Top of the Morning: Lucy Liu Welcomes A Son

1. Lucy Lui welcomes son!

The “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kill Bill” actress is a mom! Lucy welcomed her first child, son Rockwell Lloyd Liu, who was brought into this world via a gestational carrier. She posted on Instagram a photo of her son last Thursday with the caption, “Introducing the new little man in my life, my son Rockwell Lloyd Liu. In [love]!” The “Elementary” star has been helping children around the world, volunteering with UNICEF since 1994. Now she has her own little bundle of joy to care for, too! Congratulations! (people.com)
 

2. The couple who laughs together, stays together
A new study published in the journal Personal Relationships found that sharing giggles with a romantic partner keeps the love alive. That’s not a surprise, right? Studies have shown that laughter is good for the soul. In the study, couples who laugh more together tend to have higher-quality relationships. Women also laughed more than males, but men’s laughs are more contagious. Researchers also found proof that sharing laughter is a supportive activity, meaning they bring partners closer. (time.com)
 

3. The newest American Girl Doll

The American Girl Doll is releasing a new doll in their BeForever line, so that the young generation of girls today can continue to discover the joys of having something as special as the American Girl Doll of old. The new doll, Maryellen Larkin is from Florida and her stories take place in the 1950s. Part of her description reads, “While Maryellen feels the pressure to conform to social standards, she also strives to stand out and be true to herself, even when that means going against expectations.” (popsugar.com)


4. Is your weight linked to your birth order?
According to a new study, firstborn people are more at risk for becoming overweight. The study, which was published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, looked at 13,406 pairs of sisters and found that the firstborn sister were 29 percent more likely to be overweight later in life than the second-born sister. Researchers argue that it has something to do with the placenta during the first pregnancy. Previous studies have also linked higher blood pressure and insulin resistant with being firstborn. (yahoo.com)
 

5. Even quick exercises benefit children
Thirty minutes or more of moderate physical activity benefits children’s health. However, the new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that small activity breaks -— such as walking for a few minutes after sitting for three hours -— could have a substantial impact on children’s long-term health. U.S. National Institutes of Healthy researchers said that these small bouts of activity can help protect the kids against type 2 diabetes, hearts disease, and cancer. (usnews.com)