Oh, Babies!

12/02/2004 at 12:00 PM EST

In the past month, Julia Roberts has had plenty of time on her hands. Time to flip through magazines. Time to ponder the perfect furnishings to give her nursery a vintage feel. Time to think up interesting baby names – and time simply to ready herself to be a first-time mom. (There was no shortage of advice; during her pregnancy, her representatives received hundreds of letters and books from fans, plus a stack of résumés sent by would-be nannies.) While the rest of the nation battled pre-Thanksgiving grocery lines and airport crowds – and while her costars in Closer and Ocean's Twelve promoted their December releases – Roberts was stuck in bed at an L.A. hospital, tending to her other two productions: her twins.

After experiencing early contractions on Oct. 23, she had checked in and remained hospitalized under her doctor's supervision. Two days before Thanksgiving, however, she was released to wait out the rest of her pregnancy – and celebrate the holiday with husband Danny Moder – at home. According to a friend, "she looked beautiful, just breathtaking, right up to the moment she gave birth."