From PEOPLE Magazine
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If Maddox scored all the cool souvenirs, Zahara delightedly basked in something even sweeter—her mom's attention. Since her adoption by Jolie in early July, the baby girl—one of 720,000 Ethiopian children orphaned by AIDS—has blossomed under her new mom's loving care. It's something Zahara desperately needed. On July 9, after she was brought to the U.S. from Ethiopia, Zahara was hospitalized in New York City suffering from dehydration and a salmonella infection. Jolie kept a weeklong, virtual round-the-clock vigil at her daughter's bedside and now, says pediatrician Jane Aronson, who continues to care for Zahara, she "is growing and developing and enjoying life." During her most recent checkup, on Aug. 4, Zahara weighed in at 11 lbs.—2 lbs. heavier than when she arrived. "She has gone from the depression of abandonment [after the death of her birth mother]," says Aronson, "to being completely and unconditionally loved and attached."
It is a transformation that never would have been possible without Jolie's proven mothering instincts. Whether nestled in her favorite spot—an infant carrier on Mom's chest—or hanging out on the Long Island set of Jolie's upcoming drama The Good Shepherd, Zahara "is completely relaxed," says Aronson, who runs the nonprofit Worldwide Orphans Foundation and plans to partner with Jolie in bringing more services to children in Ethiopia. The sweet-natured Zahara, says Aronson, is "a sugar plum" who "knows every need she has will be met by her mother. They have this connection between the two of them."
Just as Zahara is coming into her own, Jolie herself is energetically embracing her new role as a working mom of two. Sure, she has the help of nannies as well as the benefits of fame and wealth—not to mention a devoted boyfriend. But just as she has done since adopting Maddox from Cambodia in 2002, Jolie, 30, continues to undertake motherhood with the same intense drive she brings to the rest of her life (though rumors of a pregnancy have been flatly denied). "Angelina has always had a knack for finding a perfect balance," says a source close to her, "between her work and her family."
The result, for her children, is a lifestyle that can be wildly exotic—by now Maddox has more passport stamps than a seasoned diplomat—but, more often than not, surprisingly real. Since arriving in New York for the Shepherd shoot earlier this month, Jolie has ferried her children to a Manhattan Whole Foods and an art-supply store and tended to them during filming breaks. And she is pragmatic about the near constant, often exhausting attention that she and her children attract. "She understands the media have a job to do," says the source. "What frustrates her is that people focus on things they don't need to pay attention to rather than the important issues."
Of course, the primary focus of that unwanted attention is her relationship with Pitt, 41. As private as ever, the couple have maintained their custom of making low-key outings with as little fanfare as possible. The visit to the dinosaur museum was the first time the duo had been spotted together since their two-day Arizona getaway in early August. (The museum trip also took place the day after the latest divorce proceedings by Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were filed.) During the group's guided tour, "Brad asked a lot of questions about the [local] geography and landscape," says the museum's Wendy Taylor. Afterward, Pitt browsed at Badlands Choppers, a nearby motorcycle shop, where he inquired about a Honda 50 while holding Zahara "the whole time," says shop owner Sean Saunders. (Jolie and Maddox were next door buying sub sandwiches for dinner.) "He seems like a natural dad."
Although Jolie and her kids had been staying in Malibu with Pitt—who recently hosted a fourth-birthday party for Maddox—the couple will be separated for the next few months on their respective movie sets. Meanwhile, Jolie is devoting even more energy to her relief work, with plans to create children's programs in Ethiopia as she did in Cambodia after adopting Maddox. "Angelina will always be involved in the countries her children are from, whether it's Ethiopia, Cambodia or wherever her next child is from," says a source close to the actress. For now, though, she is happy to focus on bonding with her newest precious addition. Zahara "is completely connected to Angelina," says Aronson. "They are one. They're in love."
Michelle Tauber and Samantha Miller. Lycia Naff in Calgary, Sharon Cotliar, Mary Green, Fernanda Santos, Tiffany McGee and Bethany Lye in New York, Barbara Sandler, Kate Klise and Shia Kapos in Chicago and Julie Jordan in Los Angeles
- Contributors:
- Lycia Naff,
- Sharon Coliar,
- Mary Geen,
- Fernanda Santos,
- Tiffany McGee,
- Bethany Lye,
- Barbera Sandler,
- Kate Klise,
- Shia Kapos,
- Julie Jordan.
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