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NEED TO KNOW
- Kristina Shirley’s daughter Karly is seen for one of the first times as she celebrates her 18th birthday
- The teenager was seen in a series of photos posted by her stepsister Leah
- Karly is Kristina’s daughter from a previous marriage
Kristina Shirley’s daughter Karly is celebrating her 18th birthday — and her stepsister Leah is sharing a few sweet photos.
This past week, Shirley’s stepdaughter, Leah, 16, shared a series of photos on her Instagram in honor of Karly’s 18th birthday, which marked one of the first times Karly had been seen publicly. In one photo, Leah could be seen smiling next to her stepsister, who wore a birthday sash and kissed her sister on the cheek.
She also included a few photos of the two of them throughout the years, including throwback snaps of the sisters on Halloween and wearing matching hats.
“HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY SISSY!!! Remember to have no regrets with wherever life leads you from now on, I love you so much, I hope you had the best day ever.❤️ @karlyander07,” Leah wrote in her caption.
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Karly is Kristina’s daughter from a previous marriage. She is now married to Gary Shirley and the two share daughter Emilee, 7. Gary is also dad to daughter Leah, whom he shares with ex Amber Portwood.
On this past season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Leah asked her dad Gary to look back into the process of having stepmom Kristina adopt her. “It is one of those things where, as a father, I want to make sure you know if it’s 100, what you want,” Gary began.
The teen eagerly cut him off to reiterate that it is what she wants. “I know that, I know it is,” he acknowledged.
“I’m just saying, it’s like, once that happens, it would basically be for your mom, for Amber, it would be a big heartbreak for her,” Gary said, adding, “Which I know is not what you want to do, but it’s just part of the process.”
“It is literally what it is. She didn’t raise me,” Leah muttered.
“For me, it’s whatever you want,” Gary reassured her.
Kristina quietly added, “The thing that scares me the most, too, is like, with her being under the age of 18, if something were to happen to you, what would happen to Leah?”
The three contemplated the possibilities, and Gary said, “I think I want to speak to an attorney and at least just get the information. See what that would entail. That’s the next step. I am going to call a couple of attorneys and see what they say.”