CELEB MOMS OVER 40
Some would say 40 is the new 30 -- those people are called 40-year-olds. But now more than ever, women are having kids in their 40s, including these popular stars. Scroll through and see who was still changing diapers as they neared middle age
Mariah Carey
When Mariah Carey married Nick Cannon, eyebrows raised at their 10-year age difference. No one thought they'd last, until their third wedding anniversary this April, when she gave birth to fraternal twins at the age of 41. They named them Monroe, after Marilyn Monroe, and Moroccan, after the Moroccan-style room in which Cannon proposed to Carey. That's right -- they named one of the kids after a room in which the children were likely conceived. Clearly, they've already chosen a favorite
Nicole Kidman
She had trouble having kids naturally when she was married to Tom Cruise, so it was a nice surprise when Kidman had daughter Sunday Rose in 2008 at age 41 with Keith Urban. Two years later, they had a second daughter, Faith Margaret, via a surrogate. Oh yeah, and back in the day, Kidman and Cruise adopted some kids,
but he seems to have won them in the divorce
Madonna
Like a virgin? Hardly. Madonna was still working it at age 41 when she had son Rocco Ritchie on Aug. 11, 2000, with then-boyfriend Guy Ritchie. In 2008, she adopted a son, David Banda at age 48, and two years later, she went on to adopt a daughter, Mercy
James. These days, instead of having kids, she's dating them, like 24-year-old French dancer Brahim Zaibat.
Halle Berry
When Berry started dating model Gabriel Aubry, it was only a matter of time before they put their looks to good use and decided to reproduce. She gave birth to Nahla Ariela on March 16, 2008, at the age of 41, but all that sexiness was too much for Berry and Aubry. They split in 2010 and have been in a heated war of words ever
since, including when Berry reportedly referred to Aubry as only a sperm donor.
Courteney Cox
Five years and a day after she married David Arquette, Cox gave birth to daughter Coco Riley Arquette on June 13, 2004. Two days later, Cox turned 40 . That was one too many things to celebrate all at once, apparently, because Cox and Arquette split last year. Coco's godmother, Jennifer Aniston, is 42 and,
according to tabloids, would kill to be on this list.
Salma Hayek
On Sept. 21, 2007, Hayek gave birth to daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault at age 41. The father -- French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault -- was recently named in a paternity case as the father of supermodel Linda Evangelista's 4-year-old son. For the math majors out there, that means that if he is, in fact, the father, then
that was one amazing year for Pinault
Brooke Shields
After marrying writer Chris Henchy in 2001, Shields had daughters Rowan Francis in 2003 and Grier Hammond in 2006 at age 40. After the first child, when she told Oprah that she suffered from postpartum depression, Tom Cruise laughed in her non-Scientologist face, an act that only strengthened her
Marcia Cross
Cross was nearly 45 when she gave birth on Feb. 20, 2007, to fraternal twin daughters Eden and Savannah, so being forced to bed rest in the final month of pregnancy was no surprise. What was surprising, however, was that instead of missing time filming "Desperate Housewives," she opted to paint her bedroom to look like her
character's room and had the cast and crew film at her house.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep can do pretty much anything, can't she? That includes adding a fourth child, Louisa Jacobson Gummer, to her clan in 1991, just before her 42nd birthday. She's 62 now, so she's probably done with the baby-making, but four or five more Oscar nominations are still within reach
Kelly Preston
She's come a long way since being shot by Charlie Sheen, but Preston's biggest achievement could very well be her family. She and husband John Travolta tried having another kid after their son Jett died from a seizure in 2009. In November 2010, they were successful when, at age 48, Preston delivered a healthy son, Benjamin
Hunter Kaleo.
Celine Dion
It took six treatments of in vitro fertilization, but on Oct. 23, 2010, Dion gave birth to two healthy fraternal twins named Eddy and Nelson at age 42. The coolest kids in Las Vegas, Eddy and Nelson were baptized in Sin City in March, days before their mother began a three-year stint performing at Caesars Palace.
Julianne Moore
Prior to their 2003 marriage, Moore and her director husband, Bart Freundlich, had a son, Caleb, in 1997 and a daughter, Liv Helen, on April 11, 2002, when Moore was 41. Aside from creating a happy family, the kids also helped lend credibility to Moore's children's book writing career. She's currently released two in a seriescalled
Freckleface Strawberry
Naomi Watts
Watts and longtime boyfriend Liev Schreiber had son, Alexander "Sasha" Pete in 2007 and a second son, Samuel Kai, on Dec. 13, 2008, when Watts was 40. She said recently that she'd keep going if she could guarantee a girl, but five out of five doctors agree that that's not possible
ennifer Connelly
The "He's Just Not That Into You" actress gave birth to her third child, Agnes Lark, in May at age 40 and has since been seen out and about around New York City, being very into motherhood. She's still regularly named in magazine's "most attractive" lists, so she pretty much has it all now, doesn't she?
Susan Sarandon
Sarandon had her daughter, actress Eva Amurri with Italian filmmaker Franco Amurri way back in 1985, but the baby-making didn't stop there. During her 20-year relationship with Tim Robbins, she had two sons -- Jack Henry in 1989 and Miles Guthrie in 1992, when Sarandon was 46. But she's not quite the "mother lover," she
portrays on "Saturday Night Live" so don't expect her and Andy Samberg to be making any babies any time soon
ane Krakowski
Her "30 Rock" character would likely get pregnant or even fake pregnant just to gain some media attention, but that probably wasn't the case for Krakowski, who had son Bennett in April at age 42. Always the businesswoman, though, she told People, "My new favorite smell is new baby smell. If someone could bottle
that, I'd love to have it."
Molly Ringwald
She can put lipstick on without using her hands, and as it turns out, she can also have kids in her 40s. "The Breakfast Club" star married writer Panio Gianopoulos in 2007 after having daughter Mathilda Ereni in 2003. At age 40, Ringwald added twins Adele Georgiana and Roman Stylianos to the family in July 2009
Helena Bonham Carter
She and Tim Burton are one scary set of parents -- based solely on their resumes, of course -- but at age 41, Carter gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Nell Burton, on Dec. 15, 2007. One perk to being a Carter/Burton child? Halloween costumes for life
Emma Thompson
The then-40-year-old "Love Actually" star had daughter Gaia Romilly in 1999 with husband Greg Wise. Four years later, they also adopted a 16-year-old Rwandan refugee named Tindyebwa Agaba. This summer, it was reported that Thompson was in line to remake "Annie" for Willow Smith, so Thompson is just
helping kids all over the place
.Marcia Gay Harden
Harden and husband Thaddaeus Scheel had daughter Eulala Grace in 1998, and then added twins Julitta Dee and Hudson to the family on April 22, 2004, when Harden was 44. The kids also have an Uncle Thaddeus, Harden's brother, so for a few years, things might have been confusing in that household, but by now, they've probably
worked it out.
elen Hunt
Hunt probably thought her relationship with producer Matthew Carnahan was as good as it gets until age 40, when she gave birth to Makena Lei Gordon on May 13, 2004. Being a mother also changed her outlook on her career. "I want to be with my family and work on stories that I love," she told Daily Mail. "I no longer want to go to
some hotel in some city and play someone's girlfriend."
Geena Davis
In 2001, Davis married plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy, which can do wonders for staying youthful, but she defied science in 2002 when she had daughter Alizeh Keshvar at age 46. Two years later, she had twin boys, Kian William and Kaiis Steven, so she'll be a 96-year-old grandmother if they wait as long as she did to have kids.
Holly Hunter
In January 2006, Hunter gave birth to her first kids, twin boys. The then-47-year-old is not very media-friendly when it comes to her family, so photos are rare, and now, six years later, even the names of the little guys are still unknown. At this point, are we even sure they're real?
Mira Sorvino
Sorvino met her husband, Christopher Backus, at a charades party in 2003 and went on to have three kids, including Holden Paul Terry Backus on June 22, 2009, when Sorvino was 41. After a complicated pregnancy, Sorvino described her son to People magazine in two words "miracle
baby.
Jane Seymour
At age 44, Seymour gave birth to twins Johnny and Kristopher on Nov. 30, 1995, and a little "mother's intuition" helped the mother of six discover a breathing problem in the premature kids. "Mothers have a sixth sense," she told USA Today. "You're in tune with your child. You can hear them calling for help." Looks like all
those years playing Dr. Quinn really paid off
Annette BeningMariah Carey
When Mariah Carey married Nick Cannon, eyebrows raised at their 10-year age difference. No one thought they'd last, until their third wedding anniversary this April, when she gave birth to fraternal twins at the age of 41. They named them Monroe, after Marilyn Monroe, and Moroccan, after the Moroccan-style room in which Cannon proposed to Carey. That's right -- they named one of the kids after a room in which the children were likely conceived. Clearly, they've already chosen a favorite
Nicole Kidman
She had trouble having kids naturally when she was married to Tom Cruise, so it was a nice surprise when Kidman had daughter Sunday Rose in 2008 at age 41 with Keith Urban. Two years later, they had a second daughter, Faith Margaret, via a surrogate. Oh yeah, and back in the day, Kidman and Cruise adopted some kids,
but he seems to have won them in the divorce
Madonna
Like a virgin? Hardly. Madonna was still working it at age 41 when she had son Rocco Ritchie on Aug. 11, 2000, with then-boyfriend Guy Ritchie. In 2008, she adopted a son, David Banda at age 48, and two years later, she went on to adopt a daughter, Mercy
James. These days, instead of having kids, she's dating them, like 24-year-old French dancer Brahim Zaibat.
Halle Berry
When Berry started dating model Gabriel Aubry, it was only a matter of time before they put their looks to good use and decided to reproduce. She gave birth to Nahla Ariela on March 16, 2008, at the age of 41, but all that sexiness was too much for Berry and Aubry. They split in 2010 and have been in a heated war of words ever
since, including when Berry reportedly referred to Aubry as only a sperm donor.
Courteney Cox
Five years and a day after she married David Arquette, Cox gave birth to daughter Coco Riley Arquette on June 13, 2004. Two days later, Cox turned 40 . That was one too many things to celebrate all at once, apparently, because Cox and Arquette split last year. Coco's godmother, Jennifer Aniston, is 42 and,
according to tabloids, would kill to be on this list.
Salma Hayek
On Sept. 21, 2007, Hayek gave birth to daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault at age 41. The father -- French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault -- was recently named in a paternity case as the father of supermodel Linda Evangelista's 4-year-old son. For the math majors out there, that means that if he is, in fact, the father, then
that was one amazing year for Pinault
Brooke Shields
After marrying writer Chris Henchy in 2001, Shields had daughters Rowan Francis in 2003 and Grier Hammond in 2006 at age 40. After the first child, when she told Oprah that she suffered from postpartum depression, Tom Cruise laughed in her non-Scientologist face, an act that only strengthened her
Marcia Cross
Cross was nearly 45 when she gave birth on Feb. 20, 2007, to fraternal twin daughters Eden and Savannah, so being forced to bed rest in the final month of pregnancy was no surprise. What was surprising, however, was that instead of missing time filming "Desperate Housewives," she opted to paint her bedroom to look like her
character's room and had the cast and crew film at her house.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep can do pretty much anything, can't she? That includes adding a fourth child, Louisa Jacobson Gummer, to her clan in 1991, just before her 42nd birthday. She's 62 now, so she's probably done with the baby-making, but four or five more Oscar nominations are still within reach
Kelly Preston
She's come a long way since being shot by Charlie Sheen, but Preston's biggest achievement could very well be her family. She and husband John Travolta tried having another kid after their son Jett died from a seizure in 2009. In November 2010, they were successful when, at age 48, Preston delivered a healthy son, Benjamin
Hunter Kaleo.
Celine Dion
It took six treatments of in vitro fertilization, but on Oct. 23, 2010, Dion gave birth to two healthy fraternal twins named Eddy and Nelson at age 42. The coolest kids in Las Vegas, Eddy and Nelson were baptized in Sin City in March, days before their mother began a three-year stint performing at Caesars Palace.
Julianne Moore
Prior to their 2003 marriage, Moore and her director husband, Bart Freundlich, had a son, Caleb, in 1997 and a daughter, Liv Helen, on April 11, 2002, when Moore was 41. Aside from creating a happy family, the kids also helped lend credibility to Moore's children's book writing career. She's currently released two in a seriescalled
Freckleface Strawberry
Naomi Watts
Watts and longtime boyfriend Liev Schreiber had son, Alexander "Sasha" Pete in 2007 and a second son, Samuel Kai, on Dec. 13, 2008, when Watts was 40. She said recently that she'd keep going if she could guarantee a girl, but five out of five doctors agree that that's not possible
ennifer Connelly
The "He's Just Not That Into You" actress gave birth to her third child, Agnes Lark, in May at age 40 and has since been seen out and about around New York City, being very into motherhood. She's still regularly named in magazine's "most attractive" lists, so she pretty much has it all now, doesn't she?
Susan Sarandon
Sarandon had her daughter, actress Eva Amurri with Italian filmmaker Franco Amurri way back in 1985, but the baby-making didn't stop there. During her 20-year relationship with Tim Robbins, she had two sons -- Jack Henry in 1989 and Miles Guthrie in 1992, when Sarandon was 46. But she's not quite the "mother lover," she
portrays on "Saturday Night Live" so don't expect her and Andy Samberg to be making any babies any time soon
ane Krakowski
Her "30 Rock" character would likely get pregnant or even fake pregnant just to gain some media attention, but that probably wasn't the case for Krakowski, who had son Bennett in April at age 42. Always the businesswoman, though, she told People, "My new favorite smell is new baby smell. If someone could bottle
that, I'd love to have it."
Molly Ringwald
She can put lipstick on without using her hands, and as it turns out, she can also have kids in her 40s. "The Breakfast Club" star married writer Panio Gianopoulos in 2007 after having daughter Mathilda Ereni in 2003. At age 40, Ringwald added twins Adele Georgiana and Roman Stylianos to the family in July 2009
Helena Bonham Carter
She and Tim Burton are one scary set of parents -- based solely on their resumes, of course -- but at age 41, Carter gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Nell Burton, on Dec. 15, 2007. One perk to being a Carter/Burton child? Halloween costumes for life
Emma Thompson
The then-40-year-old "Love Actually" star had daughter Gaia Romilly in 1999 with husband Greg Wise. Four years later, they also adopted a 16-year-old Rwandan refugee named Tindyebwa Agaba. This summer, it was reported that Thompson was in line to remake "Annie" for Willow Smith, so Thompson is just
helping kids all over the place
.Marcia Gay Harden
Harden and husband Thaddaeus Scheel had daughter Eulala Grace in 1998, and then added twins Julitta Dee and Hudson to the family on April 22, 2004, when Harden was 44. The kids also have an Uncle Thaddeus, Harden's brother, so for a few years, things might have been confusing in that household, but by now, they've probably
worked it out.
elen Hunt
Hunt probably thought her relationship with producer Matthew Carnahan was as good as it gets until age 40, when she gave birth to Makena Lei Gordon on May 13, 2004. Being a mother also changed her outlook on her career. "I want to be with my family and work on stories that I love," she told Daily Mail. "I no longer want to go to
some hotel in some city and play someone's girlfriend."
Geena Davis
In 2001, Davis married plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy, which can do wonders for staying youthful, but she defied science in 2002 when she had daughter Alizeh Keshvar at age 46. Two years later, she had twin boys, Kian William and Kaiis Steven, so she'll be a 96-year-old grandmother if they wait as long as she did to have kids.
Holly Hunter
In January 2006, Hunter gave birth to her first kids, twin boys. The then-47-year-old is not very media-friendly when it comes to her family, so photos are rare, and now, six years later, even the names of the little guys are still unknown. At this point, are we even sure they're real?
Mira Sorvino
Sorvino met her husband, Christopher Backus, at a charades party in 2003 and went on to have three kids, including Holden Paul Terry Backus on June 22, 2009, when Sorvino was 41. After a complicated pregnancy, Sorvino described her son to People magazine in two words "miracle
baby.
Jane Seymour
At age 44, Seymour gave birth to twins Johnny and Kristopher on Nov. 30, 1995, and a little "mother's intuition" helped the mother of six discover a breathing problem in the premature kids. "Mothers have a sixth sense," she told USA Today. "You're in tune with your child. You can hear them calling for help." Looks like all
those years playing Dr. Quinn really paid off
"The American President" star has four kids with husband Warren Beatty -- Kathlyn, 19, Benjamin, 17, Isabel, 14, and Ella, 11 -- meaning Bening was 42 when she had her youngest child. Her eldest daughter, Kathlyn, announced last year that she was changing her name to Stephen, so now Bening has an even two boys
and two girls