Meet Maddie: 2023′s Gerber Baby

The votes are in and the 2023 Gerber Baby has been chosen.

>> Read more trending news

Madison “Maddie” Mendoza has been named the new face of the baby food company as part of the 13th annual search, Gerber said in a news release.

Maddie, 10 months old, lives with her parents in Colorado and is said to love her baby music classes, swim lessons, hiking and trying new foods.

Her parents are first-generation Americans. Her dad, Jun, is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and now a lieutenant colonel physician in the Air Force, with 16 years of service. Maddie’s mother, Crystal, is a dentist.

>> Need something to lift your spirits? Read more uplifting news

Both of Maddie’s grandfathers served in the Navy and came to the U.S. with little to their names, Gerber said.

Maddie had challenges after she was born. She had trouble breathing and needed to be on oxygen for a few nights but eventually showed she was going to be strong enough on her own and ripped off the tubes, the “Today” show reported.

“She was able to tell us when she was ready to go home,” Jun Mendoza told “Today.” “That kind of aligned with her adventurous, independent spirit.”

“Being a rainbow baby, Maddie has brought us immeasurable joy with every milestone, snuggle and moment spent with her enriching our lives and making every day more meaningful and beautiful,” Crystal Mendoza said in the news release announcing Maddie’s selection. “We look forward to witnessing her grow into a kind, compassionate, strong, independent and worldly individual as we hope to be stationed overseas again to teach Maddie about all the different parts of the world.”

A rainbow baby is a child born after a couple loses a baby to miscarriage, stillbirth or otherwise natural death, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

The Mendozas sent in a photo of Maddie and a throwback photo of Crystal as part of the search.

Maddie now has the title of “Chief Growing Officer” and was given a new wardrobe of Gerber clothing, a year’s supply of Gerber food and $25,000, Gerber said. ABC News reported that she’ll also get a Mommy & Me luggage set and a Cannon camera and lens set. Another $25,000 is being donated to the March of Dimes, Gerber said, while Operation Homefront which supports military families getting $5,000, according to “Today.”