As Valentine’s Days go, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger just blew up the curve for every other couple on the planet.
Yesterday, Krieger and Harris unveiled a new and adorable variation on the concept of the Valentine’s baby, announcing the adoption of their new daughter Sloane Phillips (born on Feb. 12) to the rest of the world via social media posts on Instagram.
To use a sports metaphor, she is the USWNT of Valentine’s gifts.
As part of the reveal, the Orlando Pride captains each posted a loving tribute to their new child and her birth mother on their respective Instagram accounts. In doing so, the USWNT stars vowed to respect the birth mother’s wishes to maintain communication with their daughter, adding “she will always know how much you love her!”
Furthermore, Krieger and Harris promised to be open in raising Sloane, pledging to “share her adoption story with her from the very beginning.”
This blessed event also times out well for their athletic careers, with the Pride just beginning to prepare for the season-opening NWSL Challenge Cup on April 9th.
In a 2020 profile by Allure contributor Cotton Codhina, Harris discussed the couple’s plans to one day have children and their concerns with how pregnancy would fit into their lives as high profile soccer stars and parents:
“We talk about having kids a lot. The unfortunate part is someone’s going to have to give in their career. Which is not fair. Because we both love our jobs and have waited our whole lives for these moments.”
Since Harris and Krieger are still in the primes of their careers, adoption allowed them to avoid that scenario. And while their Instagram reflections indicated that the process was fraught at times, it also brought them even closer as a married couple, with Harris writing to Krieger:
“We are building what we’ve always dreamt of. You both are my everything and I promise to always do right by the both of you. I love you so much.”
That’s how you do Valentine’s Day right.
