Happy Mothers' Day to all the Oakdale's moms: the good (Lily), the bad (Barbara) and the wacky (Emily.) Coincidence or not, this week ATWT featured some interesting maternal storylines. Emily found out she was pregnant. Susan counseled her daughter. Barbara meddled in Will's life. Margo tried to keep tabs on Casey. And Lily had a heart-to-heart with her son, after he told her he was gay. Talk about thankless jobs. These women are proof that parenting is the toughest job going. (Well, that and working at the Oakdale PD.)

Emily's pregnancy was as much a shock to me as it was to her. The fact that she's keeping the baby is an interesting plot twist, sure to drive Paul crazier than he already is and make Meg regret the day she ever played doctor with him. I'm not sure how the writers will get around sending Em to the hoosegow. Can pregnancy make you insane? Can we blame Emily's wackiness on hormones? That would explain a lot. Then, she could plead temporary insanity. Not buying it? Me either. Let's just hope those prison-orange jumpsuits come in maternity sizes.

Meanwhile:
--Luke's gay storyline has been written and performed beautifully. (Take a note, General Hospital.) When Luke came out to his parents this week, the scenes were realistic. Lily was shocked and saddened and tried to talk Luke out of it. Surprisingly, Holden was the voice of reason. The writers haven't missed a beat in depicting this story yet, even setting up a conflict between Lily and Holden. And bravo to all the actors who made those difficult scenes extraordinary. Well done.

--Katie needs to get out of the gym/news business. This girl should become a wedding planner, pronto. Her wedding to Mike was the third wedding she's thrown together in a matter of days. (Her weddings to Henry and Simon were both spur of the moment, too.) She always manages to look gorgeous and have all the trimmings, despite having only days to plan. Hey, they don't call her the butt-buster for nothing.

--We all know true-blue Mike didn't kill anyone, which leaves the murder of Maya Gold a complete mystery. Place your bets on who did her in and planted Mike's necklace on the body. I'm not sure if this storyline is the impetus to bring back Simon, but I can see him getting wind of Mike's situation and showing up in Oakdale to protect Katie from her supposed-murdering husband. Your thoughts, Scoopers?

--What do you think of Jade? I'm ambivalent at this point. I don't love her. I don't hate her. And I'm not sure either is a good thing.

--This friendship between Henry and Emily has me worried. Doesn't the martini man have enough problems? Don't get me wrong. I'm glad Henry has a storyline of his own, finally, but hooking his wagon to Emily can only mean trouble.

--I'm still bitter that Katie didn't invite Henry to her wedding. Shame on her. Could she be anymore insensitive to him? If he hadn't found out what was going on at the police station, he probably never would have known about the nuptials. I just don't get Katie sometimes. She's never treated Henry right. And Emily isn't any better. He needs to meet a woman who'll show him some respect. Maybe Lucy when she hits town, if she's not too busy making eyes at Dusty.

--I loved the new term Gwen used to describe Will's behavior when he's upset but pretends all is well: the "Will Chill." His insecurity is as bad as Maddie's and is obviously going to cause problems for these couples. But, it's not without merit. Casey seemed a little too comfortable with Gwen during their Chicago trip. Apparently all it takes to mend fences between enemies is some good music.

--I couldn't help but chuckle when Meg called Barbara "mom" and the mental image I got when she mentioned Barbara shucking corn with Emma. I can just see Babs in her designer duds sitting on the front porch. Hilarious.

--When did Paul have time for a haircut? I'm sad, Scoopers. I liked the "Jesus" look.

Best Lines of the Week:
(Susan and Barbara discuss their future grandchild and Paul and Emily as parents.")
Susan: "Frankly, the idea of Paul as a father is just too scary for me to even think about right now."
Barbara: "This from a woman who raised her children from inside a Vodka bottle."

(Henry visits Emily in the hospital and tries to find out where she hid his money.")
Emily: "The flowers are beautiful. Where'd you get 'em? They almost make you look sincere."
Henry: "I am sincere. Sincerely in need of money."
Emily: "No, what you're in need of is a 12-step program to Gamblers Anonymous."

That's all for now. See ya next time, Scoopers! Happy Mother's Day to all!
Jennifer Biller