It seemed like only yesterday that Gwyneth Paltrow announced that she and Chris Martin
were expecting their first child together.
Then, the world blinked and that daughter, Apple Martin, turned into a teenager.
Over the years, Apple has gone from a tiny tot to a beautiful young girl one who loves
her mama, is her dad's biggest fan and plays Taylor Swift on loop.
Before you know it, you'll blink again and Apple will be the new editor of her mom's
luxury lifestyle empire, Goop.
For now, though, let's look back at just how far Apple has come since her birth in 2004.
Little girl, big name
Any parent will tell you that naming your child is a deeply personal decision but one
that everyone likes to weigh in on.
So when Paltrow and Martin announced their first child, a daughter, would be named Apple,
you could practically hear people rolling their eyes.
"You may name your daughter after a fruit."
During an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004, Paltrow said she didn't understand
the hullabaloo over the name, saying:
"It conjured such a lovely picture for me you know, apples are so sweet and they're
wholesome and it's biblical and I just thought it sounded so lovely and clean.
And I just thought, 'Perfect!'"
Risk-taking teen
As Paltrow tells it, Apple's personality emerged early and has always been lovely.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey when her daughter was just three months old, Paltrow
described her little girl's demeanor as serene, saying:
"She’s very tranquil, she’s very placid and very aware."
But Apple has certainly come out of her shell as she's gotten older.
In 2016, Paltrow told Harper's Bazaar:
"My daughter is super ballsy.
[...] She likes to push herself; she wants to see how far she can get.
It's really inspiring to see that in a young woman."
Sounds like whenever Paltrow decides to hand over the reigns of her Goop empire, she won't
have to look very far to find her replacement.
Daddy's girl
You likely wouldn't get arguments out of anyone in the Paltrow-Martin family if you were to
call Apple a daddy's girl.
That connection clearly carried over into adolescence and beyond, because Paltrow often
posts photos of Apple fangirling at Coldplay concerts or just hanging out with her famous
dad.
The duo's tight-knit relationship is likely strengthened by the fact that Apple is quite
musical.
In 2015, Paltrow shared a video on Instagram of her daughter playing guitar and singing
in a kids' choir.
What's that they say about the apple not falling far from the tree?
Blue Ivy BFF
Gwynnie's friendship with Beyonce routinely makes headlines, but the real stars of the
show are their adorable daughters.
It's no wonder that Paltrow doesn't mind being the designated babysitter when it comes to
these cuties.
She joked about it in 2016, saying: "It's really funny.
It's like my kids' dad and Blue's mom are always doing these incredible, mind-boggling
things and I'm always with the kids."
"Baby wipes and juice boxes and that's pretty much how it is these days."
Get Swiftie
Although there's no denying Apple digs her dad's music, the girl's other musical tastes
are pretty typical for a teen.
Case in point?
Taylor Swift is apparently Apple's favorite singer, and Paltrow doesn't mind these musical
leanings at all.
In 2015, she posted a photo of Apple hugging the entertainer with the caption:
"Happy birthday, #taylorswift.
Thank you for being the kind of #girlboss that you are.
And for being Apple Martins biggest inspiration."
The following year, Paltrow confirmed to People that she's more than okay with her daughter
being a diehard Swiftie.
Mini Gwyn
You can't look at Apple's face without seeing Martin's shining through.
However, Apple is one of those kids who remarkably resembles both parents.
And while she may be her dad's little doppelganger, she's also her mom's mini-me.
A quick glance at Paltrow's Instagram feed is all the proof you need.
The mother-daughter duo often poses for pics together and, side-by-side, they're total
twinsies.
World traveler
When Paltrow moved back to Los Angeles from London in 2013, she knew that it wouldn't
be the last her family would see of the UK.
She explained to Red:
"It's part of my parenting philosophy that children should get the opportunity to reinvent
themselves at a few points in their childhood to see where their strengths and weaknesses
lie and to experience living in different cultures."
That mobile lifestyle seems to be working out perfectly fine for young Apple.
By her mid-teens, she'd already played with alpacas in Peru, sailed the crystal-clear
waters of the Caribbean, and caught a killer sunset with her mom in Mexico.
Tiny dancer
Over the years, Paltrow has made numerous allusions to her daughter's dancing skills.
In 2016, she showed Apple leaving a dance competition after the girl "crushed it."
In February 2017, Apple was captured at a dance competition in a seriously jazzy ensemble.
And in May 2017, Paltrow hilariously posted a photo of "#dancedad" Chris Martin wearing
Mickey Mouse gloves and tossing back a cocktail.
Apple's most impressive dance move to date, however, has to have been the aerial ballet
Paltrow photographed her daughter doing on a Mexican beach in June 2017.
She captured a similar moment in December of that year, but this time with dad hilariously
attempting air-splits in the background.
Sweet 14
When Paltrow posted a photo of Apple on her thirteenth birthday, fans couldn't get over
just how grown-up the little girl looked.
The change was even more apparent the following year, when Paltrow posted a birthday photo
with a caption that ended: "Thanks for hanging out with me, even though you are 14."
Paltrow understands how difficult these years can be, telling Today in 2017 that they were
"brutal" for her.
Still, she feels confident Apple will come out on the other side of adolescence better
than ever.