In a revealing interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Gisele Bündchen opens up about her recent marriage to Tom Brady and feeling like a mother to John Edward Thomas, the football star’s 18-month-old son with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.

Gisele says her relationship with Brady started off like a fairy tail. "In the beginning you’re living this romantic fantasy; you’re thinking, ‘This can’t be true, it’s so good!’" she says. But then Moynahan's surprise pregnancy announcement came two and a half months into Gisele's relationship with Brady, which the model says was quite the "wake-up call."

So what made her stick around through all the baby mama drama? "I think it was a blessing, because otherwise I don’t think I would have known what he was made of, and he wouldn’t have known what I was made of," says the eternally optimistic cover girl, "Our relationship has become so much stronger, and I think I wouldn't be as certain as I am today if it weren't for that."

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the newlyweds. Although the pair share custody of little Johnny when they are in Los Angeles, Gisele has yet to meet Bridget. "I understand that he has a mom, and I respect that, but to me it's not like because somebody else delivered him, that's not my child. I feel it is, 100 percent," Gisele says. "I want him to have a great relationship with his mom, because that's important, but I love him the same way as if he were mine. I already feel like he's my son, from the first day."

Gisele certainly sounds like a mother when she talks about the baby. "He’s a little angel—the sweetest, most cuddly, loving baby. I feel blessed to have him in my life," she says. Bündchen's also looking forward to starting her own family with her Super Bowl winning hubby—and is willing to consider adoption, "I would like a big family," she says. "I love children...Your family provides that; it gives you a sense of safety, and it’s a very grounding feeling. This is why you get married—you want to create those roots together; you want to give that to your kids. I would also love to adopt a child from Brazil. You think, If you make a difference in the life of one of them, that makes your time on this earth worthwhile."

Read the full interview here.