Melissa Gorga Shares the Adorable Story of the First Time She Met Joe's Family

We've been watching Melisa Gorga hang out with her family, including her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice, for years on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. But now we're learning more about her early days with the Gorga-Giudice family.

Melissa posted the bit of trivia to her Instagram account timed to celebrate Gia Giudice's 20th birthday on January 8. And, believe us, it's a fun fact.

"Gia!!! I can’t believe you’re 20!!! I remember meeting the family for the first time at your 3rd birthday. You were so sassy and so cute," Melissa recalled about her niece. "I knew you would turn out wonderful. Happy birthday sweetie!"

Last August, Melissa and Joe celebrated 16 years of marriage. Together they have three kids: Antonia, Gino, and Joey. So it's safe to say that things seem to have gone well at that first meeting between Melissa and Joe's family all those years ago.

Over the years, Melissa and Joe have been candid about their marriage secrets. In 2015, Melissa told The Daily Dish: "I always say it's probably one of the most important things [to have date nights]. I don't know how couples can survive without being able to spend some time alone and take it back to it being about the two of them, instead of the bills, the kids, the mortgage, the work, the jobs. There's got to be a time that you guys just hang out and remember why you like each other so much."

Joe offered some insight into their marriage philosophy in early 2020. "A king must take care of his queen and a queen must take care of her king. No one is before the other. It's all about being a unit," he said. "She is my queen, and I am her king. We are equal, we are one."

Just a little refresher, in case you were wondering: RHONJ fans met Gia when she was around 8 when the series debuted in May 2009. Melissa first appeared on RHONJ in Season 2 and joined the cast in Season 3.

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