Last summer, television and WWE stars Brie and Nikki Bella welcomed infant sons within 22 hours of one another. For the past year, the sisters have been raising the boys while living across the street from each other in Napa Valley, California.
Being so close was a relief when first-time mom Nikki, who had recently introduced solid foods to son Matteo, feared the baby was choking. She immediatly called Brie, who "sprinted across the street" to help out.
"I'm doing things like giving Matteo more chunky food and that is one thing that terrifies me is my son choking," said Nikki. "I think every parent goes through this with their first child where they're going from pureed food to, 'Wait you’re telling me I have to give him half a banana cut in half? Are you serious?'"
"There's definitely a point where you know a mother really has concern, and with my sister I can either hear it in her voice or see it on her face when she legit doesn’t know what to do and she's at the point of being scared or needing help," Brie explained. "That’s definitely where I know to come in."
Brie Bella's son Buddy was born August 1, 2020, the day after Matteo. She also has 4-year-old daughter, Birdie, with husband Daniel Bryan.
In just a few weeks, the baby boys will celebrate their first birthdays and Brie Bella says the event will be a "wild" affair commensurate with the boys' personalities.
"Our boys are wild, so we felt like there was no more perfect party than having kind of a woodland theme and calling it 'the wild ones.'" Brie told TODAY Parents. "We're going to have a joint birthday party — I feel like it's probably going to be the same for the boys for a majority of their lives."
Both sisters agree there is much to celebrate this year.
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"Being a new mom is so incredible," Nikki said during a conversation with TODAY Parents promoting the twins' new line of strollers, baby carriers and other infant products in collaboration with infant brand Colugo. "Creating this life and just watching Matteo grow has been the best experience and the best moments of my life so far. It goes by so fast."
Nikki says her sister was vital to making it through her first year as a new mother, explaining Brie kept a perfect balance of supporting her when she needed help while allowing her to form her own ideas about and methods of parenting.
"You have to figure things out for yourself in those uncomfortable moments as a new mom," said Nikki, who is engaged to "Dancing with the Stars" pro Artem Chigvintsev. "It makes you a better parent who knows how to handle situations when someone like Brie isn’t around, but I've also been blessed because I've had Brie in moments where a lot of people don't have that person."
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In addition to adjusting to Buddy and Matteo moving from babyhood to the toddler years, the twins say their relationships with their husbands and their family lives have moved into a better routine as their babies, now 10 months old, get older.
For Nikki, her relationship with Chigvintsev may have gotten a bit steamier since adding parenthood to the mix.
"We'll look at each other and go, "Oh my gosh you're such an amazing mom, you're such an amazing dad,'" said Nikki. "Being parents together has really made our relationship stronger, and how I see him teach Matteo and how he plays with Mateo literally melts my heart. It's probably a bigger turn on now than anything ever was a turn on back then."
And, Brie says while going from one baby to two intimidated her at first, she's now at a place where she can't imagine life without baby Buddy in their family.
"It does take a while to adjust to bringing a baby into your home, but now I can't imagine it before (Birdie and Buddy) came into this world," Brie said. "Daniel’s been helpful and we're back to normal. The only ones acting up are my French Bulldogs."
