It's either sadness or euphoria. That's my life right now... it seems I'm either crying all day or laughing my pants off. And while I'm quoting Billy Joel; this song was written just for me. Especially the taking-the-phone-off-the-hook-and-disappearing-for-a-while part.

Double the fun! See more pics online in Grandma's album.

ANGELA IS HOME AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo hoo! At last (82 days later), the little muffins are home together. Right now, Angela wants to be fed and Peter is staring off into space, with a "oh, Mother, what have you gotten us into now?" look. Sophie was excited to see them and is working on telling them apart. Grandma is here with homemade cinnamon buns to celebrate, and I've already been chalking up the driveway with welcome home messages. Life is good.

Those of you who want to know what motherhood is really like, read this... it's so true.

Acting like a grownup. Today I had a rare chance to be a "grownup" - I got to get dressed up (meaning, not jeans or sweats) for a MuttsComics.com anniversary luncheon. The first thing people said to me after I got back was "You don't look like you had twins!"... which was precisely the reaction I was looking for. (5 more pounds to go and I'm at my pre-twin weight, 5 more after that and I'm at my pre-Sophie weight. I look pretty good if I do say so myself. ;) Paul and my dad watched Sophie and Peter, and I got to go into work and have adult conversation about art, design, and, of course, Mutts. The company's grown and I find it exciting to be coming back in June to a bigger art department - more people to share ideas with and less pressure for me to be a design machine. After a wonderful lunch, there were even a few minutes to try to work on these crocheted flowers - which Allyson has down pat but I can't get the hang of. I had a great time, but at the same time I felt so torn - I wanted to be there and home, too. I savored being by myself with nice clothes and no Sophie attached to my leg, and at the same time I wanted to be on my hands and knees, chasing her around the room. I almost cried when I got into the car to go home (not the minivan, for a change) because I felt such a pull for both. I'm sure I'll get it together by the time I go back.

Living is not enough... one must have sunshine - freedom - and a little flower. ~Hans Christian Andersen

Welcome to the world... My new little nephew, Jude Garrett Bazerman, was born this morning to first time parents Carole and Marc. What a fantastic Mother's Day present! I immediately went here and requested a certain Beatles song to be dedicated to him. Happy Mother's Day, And don't forget to check out these amazing mamas: Jill, Michelle, Claire, and Julie, all of who show you can be a mama and still be as creative as ever (maybe even more so)! And another new arrival... I am eagerly awaiting the debut of SARK's new website (and lusting after her new book as well). Yum.

Due date, but no Angela yet. My due date is TODAY. I can't imagine how I would have managed carrying these muffins to term - they now are over 7.5 lbs each - and then take care of them while recovering from a C-section. My dad says that God stretched everything out so that it would be in a way that I could handle it. And I am, just. We are still spread out, with Angela contending for the Fattest Baby Ever in the NICU award, and Sophie and Peter doing their thing here. So in honor of Mother's Day, I'm going to do little character sketches of my little ones: Peter: is just the cutest thing around. Since Sophie never opened her eyes fully (because of her ptosis) we never got the full effect of that head-on, blue-eyed baby stare. I love it. When he cries he sounds like a kitten; he's already lifting his head and changing sides when he does tummy time. The only thing that drives him up the wall is the fact that he can't see behind himself and his head doesn't rotate around 360 degrees - I guess that will be extra incentive to learn to roll over. Would be perfectly thrilled if I would feed him constantly all day so that he could snack when he wanted to and not every 4 hours. Angela: still being (in the nurses' words) "a naughty girl" and having apnea episodes that keep her from going home. She definitely wins the Chubbiest Cheeks in the NICU award and the Baby Who Has Been There The Longest And Really Needs To Go Home Already award. Thankfully, the nurses love having her around. I pray that Peter picks up her eating habits - 4 oz. in 20 minutes! She likes when you rock her and sing to her. And naturally, she's adorable. ;) Sophie: amazes me every day with how smart she is. She not only knows what birds are, she will comment on them singing outside and then point to the bird mobile I made and announce that they are birds as well. She has a huge vocabulary for a 14-month old, and is going to walk any day now. She understands that there is a new baby in the house, but can't quite wrap her mind around the fact that another one is coming soon, too. And you can watch her do animal noises here. Coming soon from the same session: Sophie doing parts of the body and talking about flowers).