The Year in Babies: The Cutest, the Bravest, and the Biggest

The ridiculously good-looking surgery baby:
At three-months-old, Joey Powling Jr. had open-heart surgery to save his life. Born with a rare congenital condition, Powling underwent a grueling operation that left him with a scar from his neck to his lower rib cage. His reaction: It's all good. After his mom snapped this photo of her Powling in recovery--smirking like Bruce Willis at the end of a "DieHard" movie--the image went viral and turned this tiny survivor into a meme-worthy superhero.

The First Baby:
Jenna Carly Tudela was born at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st--earning her the title of America's first baby born in 2012. At 7.6 pounds, the Guam-based Tudela was delivered naturally. But first she put her mom through six hours of labor in order to bring home the New Year's baby prize: $7,000 in bonds, savings, gift certificates and, of course, diapers.

The Social Networking baby:
"Shhh, Hashtag is sleeping." It may take some getting used to, but let's face it, baby Hashtag started her life out with a bang thanks to the Twitter-inspired name her parents chose. A Facebook announcement on the birth of Hashtag Jameson made headlines late November. "Should it be illegal?" asked one Washington Post columnist of the name choice. "The world is ending," concluded a Buzzfeed blogger. Soon criticism and doubts about the authenticity of the story, gave way to acceptance. It's not our parent's world anymore, and sometimes it takes a baby to remind us of that.

The Gerber Baby:
Her name is Mary Jane Montoya but by the looks of her, she's more suited to the name Smooshy Sunshine Butterball. (Thankfully, I didn't name her.) The eight-month-old beat out 30,000 other newborns vying to be Gerber's new face in 2013. Her parents entered the public Facebook contest at the last minute. They're glad they did: Montoya's beaming smile has earned her a $20,000 college scholarship, and probably some free baby food.

The Flying Baby:
Rachel Hulin's six-month-old son Henry really liked it when people lifted him in the air. That gave Hulin, a New-York based photographer, the idea for a photo series featuring her son in various states of levity. Hulin claims Henry can't actually fly, but she also insists her photographs are only slightly retouched. Something's not adding up.

The Other Flying Baby:
The eagle has landed and it carried off a little baby who was just minding his own business. The "Eagle Snatching Baby" video, was the internet's final viral baby gift in 2012. The fact that it was all a hoax, created by Canadian animation school students, didn't make it any less click-worthy.

The Bus Stop Baby:
Emily Lopez was named after a complete stranger. In November, her mother's water broke while she waiting at a bus stop in North Carolina. When Emily Brewer, a doctoral student (who studies the science of British Literature, mind you) noticed the pregnant woman in distress, she ended up delivering her baby right under the bus kiosk. Brewer's delivery was such a success, the new mother named the child in her honor. less Photo by: Caters News The Miracle Baby: A day after Adam Cheshire was born, he slipped into a coma. Quarantined in an incubator in his first week of life, Adam's mother Charlotte, could do little more than stroke his feet as he slept, hoping her touch would stir some life into his tiny body. It would. After seven days, she was permitted to hold him. In her arms, he opened his eyes and woke from his coma. less Photo by: Caters News The Digitally-Rendered Royal Baby: After the initial elation over the news of Kate Middleton's pregnancy, came the gloomy realization that the world would have to wait at least nine months to get a glimpse of this kid. Cue internet. A website called Morph Thing blended Kate and Will's faces, baby-fied their features, and with a little computer magic, presented the world with an approximation of the future royal baby--the boy version and the girl version. less Photo by: Plattsburgh Press-Republican The Traveling Cat Baby: Pumpkin is just a kitten. She's way too young to go on a 100-mile road trip all by herself, but there's no reasoning with this one. Pumpkin somehow wedged herself between the bumper and front-end of a Jeep, unbeknownst to driver Stacey Pulsifer. Pumpkin followed Stacey from Elizabethtown to Plattsburgh lodged in the chasis of her car, before a few troubled "meows" during a pit-stop at McDonald's prompted Stacey's discovery. What do you do with a stray kitten who's stuck in your car? You adopt her, which Stacey did. Then you don't ever let her out of the house again. less Photo by: HBO The 'Sex and the City' Baby: For the third year in a row, Aiden has been crowned the most popular boy's name in America, according to BabyCenter. Who else could be responsible for this trend but the guy Carrie should have chosen? Sorry Big. Photo by: TLC The Adult Baby: If you were channel-surfing in March, you probably put the remote down when you saw this guy. Stanley, the subject of a very popular episode of TLC's "My Crazy Obsession," rationalized why a 31-year-old man would sleep in a giant crib, wear custom-made diapers, and be spoon-fed mashed peas by his roommate. "I find the whole nursery environment very calming," he said. "It's a safe feeling." I'll buy that. Harder to understand is why anyone would share this information on national television. Related links: The truth about the baby-snatching eagle 2012's hottest baby names Hashtag: the name on everyone's lips less Follow Shine CHEAT SHEET Soup PLUS makes mealtime easy Women Who Shine: Romina Buroz teaches the importance of language Welcome to the new Shine Book Club! Ready your wardrobe for fall in 7 easy steps Money management for newlyweds: What you need to know Get dinner ideas delivered to your e-mail inbox! More on Yahoo! Exclusive: Hugh Jackman Is Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables' PHOTOS: 2013 Golden Globe nominations What a year it’s been: a look back at 2012 Chili recipes for every taste

The Miracle Baby:
A day after Adam Cheshire was born, he slipped into a coma. Quarantined in an incubator in his first week of life, Adam's mother Charlotte, could do little more than stroke his feet as he slept, hoping her touch would stir some life into his tiny body. It would. After seven days, she was permitted to hold him. In her arms, he opened his eyes and woke from his coma

The Digitally-Rendered Royal Baby:
After the initial elation over the news of Kate Middleton's pregnancy, came the gloomy realization that the world would have to wait at least nine months to get a glimpse of this kid. Cue internet. A website called Morph Thing blended Kate and Will's faces, baby-fied their features, and with a little computer magic, presented the world with an approximation of the future royal baby--the boy version and the girl version. less Photo by: Plattsburgh Press-Republican The Traveling Cat Baby: Pumpkin is just a kitten. She's way too young to go on a 100-mile road trip all by herself, but there's no reasoning with this one. Pumpkin somehow wedged herself between the bumper and front-end of a Jeep, unbeknownst to driver Stacey Pulsifer. Pumpkin followed Stacey from Elizabethtown to Plattsburgh lodged in the chasis of her car, before a few troubled "meows" during a pit-stop at McDonald's prompted Stacey's discovery. What do you do with a stray kitten who's stuck in your car? You adopt her, which Stacey did. Then you don't ever let her out of the house again. less Photo by: HBO The 'Sex and the City' Baby: For the third year in a row, Aiden has been crowned the most popular boy's name in America, according to BabyCenter. Who else could be responsible for this trend but the guy Carrie should have chosen? Sorry Big. Photo by: TLC The Adult Baby: If you were channel-surfing in March, you probably put the remote down when you saw this guy. Stanley, the subject of a very popular episode of TLC's "My Crazy Obsession," rationalized why a 31-year-old man would sleep in a giant crib, wear custom-made diapers, and be spoon-fed mashed peas by his roommate. "I find the whole nursery environment very calming," he said. "It's a safe feeling." I'll buy that. Harder to understand is why anyone would share this information on national television. Related links: The truth about the baby-snatching eagle 2012's hottest baby names Hashtag: the name on everyone's lips less Follow Shine CHEAT SHEET Soup PLUS makes mealtime easy Women Who Shine: Romina Buroz teaches the importance of language Welcome to the new Shine Book Club! Ready your wardrobe for fall in 7 easy steps Money management for newlyweds: What you need to know Get dinner ideas delivered to your e-mail inbox! More on Yahoo! Exclusive: Hugh Jackman Is Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables' PHOTOS: 2013 Golden Globe nominations What a year it’s been: a look back at 2012 Chili recipes for every taste

The Traveling Cat Baby:
Pumpkin is just a kitten. She's way too young to go on a 100-mile road trip all by herself, but there's no reasoning with this one. Pumpkin somehow wedged herself between the bumper and front-end of a Jeep, unbeknownst to driver Stacey Pulsifer. Pumpkin followed Stacey from Elizabethtown to Plattsburgh lodged in the chasis of her car, before a few troubled "meows" during a pit-stop at McDonald's prompted Stacey's discovery. What do you do with a stray kitten who's stuck in your car? You adopt her, which Stacey did. Then you don't ever let her out of the house again.

The 'Sex and the City' Baby:
For the third year in a row, Aiden has been crowned the most popular boy's name in America, according to BabyCenter. Who else could be responsible for this trend but the guy Carrie should have chosen? Sorry Big.

The Adult Baby:
If you were channel-surfing in March, you probably put the remote down when you saw this guy. Stanley, the subject of a very popular episode of TLC's "My Crazy Obsession," rationalized why a 31-year-old man would sleep in a giant crib, wear custom-made diapers, and be spoon-fed mashed peas by his roommate. "I find the whole nursery environment very calming," he said. "It's a safe feeling." I'll buy that. Harder to understand is why anyone would share this information on national television.