Babies are powerful creatures, and celebrities are far from immune to their charms — as they proved in 2014, by sharing pics of those chubby cheeks, fingers and toes on Twitter and Instagram.
This past year provided a bumper crop of social media announcements and photos, proving yet again that newborns melt even the gruffest of hearts (we're looking at you, Simon Cowell) while also spurring creative expressions of protective love (hello, Ashton Kutcher and Kristen Bell).
Here's just a small selection of the famous progeny born this year — brace yourselves for cute overload!
Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman
The former "American Idol" judge got all gooey when he greeted his first child on Feb. 15 with girlfriend Lauren Silverman. Baby Eric is Silverman's second child, and is now a step-brother to Adam.
John Krasinski and Emily Blunt
The "Into the Woods" star and her "Office" actor husband welcomed their first child, Hazel, on Feb. 16 — what a nice post-Valentine's Day present!
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale
"The Voice" coach and her fellow-musician husband added to their brood on March 1, with Apollo Bowie Flynn (a name explained in dad's tweet shortly thereafter). Apollo joined big brothers Kingston and Zuma.
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky
It was twins for the Australian "Thor" actor and his Madrid-born wife Pataky, who posted a partial picture of the newest additions to their family (the couple have a daughter, India Rose) shortly after their birth. Pataky wrote in Spanish, "You are home! Tristan and Sasha came into this world on March 18, just after a full moon. Complete happiness!"
Idris Elba and Nayiana Garth
The man who could be Bond announced on Twitter April 18 that his girlfriend had given birth to their son Winston, and is clearly one proud papa. Elba also has a daughter, Isan, from an earlier relationship.
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
On June 12, the "American Idol" alum gave birth to her first child, River Rose, and tweeted about her arrival; within days she'd posted a perfectly posed, precious pic of the babe. River joined step-siblings Savannah and Seth, from a previous relationship of Blackstock's.
Christina Aguilera and Matthew Rutler
The pop princess gave birth to her second child on Aug. 16, naming her Summer Rain. She's the first child for the engaged couple and joined Max, Aguilera's son from a previous marriage.
Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expanded their family ties further on Sept. 26, when their daughter and her husband brought Charlotte Clinton into the world. Shortly afterward, the proud grandparents showed off their new addition in their own tweet.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jionni LaValle
Also on Sept. 26, the former "Jersey Shore" reality star gave birth to her second child, Giovanna Marie, with her husband (who also appeared on the show). Giovanna has a brother, Lorenzo Dominic.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
The celeb couple's first child, Wyatt Isabelle, was born on Sept. 30 and the world eventually got a look at her on Twitter ... or did we? Two days after her birth made headlines, eternal prankster Kutcher posted multiple photos of adorable babies (and one of a llama!) claiming one of them was his daughter. (We're guessing it was not the llama.)
Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen
Frances Cole, born Dec. 3, was the second child born of a gestational carrier for the family, and she joined elder sister Winnie. She had her TV debut five days later, when Dad showed off her pictures on his smartphone at his job, which happens to be "The Tonight Show"!
Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick
Talk about timing! The third child of the eldest Kardashian and her partner was born on Dec. 14, a day that also coincided with the birth date of their firstborn Mason. A week later mom gave fans a glimpse of the little one's hand and new name: Reign Aston.
Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell
The famously private couple (at least where their children are concerned) announced the birth of their second child on Twitter Dec. 19 with typical humor — and still retained their privacy. (And no, much like Kutcher's joke llama, we're pretty positive that Bell did not give birth to a primate.) Delta Bell joins older sis Lincoln Bell.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
On Dec. 27 the musical pair became the proud parents of their latest collaboration, Genesis Ali, who has an older brother named Egypt. They made sure to share his little footprints with the world on Instagram. Wrote Keys, "The joy of joy is joy!! It's a boy!! We are so grateful!! #blessings!!"