It still seems hard to believe that Bindi Irwin is a mom — but, she has a very sweet daughter with husband Chandler Powell, who's been a big part of the Irwin family for several years. Bindi's pregnancy is the first in the family, and the couple very sweetly recognized her late father, Steve Irwin, when naming her baby.
The two chose the name Grace Warrior for many reasons. "Grace is named after my great-grandmother, and relatives in Chandler’s family dating back to the 1700s," Bindi explained on Instagram. "Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior."
Bindi's not afraid to share pictures of her baby on social media, which is a joy for fans to see. But one particular picture seemed to stick out to the new mom. She realized a picture of Grace looked similar to an old picture of her around the same age.
Bindi shared the comparison shot on Twitter. "Baby Grace Warrior & Baby Bindi Sue Like mama like daughter," she wrote in the tweet. "We both love our hoodie towels." As you can see in the photo, both of them look very similar.
Baby Grace's arrival also came on an important day. It was the same day that she and Chandler were celebrating their first wedding anniversary. And, based on Instagram photos and captions, it seems as if these two couldn't be more in love with their little girl.
Fans couldn't get enough of the comparisons. Bindi has always been a favorite with those who also believe in wildlife conservation. Much like her father, it's been obvious that she has a truly loving heart and a desire to help protect at-risk animals. Her intelligence is also off the charts.
Steve Irwin had such a big personality that those who watched his shows and programs felt like they knew him personally. And, it seems like he was always his genuine self. While his spirit lives on through the Australia Zoo, it's also apparent in both Bindi and her brother Robert, who also works at the zoo — and proving to be the world's best uncle to baby Grace.
Fans have even added Steve into family photos, which Bindi sees as a touching gift. After posting one artistic image on Instagram, she wrote that "I wish we could all be together but sometimes life has other plans." She knows Steve would have loved his role as grandfather. "To my beautiful daughter, always know that you are loved beyond description," she added.
Robert has proven to be a wonderful uncle. He's been quick to give Grace plenty of shout-outs on social media, even mentioning that "Being Grace's uncle is awesome!! I can't wait to watch this little warrior grow up and take on the world – I reckon she'll be running the zoo in no time!"
"I feel so honoured that I'll get to share all the amazing experiences that I had growing up in a zoo, and teach her about everything from rescuing wildlife to caring for our family of animals," he continued. Bindi responded to her brother's praise of her daughter, saying: "Grace's little smile in the last picture ❤️ Here's to many wonderful adventures ahead. We love you."
The family did a wonderful job sticking together and staying strong after the death of Steve. Steve died on September 4, 2006, in Australia while doing what he loved. He was only 44 at the time of his death. Steve died after being stung by a stingray. According to someone who witnessed the event, there was no way to save the star after the incident.
Justin Lyons, who was Steve's underwater cameraman, was with Steve at the time and watched the events unfold. "He obviously didn't know it had punctured his heart but he knew it had punctured his lung," he said, reports The Guardian. "He was having trouble breathing. Even if we'd been able to get him into an emergency ward at that moment we probably wouldn't have been able to save him, because the damage to his heart was massive. As we're motoring back I'm screaming at one of the other crew in the boat to put their hand over the wound and we're saying to him things like, 'Think of your kids, Steve, hang on, hang on, hang on.' He just sort of calmly looked up at me and said, 'I'm dying.' And that was the last thing he said."
While the incident was horrific, it seems as if Steve made peace with what happened prior to his death. And, it made his family even stronger than it was before. The family has honored him in multiple ways, and they still reflect on his memory and lively spirit quite often. Not only would he had loved the chance to be a grandfather, but he's have so much fun with baby Grace.
Bindi still has her wonderful mom Terri, who has also made her love of baby Grace very obvious online. She was one of the first to comment on the comparison photo on Twitter. It's very likely that seeing the photo of Bindi as a baby brought her back. (And since they look so much alike, even holding Grace might give her similar flashbacks.)
The Irwin family will always be one of the best on television. Not only do they work together to achieve so much for the animals in Australia, but they also seem genuine. Despite being on television, they seem to project exactly who they are in person. Steve would be so proud to see how far they've come.
