The Grey’s Anatomy cast is whole again! New moms Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl returned to work on the show this week, PEOPLE has learned.“They’re both back at work and everyone’s really happy to see them,” says a show source.

Pompeo, who welcomed Stella Luna Pompeo Ivery on Sept. 15, won’t be absent from any episodes of the show thanks to the production team’s planning ahead for the actress’s maternity leave by pre-taping Meredith’s scenes.

After adopting 10-month-old baby Naleigh on Sept. 10 — and taking five weeks off to film the romantic comedy Life As We Know It — Heigl also returned to the set this week. Heigl’s character Izzie will return to Seattle Grace in the episode airing Nov. 12, the same episode where guest star Kim Raver will begin her stint on the show.

No word on whether or not Stella and Naleigh have come to work with their moms yet, but if Chyler Leigh’s experience with 5-month-old Anniston is any indication, they’re more than welcome on the family-friendly set. “My trailer is overtaken by kid’s stuff. Anniston has a buzzy chair, diapers, wipes, formula, toys,” she told PEOPLE in August. And the cast takes to it well, too. “Justin
[Chambers] crowned [Anniston] baby Elvis because of her mowhawk!”

One thing is for sure — soon Anniston, Naleigh and Stella will have a new playmate: Eric Dane and his wife Rebecca Gayheart are expecting their first child together next year.
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[455] July 7th – The Ugly Truth Los Angeles Premiere
[041] July 7th – The Ugly Truth Los Angeles Premiere – After Party
[014] July 18th – The Ugly Truth Press Conference
[010] July 20th – The Ugly Truth New York Premiere
[239] August 4th – The Ugly Truth London Premiere

More pictures of the new family can be found here.  If you are unable to view the photos on Katherine’s Foundation website, they can be seen here.

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Seattle Grace is losing another doctor — at least temporarily. Katherine Heigl, 30, is taking a leave of absence from Grey’s Anatomy to film a new movie, the romantic comedy Life as We Know It.

An ABC rep cannot confirm the exact length of time she will be out of pocket — EW.com is reporting a 5-episode hiatus — but tells PEOPLE, “Katherine is taking time off to film a movie. The producers at Grey’s have accommodated past things like that before. It’s a cast of 13 and it is a true ensemble so the show is mindful [of other commitments].”

Heigl’s departure is set to begin this month, last into November and will be explained on screen, EW reports. Meanwhile, fellow castmate Ellen Pompeo is due to give birth to her first child in October and is expected to take maternity leave around the same time — an overlap that’s “all being worked out,” the rep tells PEOPLE.

The rep also notes that none of these events were surprises for the show. “Shonda [Rhimes] has had plans in place for a very long time.” But don’t expect producers to reveal how they will explain where Izzie is during Katherine’s hiatus.

In related casting news, show producers announced that three new characters will join the cast in recurring roles. They will be played by Nora Zehetner, Robert Baker, and Jesse Williams.

In June, T.R. Knight announced he was leaving the ABC drama after months of speculation.

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[002] Five Killers – Stills
[001] US Weekly – June 25th, 2007
[001] US Weekly – February 16th, 2009

[006] Stills

Katherine Heigl has signed on to star in and produce the big-screen drama Life As We Know It — but Grey’s Anatomy fans needn’t worry about this new gig impacting Heigl’s recently confirmed return to the ABC series.

Heigl — who is currently filming the Lionsgate thriller Five Killers, opposite Ashton Kutcher — is due back on the Grey’s set in late July, now that her option for Season 6 has been picked up. And while a rep for the actress was unable to comment on the anticipated production start for Life As We Know It, it is unlikely the film commitment will affect her Grey’s work. On multiple occasions — and as recently as this spring — Heigl has simultaneously juggled film roles and her portrayal of Dr. Isobel Stevens.

Life As We Know It revolves around a woman and a man whose respective best friends die in a car accident. Following the tragedy, they are left to share in caring for the deceased’s orphaned daughter. Everwood creator Greg Berlanti will direct.

Heigl will next be seen on the big screen opposite Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth, opening July 24.

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