CHRISTMAS WITH THE A-LIST BABIES
It’s been a baby-filled 2008, with Angelina Jolie, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez among the big name mums who welcomed little ones into the world in the last 12 months.
Catapulted straight into the spotlight, these youngsters are bound to court headlines with every burp and first step they take - and we can’t wait to see it all! The tots will all be celebrating their first Christmases and we can only imagine what it’ll be like behind closed doors as their celebrity parents put up the tree and serve up a turkey feast.
We take a look back at the 10 biggest tot stories of the year, the events surrounding their births and what they can expect at this, their first Yuletide celebration.
KNOX AND VIVIENNE JOLIE-PITT They might only be four months old, but the youngest children of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie look set to be the most powerful tots on the planet - Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline have double the power of their fellow celebrity offspring.
Born on 12 July in Nice, France, the twins - named after Angelina’s mother and Brad’s grandfather - made their entrance to a fanfare around the world, and even received honorary citizenship from the mayor of Nice, who declared the pair “a pride to Nice and all its citizens.” They left the Fondation Lenval hospital aged seven days and went back to the French château they were to call their first home.
Our first peek at the tots was in an $11 million (£7.3 million) exclusive splash in America’s People magazine - and what cuties they were! Their big brothers and sisters were shown cooing over the babies and they seem to be settling into their large family.
Angelina says, "The twins are just the sweetest little things
. They lay next to each other
. They’re starting to smile a lot
. Knox looks like Brad and Vivienne looks more like me
. They are developing interesting personalities
. Knox seems more relaxed and Vivienne is more loud." We’re sure siblings Shiloh, Pax, Maddox and Zahara will spoil them rotten over the festive season.
HARLOW MADDEN Little Harlow Winter Kate arrived at just the right time to turn her mum’s life around.
Nicole Richie was recovering from an eating disorder and had endured an 82-minute stint in jail for DUI when she found out she was expecting rocker Joel Madden’s baby - and the socialite immediately vowed to get her life back on track for the sake of her unborn tot.
Miss Madden was the first celeb baby of the year, making her entrance on 11 January at Los Angeles’ Cedars Sinai Medical Center, and she left the hospital on the same day to head home.
The little one has certainly had a huge impact on her parents - dad Joel confesses he has had enough of his wild days now he has a daughter to consider: "We had a crib on the (tour) bus
. These days, on a Good Charlotte tour, there’s no partying on the bus." And loving mum Nicole is making sure the tot doesn’t have the same problems with food as she had - the Simple Life star is making homemade baby food, to ensure Harlow gets all the goodness she needs
. We’re thinking organic turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots will be the order of the day to satisfy both mum and baby on Christmas Day.
MAX BRATMAN Hot on Nicole Richie’s heels was Christina Aguilera, who gave birth by Caesarian section to baby boy Max just a day after the Simple Life socialite welcomed Harlow in the same hospital.
Her first son with music producer Jordan Bratman, Christina’s babe was christened Max Liron, meaning ‘My Joy’ in Hebrew.
In keeping with Jordan’s Jewish roots, the tot was circumcised at a naming ceremony at just eight days old.
The singer was keen to show off her new bundle of joy as much as possible and took him along to a Rock The Vote commercial shoot, to cement his place in political history
. And he wasn’t even four months old when the shots were taken - lucky boy! He’s sure to be interested in a music career when he’s older given the genes that run through him - growing up with Christina singing lullabies to you is bound to ensure Max has got a microphone in hand before he hits his teens, and his dad is just the man to make sure it happens.
And a little brother or sister could be in the works if his mum has anything to do with it: "Oh, eventually (I want another baby), yes
. Absolutely
. Motherhood comes naturally to me
. I think a whole new confidence comes with being a mother." EMME AND MAX ANTHONY We hope Jenny from the block moved into a bigger place after giving birth twins take up a lot of space! Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony welcomed little Emme in the early hours of 22 February and brother Max followed 11 minutes later
. They made their public debut in a $6 million (£4 million) photoshoot for People magazine - a sum that their canny mum has put away in a trust fund for them to spend when they’re older.
The singer’s life has been transformed since the arrival of the babies - and work has since taken a back seat.
She says, "Nothing is as important as Marc and the kids, which takes a tremendous amount of pressure off work.” But having such musical parents is bound to rub off on the twins - we’re betting there will definitely be a sing-song around the tree as the clan open their presents this Christmas.
ZUMA ROSSDALE We found it hard to comprehend a Gwen Stefani-Gavin Rossdale creation could actually be cuter than their first baby Kingston, but the latest addition to the brood, Zuma Nesta Rock - named after his parent’s favourite Californian beach - is just as adorable.
Posing in the nude with his beaming mum, the tot, who was born on 21 August, gurgled contentedly in his first official shot with his vivid blue eyes sparkling for the camera.
With rock’s coolest parents and big brother Kingston watching his back, Zuma is undoubtedly set to be the coolest offspring of the year - but he seems to be taking it all in his stride.
Dad Gavin gushes, "He’s super mellow, and at the moment very Buddha-like.” SUNDAY ROSE KIDMAN URBAN We were as shocked as anyone when Nicole Kidman announced she was pregnant with husband Keith Urban’s baby - and even more shocked when she decided to name the little mite Sunday Rose.
The tot, born on 7 July, was named after 20th century artists’ muse Sunday Reed - and Urban’s late grandmother.
The couple refused all magazine deals to sell photos of their "precious little angel", and Nicole instead waited until her baby daughter was four months old to show off a black and white snap of her and the tot during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in November.
And if mum Nicole gets her way, little Sunday has already met her future husband - Russell Crowe’s two-year-old son Tennyson! He says, "Nicole had one look at my younger son Tennyson, and looked up at me and said, ‘I’m a great believer in arranged marriages’
. I believe she made the connection between Sunday and Tennyson now - so Tennyson is already engaged!" That’s one union we can’t wait to see! LEVI ALVES McCONAUGHEY The birth of Matthew McConaughey’s first baby was quite traumatic after his girlfriend, Camila Alves, endured a 40-hour labour, before having an emergency Caesarean.
So it seemed only right that the tot was christened Levi - named after Saint Matthew, who was known as Levi in the Bible.
The tot, who was born on the same day as Sunday Rose Kidman, will be seeing the world if his dad has his way: "This baby will have to get used to the travelling life." And, considering the first family shots went to America’s OK! Magazine for $3 million (£2 million), we think there’ll be quite a few holidays in the pipeline.
The tot is already following in his sporty father’s footsteps - he was taken on his first surfing trip at just three weeks old, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Santa popped him a mini board down the chimney this year.
NAHLA AUBRY Having the Sexiest Woman Alive (according to men’s style magazine Esquire) as your mum, and a model father, Nahla Ariela Aubry was always going to be blessed with good looks.
Halle Berry and partner Gabriel Aubry welcomed the tot, whose name means ‘Honeybee’ in Arabic, on 16 March.
Mum Halle’s maternal instinct kicked in as soon as she set eyes on her new baby: "I want to keep my daughter healthy, and, being a mom, I want to stay healthy." The actress snubbed all offers to sell snaps of their bundle of joy to a magazine and instead the youngster was snapped for the first time in August on a day trip to Los Angeles Zoo.
With a head of curls and a smile that would stop you in your tracks, Nahla giggled and even had a little snooze on the outing - oblivious that all eyes were on her.
We bet there will be lots of lovely little outfits waiting under the tree for her first Christmas.
HONOR WARREN Less than a month after her secret wedding to Cash Warren, Jessica Alba gave birth to Honor Marie on 8 June at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center yep, that place again! The actress let us all see her newborn in an exclusive with OK! Magazine.
She said, "She dreams, she smiles, and coos and does all these things, but she hasn’t seen enough of the world yet to understand any of that stuff
. So I still feel like she’s connected to the other world, or something
. There’s no other way to explain it
. It’s a miracle." Wow, she sounds perfect! The new family will be preparing for their first Christmas together and, given that acting runs in her blood, we reckon little Honor will definitely be keeping everyone entertained over the festive season.
BRONX MOWGLI WENTZ One of the last celebrity tots of the year made his appearance on 20 November and shocked us all with his outlandish name.
Bronx Mowgli is destined for big things, we’re sure - maybe he’ll follow in mum Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and dad Pete Wentz’s footsteps and turn into a rocker? The seven pounds, 11 ounces (3.23 kilograms) baby was given his middle name as a tribute to the Jungle Book character - his parents fell in love over the tale.
Newborn Bronx is an inquisitive soul - he stayed up late into his first night just smiling at everyone in the room, according to his paternal grandparents.
And his Auntie Jessica is just as smitten with the little lad: "Bronx is beyond precious
. I’m over the moon with joy
. Life is a beautiful miracle
. Ashlee and Pete are healthy, happy and enjoying every moment." Bring on pictures of the happy family
. (CL/WN/KL&ZN) WENN - FOURTH - CHRISTMAS FEATURE - 23 DECEMBER 2008 ————————————————————————–
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
