Visit with Grandma Gregoire last weekend

Grandma Gregoire came to visit last weekend. We all enjoyed spending time together. Grandma Gregoire is an expert bargain hunter and gave us useful advice about how to save money on everything from deep freezers to diapers. We also learned that she is an ice skating fan and watched the skating finals while cuddling the babies. Some pictures (of course!) are below...

Grandma Gregoire with Sophia...

Grandma Gregoire with both Sophia and Ethan - more than a handful...
Sophia loves her Daddy... "Yin-Yang" babies with Mom
Sophia and Ethan waiting for bottles...

Two and a Half Months Old :: Busy busy!

Not much time to write these days - we have our hands full! Life on our own without Gramgram here to help us is very busy!

I took Sophia and Ethan to the pediatrician yesterday by myself - I felt such a sense of accomplishment and independence. I was worried about the logistics of getting the babies safely out of the house and into the car and to the doctor's office and back. It went very smoothly - Ethan was a little fussy in his car seat, but the pacifier (or "plug" as Gramgram calls it) soothed him. Other than that our little trip was delightful.

Sophia is now 9 pounds, 4 ounces and Ethan is not far behind at 8 pounds, 14 ounces. The pediatrician was amazed that they have both already more than doubled their weights. They are growing so fast and we are so proud of them! They're doing so well that Sophia and Ethan have been cleared by our pediatrician to go mall walking in the early morning with us (malls open around 6am - long before the shops open) and grocery shopping during the day provided that we ward off strangers who want to touch the babies... It'll be so good to get out of the house with the babies and get some exercise to boot!

Steve (Super Dad) demonstrates how we feed two babies at one time...

Charles and Wendy came for a visit - Wendy is 37 weeks pregnant with a baby girl...

Charles and Wendy hold Sophia...
Sophia and Ethan try out the swings for the first time...

Sophia especially enjoyed the swing...Ethan and Sophia...
Sophia "kicking back" on Gramgram...
Good times - Gramgram with Ethan, Steph with Sophia... We hope Gramgram comes back soon!
Ian, Carol, and Sam stop by for a visit and to help hold the babies (that's Ethan in Carol's arms and Sophia and Steph on the couch in the background). They also brought us the most delicious chicken dinner and pie for dessert! Yum! :)

First Walk...

With all the spring-like weather these days, we decided to get out and about and go for a walk.

Gramgram gets Ethan ready to go in his Tigger outfit from Anne and Don...

Sophia meditates in preparation for the journey ahead...
Ethan checks to be sure his seatbelt is secure...

Out and about in the neighborhood at last!

Gramgram in front of what is rumored to be Big Papi's house...

Sophia sleeps soundly after all the fresh air...

Ethan after a big bottle - he's up to 3 ounces a meal minus what ends up on his chin as he slurps down his bottle! Got milk?

Eight Weeks Old :: Life at home with the babies

The past weeks have flown by - life with twins is busy! My mom stayed with us and helped out with Steve's transition back to work until this past Monday, so we're just getting used to the routine on our own. Today is the first day in a week that I've checked email and thought about blogging! The day after my mom left, I got mastitis and am on antibiotics, so my mom is coming back this weekend to help us a bit more - we appreciate her so much!

I'm on my own with the babies while Steve is at work during the week - he started his new job last week and is loving it - he's a Senior Software Engineer with a company called PHT Corp. in Charlestown. They do wireless tech for large pharmaceuticals' clinical trials for new drugs.

Sophia and Ethan have been eating every 2.5 to 3 hours round the clock with an occasional 4 hour nap. We have just enough time to do one or two of the following between feedings: pump and prepare bottles, cook & eat, shower/brush teeth, clean the house, fold laundry, or sleep. Of course, playing with the babies takes priority when they're awake - they're only awake and playful about 1 to 2 hours a day now, so we take advantage of that time. The babies are breastfeeding, bottle feeding with breastmilk, and bottle feeding with formula. Steve bottle feeds the babies in the early morning before he goes to work so that I can get a few hours of uninterupted sleep - zzzzzz...

Watching Sophia and Ethan develop and grow is amazing - there's something new almost daily. Ethan grabbed his bottle yesterday while I was feeding him and this morning Sophia did the same! It was so cool to watch! Sophia makes great eye contact and is very observant. Ethan loves to play and explore. I'm continually surprised - Sophia breastfed first, but Ethan figured out bottles first. Sophia smiled first, and Ethan grabbed his bottle first. Both of them smile now and can turn from their side to their back. Ethan is working on rolling onto his stomach. It's amazing what they can do!

Since the babies were born early, their lungs are more susceptible to germs and allergens. What is a small cold or minor irritation for us can be much more serious for them. We don't get out much - only to see the pediatrician for regular check-ups - so as long as our visitors are healthy and willing to wash their hands when they walk in the door, we welcome the company and help holding and playing with the babies! It's like a breath of fresh air each time and reminds us that there's a world outside our door that just keeps going. We love to see peoples' faces when they finally meet the babies. :)


My Aunt Jo-Ann came to help us the day the babies came home. My sisters Elaine and Kate came up from Virginia to visit and meet Sophia and Ethan, Steve's mom stopped by with yummy soups and rugelach, Reverend Anita from our church brought a casserole. Our friend Carol and her son Sam came to play (and also brought cookies and brisket). Sam is so cute and at almost a year seems so mobile and active and giant compared to our little beans! That said, we've already outgrown all of the preemie clothes and are into regular newborn sizes - the ones that looked so huge just a few weeks ago... Both babies are over 7 pounds now - they've almost doubled their birthweights!


My cousin Cindy also came for an evening and cooked up a storm in the kitchen (Steve assisted her) leaving us with days worth of meals - 2 quiches, a mac and cheese and ground beef casserole, and lentil soup. She's a fabulous cook! As if that wasn't enough, she also folded a mountain of laundry an helped us hold the babies. They enjoyed napping on her - she's got the touch. :)

Elaine with Ethan...



Elaine with Sophia...Kate with Ethan...

Gramgram (my mom) with Ethan and Sophia...

Ethan and Sophia...



Ethan playing...