LOS ANGELES - The Tomkitten has arrived. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the
high-profile pair dubbed TomKat by the media, had a baby girl Tuesday, said
Cruise spokesman Arnold Robinson. The baby, named Suri, weighed 7 pounds, 7
ounces and measured 20 inches long, he said.
"Both mother and daughter
are doing well," Robinson said in a prepared statement.
The name Suri has its origins in Hebrew, meaning "princess," or in Persian,
meaning "red rose," the statement said.
The baby was born in Los Angeles but the exact location was not disclosed.
It's the first child for Holmes, 27. Cruise, 43, has an adopted daughter and
son from his marriage to Nicole Kidman.
Details surrounding the birth, which was planned under the tenets of the
Church of Scientology as a silent procedure, weren't disclosed.
Outside the Beverly Hills home where Cruise and Holmes live, about a dozen
reporters and photographers stood by. Security officers inside the compound
videotaped the journalists.
A security guard at the gate ¡ª which was shrouded in black to prevent anyone
from seeing in ¡ª refused to release any information. A few cars did arrive and
were allowed into the estate. A police motorcycle officer stopped by around 4
p.m. and sat watching the goings-on.
The patrolman, who identified himself as Officer Chase, said he was just
making a routine check, since activity around the area had been heightened for
some time. He asked if the baby had been born, was told yes, and drove off.
It was just about a year ago that Cruise's romance with Holmes became a world
sensation.
Cruise hopped up and down on a couch during an interview with Oprah Winfrey
as he professed his love.
"I can't be cool. I can't be laid-back," Cruise declared at the time.
"Something happened and I want to celebrate it."
The antics were widely mocked but Cruise was unfazed and continued to avow
his affection for Holmes.
He and Holmes, a star of TV's "Dawson's Creek," had been first photographed
together in Rome in April 2005.
She had previously been engaged to actor Chris Klein; Cruise had been married
to Mimi Rogers as well as Kidman, and had dated Penelope Cruz for several years.
In June, Cruise announced to a Paris press conference that he had proposed to
Holmes atop the Eiffel Tower.
"Today is a magnificent day for me, I'm engaged to a magnificent woman," he
said.
No wedding date has been disclosed.