Alright, long story short: motherhood has sucked up my free time. Naw, I'm too young for actual kids. I'm raising ducklings.

I'll give you guys more info later, this is just a temporary journal entry to tide you over.

They are six weeks old tomorrow and nearly have all of their feathers in. Their names are Peter and Nathan (after the Petrelli brothers from "Heroes"), and they're just recovering from a coccidia infection. Peter also has a condition called "angel wing," which means that his wing tip sticks out perpendicular to his body (his wrist is twisted out due to abnormally fast growth caused by a high-protein diet). Fortunately, because he isn't full grown and his bones haven't calcified, it can be fixed by binding his wing to his body. It's a mess keeping up with these two duckies, but it's worth it. They're gorgeous and so much fun.

I've had them since they were three days old. Pete and Nate are Cayuga ducks: solid black with shiny new iridescent bottle-green/teal feathers. Nathan's voice has changed already and he sounds like a regular duck, but Peter is a bit behind in his development and still peeps and whistles. What a cutie. <3 They hate to be left alone, and freak out whenever I leave 'em or take one of 'em away from the other.

Unfortunately, I just learned that their "litter mates" have vanished, and only one of the ducks returned, but in such terrible condition that they had to put him down. It just breaks my heart, and makes me even more paranoid for the safety of my two kids. Of course, my duckies are house pets, and the others lived mostly outdoors. But still...

In addition to the new additions, I'm working full-time for the Fish and Wildlife Service now (hurray!!), which leaves little room for art. Besides, playing with baby beavers and fending off intimidating turkey vultures with a rake (while your partner tries to mow the grass in the cage with an awful electric mower) will drain the energy out of you.

Comic coming soon...I'm so sorry for the delay.

The President has been brought back to life as well, which requires a good deal of energy. Visit his profile and check it out: [link] . Of course, Sylar believes he is Nathan now, so don't expect the Formerly President Sylar to be aware of his "Presidency"...OR his Sylarency. Sythan IS worth the effort though, and never rejects a friend request. He also takes "graffiti" art requests.

LOVE
Rachel, Peter, and Nathan
...and Formerly President Senator Sythan Petrelli