to go to the exact extreme and be here at the World Series and then win is just so exciting and so worth it," the Sports Illustrated cover girl said. "We miss him every time he goes away."

She shares her mom's passion for horses

Upton is a self-proclaimed “horse girl” who grew up riding and competing. The equestrian told GQ in April 2012 that horses are her “passion” and years later, she's gotten to share it with Vivi.

During an interview on Today with Hoda & Jenna in November 2020, Upton revealed that her daughter has inherited her love for horses.

“She loves them. She calls them nay-nays. It’s so sweet. We go to the barn as much as possible,” Upton said, adding that Vivi also “enjoys watching the races.”

Her dad won’t be pressuring her to play baseball

Verlander wants his daughter to do whatever it is she wants. "She can be her own woman," the baseball star told PEOPLE in March 2019. "I'm not going to be putting any pressure on her. She can do what she wants and I'm excited to see."

Until then, Verlander is enjoying her coming to see him play. Speaking with PaperCity magazine in October 2023, the MLB star revealed that he's loosened up his pre-game rituals in favor of spending quality time with Vivi beforehand.

“I think my daughter has helped me a lot,” he said about his pre-game jitters. “Just being able to kind of get out of my own way sometimes before games. And I try to enjoy the time with her before I come to the field. And it’s a pleasant distraction from what’s to come.”

Verlander added that she's "the light of my life." The dad has also given his Instagram followers a glimpse of these sweet moments, like in July 2022 when he sat on the floor of a stadium while Vivi had a snack. "My favorite part of the day. ❤️," he captioned the snap.

She walked a red carpet with her parents

Vivi hit the red carpet with her mom and dad for the 2022 MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show. Upton’s daughter wore an adorable yellow dress as she held both of her parents’ hands at the event in Los Angeles.

On Instagram, Upton wrote, “It was so fun having the family together to support Justin at his 9th All-Star experience. I am so proud of you @justinverlander! ❤️.”

She has "better style" than her parents

Vivi is a budding fashionista, according to her mom.

"She loves to get dressed with me. I think she has better style than Justin and I, so she picks out all her own clothes," Upton told PEOPLE in April 2024. "And that makes me so happy, because clothes are such a creative expression of yourself, and I love that she has found that even at her age."

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