Christina Aguilera revealed that her family of four had expanded on Christmas morning, with the Grammy winner posting a series of snaps of their new kitten, Ponyo. The 45-year-old took to Instagram to share the good news and included clips from the 2008 Studio Ghibli animated film Ponyo, where the kitten's name was derived.
"Meet Ponyo…A Christmas morning surprise," Christina wrote in the caption, as fans rushed to the comments to share the love. "What a beautiful kitten and I couldn't pick a better name," said one fan, while another chimed in: "So adorable!"
Amongst the photos and videos of Ponyo were the kitten standing at the bottom of a Christmas tree, a clip of it jumping out of a shopping bag, another shot of it sitting in the jaws of a dinosaur skull, and another where it appeared to be enjoying its dinner.
Ponyo's arrival comes eight years after the death of Christina's beloved Papillon dog, Stinky, who was 17 years old at the time. "Had to finally make the hard decision to put my beloved Stinky down last night after an amazing 17 years together!" she wrote on social media, alongside a montage of their sweetest moments.
"You were my roadie through the tours…breakups…life's many ups and downs…My 1st baby before I had any babies…The one and only forever."
"RIP, Stinky," she concluded. "Run free and with no more misery." Christina is a mom of two, having welcomed her son, Max Liron Bratman, in 2008 with her ex-husband, Jordan Bratman.
The couple split in 2010 after five years of marriage, and she started dating actor and production assistant Matt Rutler in the same year. The pair welcomed their daughter, Summer Rain Rutler, in 2014, and have been engaged ever since. Christina has been open in the past about her difficult childhood and how she is working to break the cycle with her own children.
"I made a decision very young that I would never put myself in a situation where I would feel helpless to a man and that I would be able to make money for myself and my future children so they wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of abuse," she told Today.
She claimed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that her mother was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her father for years. "Now I'm a mother…it's very important to me to provide them with an environment to feel safe and loved. I want to give my children the gift of loving music without having to use it as an escape, like I had to."
The star added that she found it important to have a creative outlet as a mother in order to give back to her kids. "We all have breaking points, and it's hard sometimes to find patience and to find the energy when we're exhausted," she shared.
"It's a really hard juggling act for working mothers and mothers who stay home. While yoga is not right for everyone, find a specific philosophy or type of release that speaks to you."
She continued: "Finding your own specific outlet is extremely important as a human, but especially as women, because our whole force of being is to give life."