Blake Lively reveals baby's gender, calls motherhood 'happiest time' of her life

NEW YORK, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Blake Lively opened up about motherhood and her newborn daughter with Ryan Reynolds in her first interview since giving birth.

Lively, who welcomed her first child -- a baby girl allegedly named Violet -- sometime in December, told People magazine that she's "always felt like a mama."

"I don't feel like it's a massive change," she said of motherhood. "I've always wanted a big family, and I understand that feeling when you have your first kid of 'Let's really be present in this.' I do want to just enjoy this moment. But I also feel like my first child is going to be the oldest sibling to the next kid, and that may change with each and every year."

The former Gossip Girl star, who is the youngest of five kids, went on to say that parents aren't the only ones who raise children, because "your kids also raise each other."

"Oh my Lord, the things I learned from my brother Eric. He's influenced my life so much," she said. "So, I'm looking forward to how one baby influences the other, and to my family as a whole, to every single chapter."

Lively, who will next star in the period drama The Age of Adaline, also spoke about how family has influenced her new website, Preserve.

"All the things I feel like I'm good at are thanks to my family, and they're things we're now embracing at Preserve: cooking, decorating, artistry. Family is at the heart of everything I do," she said, later adding that "this is the happiest time in [her] life."

"I could say that every day," she said. "I often feel like, 'I can't believe I'm experiencing this.'"

Lively's full interview will appear in the Jan. 19 issue of People.