Heidi Klum and Seal

With Klum's due date just a few months away, she splits from Briatore and is soon linked with British singer Seal. On May 4, she gives birth to 7-lb. 4-oz. daughter Leni in New York. He was present for Leni's birth. A champagne toast with her parents and Seal – by now a frequent companion – marks the occasion. Of Seal, a Klum pal tells PEOPLE, "He was an amazing confidant for her during this period and supported her 100 percent." Dec 2004: Seal wows Klum with an elaborate proposal, chartering a helicopter to fly them to a natural snow cave 14,000 feet off the ground in a Whistler, B.C., glacier, where a specially built igloo waits at the end of a trail of rose petals. Inside, a dazzled Klum finds a bearskin rug, champagne and Seal's guitar. "He'd spent two days building this fairy-tale wonderland that was the most amazing, crazy thing I've ever seen," Klum tells In Style. "He sang, got on one knee and proposed. And then there was the igloo – which had to be christened of course!" May 2005: Klum and Seal wed in a low-key ceremony on a beach in Costa Careyes, Mexico. Klum, who is now five months pregnant with Seal's child, wears an ivory lace Vera Wang gown, and 1-year-old daughter Leni dons a matching dress. Seal tells PEOPLE, "What first attracted me to her was the kindness in her smile that prompted me to feel that I hadn't seen anyone more beautiful." Sep 2005: Still newlyweds, Klum and Seal welcome their son Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, named after Seal (born Sealhenry Samuel) and Klum's father. "What I love most about fatherhood," Seal tells PEOPLE, is "the opportunity to be a part of the development process of a new life." 2006: Now 33, Klum announces she is expecting her second child with husband Seal, which will be the third in their brood. Meanwhile, she continues to film the third season of Project Runway. On Nov. 26, Klum gives birth to baby boy Johan. In a posting signed by Seal on the supermodel's website, he describes his new son as "beautiful and looks just like his mother." 2007: With the fourth season of Project Runway on the way and Seal's new album due, Klum sings a duet with her hubby at the Victoria's Secret fashion show. The busy supermodel also reveals to Oprah Winfrey her risqué story of falling for Seal: "I met him in a hotel lobby in New York City and he came in just from the gym and I was sitting there and I was, like, wow. And I pretty much saw everything. The whole package." 2009: Klum and Seal welcome a baby girl, Lou Sulola Samuel, to their growing brood – which includes siblings Johan, 2 ½, Henry, 4, and Leni, 5. "From the moment she looked into both of our eyes, it was endless love at first sight," Seal writes. "She is beautiful beyond words and we are happy that she chose us to watch her grow over the coming years." In December 2009, Seal officially adopted Leni, and her last name was changed to Samuel. Klum and Seal renew their vows to one another each year on their anniversary in front of family and friends. On hearing her family referred to as a "patchwork family" in a German newspaper, Klum said, "I was, like, Hmm, is this an insult or is this positive? I talked to Seal about it, and we’re, like, it’s actually kind of great—we’re all different shades and we came together and we all love each other. They may call it black and white, but I’m not white, I’m a shade of brown and so is our daughter, Leni. She’s the lightest, then it’s me, then it’s our son, and then it’s Seal. So I think, Hey, it’s actually kind of nice to have a 'patchwork family.'"