"Proud" Angelina Takes Maternity Leave

Saturday, March 24, 2007

The first few moments of mother and child bonding typically brings tears to the new mom's eyes. In Vietnam Thursday morning, it was the child who did most of the crying.

Three-year-old Pax Thien Jolie, the fourth and newest addition to the Jolie-Pitt brood, was apparently less than thrilled, at least initially, about the prospect of being adopted by Hollywood's hottest couple this week and burst into tears when Jolie knelt down to greet him at the orphanage.

Of course, that could be because no one actually told Pax that he was being adopted.

"We did not say anything to him, afraid we might put pressure on him and [make him] more frightened," Bui Thi Thanh Tuyen, the Tam Binh orphanage nurse who served as the boy's primary caretaker in the facility, told People. "We just told him that we are taking him out. 'You are going to play outside—play with a mother and father.' "

Not that the teary reception bothered Jolie.

"She told me she understands," orphanage director Nguyen Van Trung said, "that it's normal for all young children to be scared.

Jolie herself said as much in an interview with the Ho Chi Minh Law newspaper, published by the country's Justice Department and translated by the Associated Press, adding that the throngs of paparazzi and media that descended on their union, as well as the situation itself, would be overwhelming for anybody.

"Photographs and press coverage will make him upset," she said. "I'm very worried about that. I would like to say I'm sorry for bringing this into Pax's life."

Luckily, the boy seemed to adapt quickly, particularly after the 31-year-old thesp took Pax, whose pre-adoption name was Pham Quang, into a separate room for some one-on-one bonding time before the official adoption ceremony at the Justice Department.

"Later he was okay, very cheerful and happy," Trung told People. "He even played with his new brother Maddox."

The Cambodian-born five-year-old was the only other member of the Jolie-Pitt clan to accompany his mother to Vietnam. Brad Pitt was contractually obligated to remain in Los Angeles, as he is in the midst of filming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and the couple's two daughers, two-year-old Ethiopian-born Zahara and 10-month-old Shiloh, apparently stayed home to keep him company.

The family is expected to be united in one week, the amount of time it will take for the U.S. Consulate in Vietnam to process Pax's U.S. passport.

When the meet-up occurs, Pax, described by Trung as "a little shy," will have at least a few things to talk about with his brothers and sisters.

According to nurse Tuyen, the orphanage staff has taught the boy a few English phrases to kick start his new life: "How are you?" and "What's your name?"

Per People, they also sent him on his way with two sets of clothes and a selection of his favorite toys, including a small plastic piano.

While the adoption has been in the works since last summer, the general public only learned of the impending baby boom earlier this month, when adoption officials confirmed that Jolie would be welcoming another child in as little as one month.

However, officials have repeatedly denied reports that her adoption application, which she filed as a single mother in order to comply with Vietnamese law, was ever fast-tracked or that she received special treatment due to her celebrity.

"Throughout Ms. Jolie's adoption process, she received no preferential treatment from the Vietnamese government or Adoptions From the Heart," Heidi Gonzalez, the adoption agency's Vietnam coordinator, said. "Contrary to earlier reports, her application was not fast-tracked."

Not that the criticism bothers Jolie.

"Everyone would agree that children need to have a family," she told the Ho Chi Minh City Law. "I have the ability to help children fulfill that desire. Why should I say no?"

There's one thing Jolie will be saying no to in the coming months: work.

"I will stay at home to help Pax adjust to his new life. I have four children and caring for them is the most important thing for me at the moment. I'm very proud and happy to be their mother."

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