Truly, where does the time go? It feels like just yesterday when Emily Ratajkowski announced she was adding mother to her long list of titles (which includes model, actor, author, and fashion inspiration, among others), with the birth of her son. However, it has been quite some since that day—three years to be exact.
That’s right, EmRata’s baby boy, Sylvester Apollo Bear, more commonly referred to as Sly, turned three years old yesterday. She took to Instagram to celebrate the big day with the sweetest video montage. The tribute opens with three cute clips of Ratajkowski holding little Sly throughout the seasons, followed by a series of cheery moments, including Sly riding on his mom’s back while she crawls around the room, Sly putting stickers all over Ratajkowski’s face, the two of them dancing like nobody’s watching, and the pair sharing an embrace at Christmas dinner. The flick is chock full of the toddler’s adorable little smile, big blue eyes, and golden blonde hair, and also highlights his cool style. Sly undoubtedly inherited his mom’s stellar fashion genes, as he is seen sporting a navy-blue sherpa jacket covered in white dandelion flowers, a cozy baby-blue knit vest emblazoned with a squiggly white pattern, and a festive bright red polo shirt, as just a few of the sartorial highlights.
The My Body author captioned the post with an equally heartwarming message: “Sly is THREE! This day three years ago I felt my beautiful baby’s soul come into the world and held him to my chest and my god—how the time has flown. Witnessing Sly become the loving, curious, funny and kind person he is has been the joy of my life. I feel so lucky to call myself Sly’s mama. I can’t wait to see what comes next 💞”
The milestone seems to have made Ratajkowski nostalgic about her own childhood. She gave her 30 million followers a blast from the past by posting a pic of herself at three years old to her story. In the snap, she sits in front of a big poster painted by her dad that depicts a gray dinosaur and a green whale, along with the words “THREE AT LAST…” in big bold red text. Her toddler self looks like she just rolled out of bed with messy hair and a grumpy face.
Sly was born on March 8, 2021, to Ratajkowski and her ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard (who she split from in July 2022 following reports of infidelity). She announced the news of Sly’s birth with a stunning Instagram photo of herself cradling the newborn in her arms as she breastfed him, with the caption: “Sylvester Apollo Bear has joined us earth side. Sly arrived 3/8/21 on the most surreal, beautiful, and love-filled morning of my life.”
Christina Perrier is a NYC-based freelance writer who covers culture and lifestyle topics. When she’s not writing, she’s probably watching TikToks of dogs, experimenting in the kitchen, or curling up with a book.