Could pink and blue be the new black? Judging from the swelling (in more ways than one) ranks of celebs with babies on board, there's more to life than above-the-title billing, bodyguards and a personal entourage. So as we prepare to honor our not-so-famous (but dear) mothers, here's a look at some stars who've recently joined the ranks, or soon will.
Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes
From globe-trotting first dates to whirlwind engagement, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, aka TomKat, were already a white-hot tabloid target when the pair upped the wow factor with the Oct. 5 revelation that Holmes was pregnant. But if most pregnancies find the spotlight beaming on the mother-to-be, the genesis for the TomKitten was dominated by the prospective pop: From insisting he would be taking frequent home sonograms of their work-in-progress, to assurances the couple would follow the "quiet birth" protocols of the Church of Scientology, Cruise, not Holmes, was the above-the-title star until Katie gave birth to daughter Suri on April 18. As it happened, the couple chose to have the baby in a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital where they shared both a floor and a birthday with none other than Brooke Shields, whom Cruise had famously criticized for her use of antidepressants to resolve postpartum depression following the birth of her first child.
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt
Mom Angelina Jolie became People's cover girl for this year's edition of the World's Most Beautiful folks, while Dad Brad Pitt continues his makeover as hunter-gatherer for the burgeoning Jolie-Pitt clan, already a family thanks to adopted tots Maddox, 4, and Zahara, 1. Barely a year since the erstwhile "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" co-stars dropped jaws and turned heads with their new relationship, the globe-trotting couple with a conscience are scant weeks away from the arrival of their first child. The nesting couple have been in seclusion (or as close to that as one can get with platoons of paparazzi close by) in Namibia, awaiting what will surely be one of the species' most genetically-blessed newborns.
Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin
News that Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow was pregnant with her second child by hubby and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was tipped shortly after New Year's when the London Daily Mail reported she was consulting a rabbi from London's au courant Kabbalah Centre to rid her home of "dark energy," to which she attributed a second pregnancy that was "not as peaceful" as the gestation for daughter Apple. Whatever new complications might have arisen, on April 8 the couple welcomed a baby boy in New York. And this time, the couple found a slightly less controversial name, dubbing their son Moses, evidently prompted by Martin's song of the same name, reportedly written for his wife and featured on his band's live 2003 album
Britney Spears & Kevin Federline
Oops...will they do it again? Handlers for pop tart Britney Spears and dancer-turned-rapper-wannabe K-Fed have been mum since Us Weekly's late April report that the tumultuous young couple was once more in the family way. The couple had denied earlier reports, appearing as early as February, that their firstborn, young Sean Preston, would be welcoming a sibling later this year. If the reports prove true, it's a safe bet pundits and paparazzi will be tracking this project as closely as the first Moon walk: The battling Britster and her raunchy consort have been tabloid fixtures throughout their courtship and rocky marriage, with their parenting skills coming under fire in recent months thanks to Spears' ill-advised freeway drive with Sean in her lap (rather than a sensible infant car seat) and the tot's tumble from a high chair in April.
Donald Trump & Melania Knauss
The press wasn't surprised last September when news broke that mogul-turned-reality-TV-star Donald Trump and bride Melania Knauss were awaiting a little Trump, since the Yugoslavian-born former model had talked up family plans at their glitzy wedding nine months earlier. The Donald would later admit he hadn't expected the happy news so soon after the nuptials, but by the time baby boy Barron arrived this March 20, the couple was ecstatic, showing off the newborn in an exclusive home photo spread for People. The newest Trump is the real estate tycoon's fifth, following three children with first wife Ivana (including Donald Jr., 27, and Ivanka, 23, both now featured on "The Apprentice," and Eric, 21) and a daughter with second wife Marla Maples (Tiffany, 11).
Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale
Despite five Grammy nominations, once and future No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani showed little disappointment when her "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" album snagged no statuettes at the February awards ceremony: After all, Stefani and hubby Gavin Rossdale, former lead singer for Bush, had something more important to focus on the prospect of their first child, which E! reported would arrive in late May or June, first confirmed by the expectant mom during a December concert in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. A radiant Stefani clearly relishes adding motherhood to her multitasking portfolio as singer, songwriter and fashionista and has even been inspired to add baby shoes to her line of L.A.M.B. fashions. Rossdale has a teenaged daughter from an earlier relationship, according to iVillage's Celebrity Baby Tracker.
Matt Damon & Luciana Bozan
Like his blockbuster alter ego Jason Bourne, Matt Damon has learned to hide in plain sight: Once a tabloid-friendly item thanks to his flings with actresses, Damon has spent the last year and a half quietly courting Luciana Bozan, a divorced mom and interior designer living in Miami. The couple announced their engagement just before Labor Day of 2005, with news of their pending delivery breaking on "Access Hollywood" in early December. The same day that story hit the wire services, Damon eluded paparazzi and press to wed his fiancee in a private ceremony. The couple expect their first child together in July, but Damon's already a proud stepdad for Bozan's daughter Alexa, 7.
Jack White & Karen Elson
The White Stripes' deadpan frontman, Jack White, had generated enough notoriety during his head-scratching romance with Renée Zellweger that his June 2005 nuptials with supermodel Karen Elson seemed like another exercise in media leg-pulling: Exchanging vows in a canoe floating in the middle of the Amazon didn't exactly sound like a traditional marital celebration. Another joke? Not at all. In late November, the Associated Press confirmed that joker Jack was going to be a daddy. On May 2, White and his wife welcomed baby daughter Scarlett to their new home in Tennessee, exactly two weeks before the scheduled release of White's new non-Stripes project, the Raconteurs, based in the guitarist's home town of Detroit.
Jon & Tracey Stewart
Trouper that he is, Jon Stewart didn't betray any signs of late nights and lost sleep when he hosted the Academy Awards in March. But just a month earlier, on Feb. 4, the sharp-witted host of "The Daily Show" and wife, Tracey, welcomed their second child, daughter Maggie Rose, in Manhattan. According to iVillage's Celebrity Baby Tracker, Stewart first went public with news of the impending birth during a guest appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman."
Mark Wahlberg & Rhea Durham
In various interviews, erstwhile male model and rapper Marky Mark, now a successful screen star, has credited the birth of his first child with long-term girlfriend Rhea Durham with changing his life. Now daughter Ella Rae, 2, has a brand-new baby brother, Michael, born March 22 in Los Angeles. According to Celebrity Baby Tracker, the couple picked out their son's name months earlier, in honor of Wahlberg's dad.
Mariska Hargitay & Peter Hermann
Mariska Hargitay can attest to the gift of good genes: Her mom was none other than '50s icon Jayne Mansfield, the cantilevered bombshell whose career was tragically cut short by a 1967 car accident, and Hungarian body builder Mickey Hargitay. Mariska, 41, hasn't relied solely on looks, having thrived in her lead turn as tough-minded Det. Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: SVU," the hit series where she met her husband, Peter Hermann, who has a recurring role on the show. The couple confirmed her first pregnancy on Nov. 30, and the no-nonsense cop is very much the blooming mom-to-be off the set. They're expecting the birth in June.
Mira Sorvino & Chris Backus
Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and actor hubby Chris Backus wasted little time starting a family, bringing their first child, daughter Mattea Angel, into the world in November 2004, six months after they wed. On Jan. 3, she told People that they would welcome their second child this summer: "I'm so excited that Mattea is going to have a sibling," Sorvino told the magazine. "We're going to be a family of four."
Rachel Weisz & Darren Aronofsky
For Golden Globe winner Rachel Weisz, life appeared to imitate art when cameras caught her swelling tummy on the red carpet on awards night. The Cambridge-educated actress, 34, won the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's nod for her role as a pregnant activist in "The Constant Gardener." In December, she had confirmed her real-life pregnancy with fiance Darren Aronofsky, director of "Pi," "Requiem for a Dream" and the upcoming "The Fountain," starring Weisz and Hugh Jackman. In a report published Jan. 21 on FemaleFirst.co.uk, the actress revealed she would play another expectant mother in director Wong Kar-Wai's "The Lady from Shanghai," expressing relief that she "won't have to hide the bump!"
Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams
In this year's Oscar front-runner, "Brokeback Mountain," Heath Ledger earned a Best Actor nomination for his anguished performance as secretly gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar, while Michelle Williams snared a Best Supporting Actress nod for her portrayal of Ennis' wife, Alma. If the couple's onscreen power stemmed from heartbreak, off-camera the Aussie actor and the Montana native fell in love with no ambiguity at all: The engaged couple, who've been splitting time between New York City and Australia, welcomed their daughter, Matilda, in October.
Russell Crowe & Danielle Spencer
Russell Crowe may have revealed a softer side after wife Danielle Spencer gave birth to their son, Charlie, in December 2003, but now that Danielle's entering the second trimester of her second pregnancy, the top-lining Kiwi has issued a pre-emptive warning to paparazzi considering future baby pictures. On Jan. 23, the New Zealand Web site stuff.co.nz quoted the erstwhile Maximus as threatening to "tar and feather" any photographer who came too close. "Dani was three weeks early last time," said Crowe. "She gave birth just a few days after she was chased down the street by four photographers." Crowe also linked his wariness of celeb snappers to Heath Ledger's red carpet drenching by Sydney photographers in an apparent payback for the actor's earlier run-ins with press.
Meg Ryan
Taking a page from Angelina Jolie's playbook, Meg Ryan traveled to China for eight days this January to complete adoption plans for a baby girl. News of the plan first broke in Britain's celeb-happy OK! magazine, with Us Weekly and the New York Daily News confirming the week of Jan. 23 that Ryan had picked up her new daughter from the U.S. Consulate to bring her home to Ryan's Brentwood estate. The actress has a 13-year old son, Jack, with former hubby Dennis Quaid.
Brooke Shields & Chris Henchy
Her first pregnancy brought actress-model Brooke Shields a beloved baby daughter, Rowan...and a harrowing dose of crib-side blues that Shields documented in her memoir, "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression." Neither that struggle nor Tom Cruise's notorious "Today" show rant about Shields' experience (and her use of antidepressants to combat postpartum depression) dampened Shields excitement about welcoming a second daughter with hubby Chris Henchy. In a coincidence that was lost on practically nobody, baby Grier arrived on April 18, the same day as Cruise's first child with Katie Holmes, in the same Santa Monica, Calif., hospital where the TomKitten, Suri, was born.
Mark-Paul & Lisa Gosselaar
Tweeners and teens in the '90s knew Mark-Paul Gosselaar as towheaded Zack, one of the squeaky clean kids whose high school antics drove "Saved by the Bell," where Gossellaar met his future wife, Lisa. The couple wed in 1996, three years after the series concluded its run. Gosselaar has since successfully graduated to adult roles, succeeding another former child star, Rick Schroder, as Andy Sipowicz's detective protégé on "NYPD Blue" and now has a recurring role on ABC's hit "Commander in Chief." The Gosselaars have a son, Michael, who turns 3 on Jan. 31, and will welcome their second child this spring, according to People.
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck
On screen, they faced off in superhero garb for "Daredevil," but when Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck paired in real life, the stars soon revealed a relaxed, down-to-earth vibe and embarked on a low-keyed courtship far removed from the glare of Affleck's previous fling with a certain Latina superstar. He popped the question in April, followed by confirmation of their pregnancy in May and a romantic Caribbean wedding in June, with daughter Violet Anne arriving on Dec. 1
Dave Grohl & Jordan Blum
When Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl failed to win a Grammy in February, he was reportedly more than philosophical: "I don't need Grammys anymore, baby! I'm retiring. I'm going to write a children's book," he told People . "Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you have kids? Or form a kid's band." The former Nirvana drummer and second wife, Jordyn Blum, welcomed their first daughter, Violet Maye (named for Grohl's grandmother), on April 15 in Los Angeles, and if Dad hasn't yet made good on his threat to stop rockin', he and his wife evidently relish parenthood.
Rod Stewart & Penny Lancaster
Rod the Mod proved his resilience with his 21st century comeback as a crooner, trading "Maggie May" for "Moonglow." On the other hand, his weak spot for leggy blonde models remains a constant, as does his ease with fatherhood: Stewart, 60, and his fiancée, Penny Lancaster, 34, welcomed their son Alastair Wallace on Nov. 27, 2005, in London, joining sibs Kimberly, 26, and Sean, 25, by Stewart's first wife, Alana Stewart; Ruby, 18, by girlfriend Kelly Emberg; and Renee, 13, and Liam, 11, by his second wife, Rachel Hunter. The proud parents are seen here introducing baby Alastair to the cast of this season's "American Idol."
Joely Fisher & Christopher Duddy
On "Desperate Housewives," Joely Fisher may be a bit tightly wound, but in real life the actress and her husband, cinematographer Christopher Duddy, are relishing their recent arrival, daughter True, born on Feb. 2. According to iVillage, it's the couple's second child together, joining sister Skylar, 4, and bringing the clan to six with Duddy's sons Cameron and Colin from his first marriage. The family's tinseltown gene pool is deep, given Fisher's own bloodlines: Dad is former crooner Eddie Fisher and mom is actress Connie Stevens.
Melissa Etheridge & Tammy Lynn Michaels
For rocker Melissa Etheridge, 2005 was an emotional roller coaster as she battled breast cancer, diagnosed late in 2004, according to MSNBC. But nine months later, Etheridge happily announced she was cancer-free and already planning to have a baby with her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels. That August disclosure has since been clinched with the news that the couple's dreams are coming true — twice. According to Etheridge's Web site, Michaels is now pregnant with twins due in the fall. "To answer the obvious question: We used an anonymous donor from a bank," reports Etheridge, who has two children by former partner Julie Cypher, Bailey Jean and Beckett, both sired by rock legend David Crosby, also by artificial insemination.
Maggie Gyllenhaal & Peter Sarsgaard
Up-and-coming indie actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard have been a couple for four years, so close friends were less than thunderstruck by their early April announcement, published in People, that they were engaged and expecting their first child. Gyllenhaal, 28, has appeared in 23 movies and numerous TV roles, while Sarsgaard, 35, has notched 22 features and a trio of TV appearances in his filmography.
Don & Kelley Johnson
In his signature role as stubbled "Miami Vice" undercover cop Sonny Crockett, Don Johnson was known for his stylin' pastel wardrobe. Turns out Johnson has had plenty of experience with pastels in real life, although primarily in pale pink and baby blue: He and third wife, Kelley, welcomed a baby boy on April 29, joining their two previous children together, Grace, 6, and Jasper, who turns 4 in June, according to People. Johnson also has a son, Jesse, 23, by actress Patti D'Arbanville and a daughter, Dakota, 16, by actress Melanie Griffith.
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