 Elizabeth Messina for use on CBB |
"My friends don’t want to come over anymore because all I do is cry," laments Marissa Jaret Winokur to a PEOPLE reporter as she introduces the writer to her 10-week-old son Zev Isaac. But really, who can blame her? Being a mom is a miracle in itself, a fact that is not lost on the Broadway star and Dancing alum.
After battling cancer seven years ago, Marissa won her fight — but lost her uterus and part of her cervix. Unable to carry a child, but able to create one with her preserved ovaries, Marissa and writer husband Judah Miller made the decision to search for a surrogate early last year. In November 2007, an embryo from Marissa’s egg and Judah’s sperm was successfully transferred into their surrogate’s womb. Shares Marissa,
"I was as involved as I could be with the baby. I went to all the doctor’s appointments and I talked to my surrogate every day. [We were in the delivery room] breathing together during the 12-hour labor. It was a real family event. We will be friends forever."
Click ‘More’ for the rest of the interview and three additional photos!
 Elizabeth Messina for use on CBB |
Marissa, 35, describes her son as "perfect. He’s like Judah. He’s a thinker. He’s confident and serious." Like any new mom, Marissa isn’t above a little bragging! "He was sleeping through the night at three weeks," she shares proudly. Of course, Zev — whose name means ‘wolf’ in Hebrew — isn’t always calm. When he’s crying, Marissa takes her baby out to the cabana, where he loves to look at the overhead fans as they whir. The Hairspray star explains,
"I have a saying: ‘When in doubt, take him out.’ He loves the water. I love giving him a bath in the sink. I can’t wait until I can take him in the pool."
 Elizabeth Messina for use on CBB |
As Marissa and Judah, 34, settle into parenthood, the former King of the Hill writer reveals that Zev has tempered some of mom’s famously boisterous personality. "I love watching Marissa with him," Judah says. "He makes her more calm than I’ve ever seen her in my life." However, she’s still excitable — just focused on all things baby. "I ask people, ‘Will I ever stop worrying?’ And they go, ‘No,’ and that’s not what I want to hear!"
The couple recently went on a post-baby movie date, their first since Zev’s July birth. It was a disaster, Marissa admits, and her own fault. "I kept texting the babysitter, ‘Does he miss us? Is he okay?’"
 Elizabeth Messina for use on CBB |
As Zev takes a nibble out of mom’s nose during the photoshoot, Marissa describes what she feels is her life’s good fortune — despite the cancer battle which robbed her of the ability to experience a pregnancy herself. She muses,
"If I didn’t have cancer, I might have been able to carry a baby myself. But then, I wouldn’t have this baby. So how can I ever feel bad about having cancer? Because of that, I now have Zev."
Source: PEOPLE, October 13th issue
 |
In the second picture, Zev wears a Boon DNA Bodysuit ($25 for 2).
In the first and fourth photos, Zev is wrapped in aden + anais Muslin Blanket Zoo Animals 4-Pack in elephant ($44 for 4).
