Merry Christmas from the Gregoires...

Merry Christmas! We're having a mellow and merry Christmas at home this year...

"Hey Ethan, Christmas is tomorrow! Let's do a Christmas dance! Joy to the world..."

"Yay! Rockin' around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday... La la la..."
"Um, Sophia? I think Mom was taking pictures of us dancing..."
Ethan waits for Santa...

Sophia "Sugar Plum" dreams of holiday fun...
"Yay! Santa came!" (Sophia in red on left, Ethan jumping for joy in green on right)

Ethan and Sophia with Mom
Sophia and Ethan with Dad...

Bringing our babies home!

A few pictures of the first night with Ethan and bringing our sweet Sophia home. It is wonderful to be together at last! Our first night with both Sophia and Ethan was blissful and busy! It feels so good to finally be home...

Ethan and Dad on Ethan's first night home...
Finally taking both our babies home...
Blanket-cocoons made with the blankets Grandma Karen made...

Steve brings Sophia in for the first time...



Sophia and Ethan...

Five Weeks Old :: Coming HOME!!!

We've been telling Ethan and Sophia stories about home for weeks now - what the nursery is like, how much we want them to join us, how we're excited to be a family. Already an explorer, Ethan told Sophia that he'd scout out this "home" place that we'd been talking about and would report back to her. Sophia agreed that this was a good idea.

Ethan came home yesterday and it has been a wonderful 24 hours!!! The first night was admittedly a bit uncoordinated, but Ethan is letting us know that we're getting the hang of this parenting stuff. Night #2 is going more smoothly. :)

After Ethan left with us last night, Sophia started drinking whole bottles. Ethan, Steve and I visited her this morning and when Ethan told her all about home. Sophia decided that going home sounded pretty good and that she would like to join us now. She passed her car seat test tonight, and it looks like she'll be home tomorrow.

Christmas is coming a little early this year - we're thrilled that our little family will be together and feel blessed that everyone is healthy. We are so grateful.

Ethan wonders what home will be like...

Ethan rests up after all those bottles...
Sophia kicks back with Daddy...
Sophia says, "Bye Ethan! Let me know what you think!"


Ethan heads out in his car seat...
Steve carries Ethan through the door.

Mommy and Ethan - home at last!
One of the cribs will be full tonight! :)
Visiting Sophia this morning - Ethan works on his bottle while Sophia takes a little break... Both of them finish all of their milk!

Ethan :: Six Bottles in a Row!!!

In the past 24 hours, Ethan drank 6 bottles in a row! If he continues to drink his entire bottles he could come home as soon as tomorrow or Wednesday! Steve and I are rejoicing and cannot wait to have him home!

Sophia continues to drink about half of her bottles consistently with an occasional attempt at a full bottle. She's making progress and we're hoping that she'll be able to come home soon too!

Four Weeks Old :: When are they coming home???

Sophia and Ethan are 31 days old now and we're all wondering when they may come home. Developmentally, the only hurdle remaining for them is to master bottle feeding. It is tough for them to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing when they're eating - they're working on building their stamina.

As soon as the twins can bottle feed at all 6 of their daily feedings they'll be ready to come home. In the past 24 hours, Ethan managed to do 3 out of six bottles, and Sophia has done 2 out of 6. So we're getting closer, and are hoping that the babies will master what they need to do within the next week or so, although it could take 2 weeks or more... While we hope it will be soon, we just don't know...

Some 1-month-old pictures:

Ethan and Sophia sleeping on Daddy...

Sophia sleeping on Mommy...

Daddy giving Sophia a bath for the first time...
Sophia likes Spa Day with Daddy...
All cleaned up and ready to go...
Ethan has no idea that he's next...

Ethan enjoys the bath too...after this picture was taken...really.

Ethan gets warm and dry...

Three and a Half Weeks Old :: New Digs and Fashion Show

It is very hard to wait for Sophia and Ethan to be ready to come home - Steve and I want them with us so much! Steve and I spend most days (and some evenings, too) with the babies. We did take some time out last Saturday to go to Gail (Steve's sister) and Mike's wedding. My baby shower was last Sunday and it was great to celebrate Sophia and Ethan's arrival! The good company, decorations, and food were wonderful. We had a great time! Many thanks to everyone for making it a special day!

Our twins are growing stronger every day and are gaining weight - they just need to be able to eat by mouth (bottle or breast vs. gavage tube). Sophia now weighs 5 pounds 8 ounces, and Ethan is now a whopping 5 pounds 5 ounces. We just started breastfeeding/bottle work last week and both Ethan and Sophia are taking about half of the bottles when they try them. Sophia has managed to finish an entire bottle twice, but it is still hard work for her to do that. Both Ethan and Sophia still need time to grow stronger...

The PT and OT come to check on the babies every few days, and both Sophia and Ethan are on track for their age. We are so thankful for the care they're receiving and are grateful that they're healthy. Now we just need to get them home! :)

In other news, yesterday Steve accepted a Senior Software Engineer position with the PHT Corporation, a company that develops wireless technology and software to support clinical trials for pharmaceuticals. He's excited about the job and is still working out the details of his start date, and we're hoping that he'll be able to start in January after the babies come home.

Ethan and Sophia together again...


Sophia lets us know that the holiday fashion is bears, penguins, and bunnies.

Ethan yawns about fashion - but he does look cute in his sailor suit! Side by side at Newton-Wellesley
There are nice places for mom and dad to sit, too!

Movin' on up!

Ethan and Sophia got to take their first rides on the Mass Pike today. We finally got in at Newton-Wellesley Hospital's Special Care Nursery, so the babies packed up and moved out.

After the ride was over, we all got settled at Newton-Wellesley. Our new doctors checked the babies to be sure that they were okay. Everything looked good. So good, in fact, that Ethan and Sophia were given open-air cribs when we arrived which is the next step toward regulating their own temperatures and coming home - we didn't get any pictures of their new digs, but will take and post some soon.


The babies have made so much progress in their 11 days with us! They are breathing on their own, and gaining weight. The next hurdles are regulating their own temperatures, feeding orally, and coming home. We can't wait and are hoping for early Christmas presents this year! :)

Kangaroo Care

A couple quick pics from today's kangaroo care... Steve and I kangaroo the babies every day. Early on, they needed to be under the phototherapy lights, so we could only hold them for 1 hour, but now we can hold them for up to 3 hours depending on how the babies are doing (e.g. their temperature, etc.) and depending on how much water we drink before then (e.g. we have to go to the bathroom). It is so relaxing and nice to hold them!

Some pics from today...

Steve and Sophia...


Stephanie and Ethan...

Sophia after another try at breastfeeding...

1 Week Old :: Thanksgiving Graduation!

We celebrated Sophia and Ethan's first week and Thanksgiving yesterday. We have so much to be thankful for... the babies are getting stronger every day. Both of them are now breathing on their own. Their brain scans (ultrasounds) came back perfectly normal. They are up to full feeds through their gavage tubes (about 34ml each time - a total of 68ml) After losing weight like all babies do after birth, they are now gaining weight. Sophia tried breastfeeding yesterday and actually latched on! Sophia and Ethan are beginning to open their eyes and look around more. Best of all, our little troopers were downgraded to Level II Intermediate Care ward yesterday. The downgrade is a good thing - they are now classified as "feeders and growers" which means that they have no medical issues, and just need to get bigger and stronger before coming home.

As soon as there is space available, we'll be able to transfer the babies to the Newton Wellesley Hospital which is closer to home. The Newton Wellesley Hospital, or S-Newton (snootin') S-Wellesley (swells-ley) Hospital as one nurse called it... has a newly built, spacious, and posh special care facility (Level II) where the babies will continue to feed and grow until they can come home - hopefully by Christmas! The facility is currently full, and we're hoping space will become available within the next week or so.

After several hours of family time with the babies yesterday, we went to Steve's parents' house for Thanksgiving. The meal was delicious, but the highlight of the dinner was Chrisanne's cheescake. If you've ever tried to make a cheesecake, then you know that it takes real talent to make one that doesn't have cracks in the middle. As it turns out, Chrisanne's cheescake was a crack-free masterpiece - and delicious with the cherry topping! Steve and I had a great time with Chrisanne and Bernie!

It is an understatement to say that we feel thankful that the babies are okay and that they are able to receive such good care, and grateful for such a loving community of people who continue to support us and cheer us on.

Sophia often sleeps with her mouth open...


Sophia wakes up to have her temperature taken and a diaper change before eating...

Sophia looks around...

Sophia still has some jaundice, so after her diaper change, it's back under the lights...

Ethan likes to sleep with his hand under his chin...

Ethan dreams of big things...

Ethan wakes up...

Our little Ethan glow worm...

Chrisanne and her famously delicious cheesecake (and no cracks!)...

Steve's favorite is the cherry topping...

Bernie loves the cherry topping also!

Sophia Plum and Ethan Pepper Gregoire

Just a quick update... Steve and I came home from the hospital yesterday night. It was hard to come home without the babies, but we know that they're in very good, very safe hands. I miss them terribly and can't wait for them to grow strong enough to be here with us where they belong.

Before we left the hospital we needed to give the babies middle names. We decided on Sophia Plum and Ethan Pepper. We considered many names, and in the end picked Plum for Sophia and Pepper for Ethan. When we first settled on the names around week 20, we brainstormed middle names. The first name that popped out of Steve was Sophia Plum. It stuck. I came up with Ethan Pepper after we decided on Sophia Plum. :)

Today was my first day going into the hospital, and I was there from 7am until about 4pm. It was a long day, but I just love being with our babies... Steve had interviews and job stuff to work on today, so he came for the morning feeding and "kangaroo-ed" Ethan for two hours while I kangaroo-ed Sophia. "Kangaroo care" provides skin-to-skin contact for the babies and parents, and has been shown to help babies' brain development, regulate their temperature, breathing and heart rate, and to make them grow faster. During kangaroo care, the baby lies on the parent's chest. It is the most marvelous feeling...

Both babies are still doing well. Ethan went back on the CPAP - a breathing apparatus that helps him to keep the air sacs in his lungs open. It is common for preemies to go on and off the CPAP breathing help. Hopefully he'll be strong enough soon to go off it. Sophia is also needing some help, but is on the "high flow" which is just a tube that blows air in her nose to remind her to breathe. Again... very common and not something to worry about. Both babies should outgrow their need for help within the next week or two.

Ethan and Sophia are up to full feedings now. Early on, both were receiving calories via IV but are now digesting a combination of breastmilk and formula. My milk is finally coming in and I am just about keeping up with their needs. The lactation consultant says that I'll continue to produce more milk over the next week and should be producing more than the babies need soon.

Many thanks to everyone who has emailed, called, checked in, and sent stuff for us! Our email boxes are full of good thoughts, well-wishes, and lots of love. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will hopefully have time to respond soon!

More pics of Ethan coming soon! For now, a couple of Sophia...

Sophia sleeps soundly.

Sophia on the "high flow"...