People magazine publishes first photos of Jaycee Dugard as she looks now (photo, videos)

(AP Photo/People Magazine) This is the first photo of Jaycee Dugard as she looks today. (People)

Jaycee Dugard looks "radiant" on the cover of the latest issue of People magazine, managing editor Larry Hackett told Matt Lauer on the "Today" show Wednesday morning. Just two short  months after being rescued from her 18-year kidnapping ordeal, the mother of two looks more like a teenager than a 29-year-old.

The magazine -- which starts hitting newsstands today and will be everywhere by Friday -- features many photographs of Jaycee with her mother and her two daughters, Angel (15) and Starlit (11). None of the photos show the girls' faces -- for obvious reasons -- according to MSNBC.

The photographs were taken by a private photographer the family hired, Hackett said. He wouldn't say directly whether People paid Jaycee and her family for the photos, but he did say:

We have bought photographs in the past. I don’t want to go into the details.”

Jaycee was not directly interviewed for the story, but she did authorize the story and issue a statement:

I’m so happy to be back with my family. Nothing is more important than the unconditional love and support I have from them.”

A number of people close to Jaycee and her family did speak to People for the story. Family spokesperson Erika Schulte told Ann Curry the family did the story to thank all the people who have sent messages of support. They want people to know they are all recovering from the ordeal.

If you didn’t know the circumstances, it would just seem like any other family. [They] are just very close and comfortable and happy. ...

They are just taking things one day at a time. She wants to have a home with her girls, and a happy, quiet, normal life.”

Our prayers continue to be with Jaycee and her family as they move forward with the criminal hearings and the trial in her kidnapping case.