Introducing....

Owen Thomas DuRoss

AKA- OT, Little Man, or Bug. Born 12/23/10 at St Marks Hospital in SLC, UT at 3:01pm, weighing 5lbs 8ozs.

He and his sister were pulled out into the world in the same minute, so technically, they are exactly the same age. Owen, to me, has DuRoss written all over him. He has the narrow DuRoss face with the very distinctive chin his dad and uncle Chris sport as well. He has a few traits from the Mulliken side as well, making for a very handsome combination in our opinion. ;) He is our sensitive boy, wearing expressions of joy, determination, and concern on his face I never would have imagined possible for a newborn. His Oma said the other day, "Look at that face, when he speaks, people are going to listen!" When he cries he has a lower lip that trembles, making him and you feel so vulnerable, breaks your heart, and makes you want to fix whatever it is that could be wrong as SOON as possible.

and

Ruby Elizabeth DuRoss

AKA- Rooster, Ruby Du, RuDu, Ru, Rubes, RED (her initials), or whatever else you come up with- the nicknames seem to be endless. :) Born 12/23/10 at St Marks Hospital in SLC, UT at 3:01 pm weighing 6lbs 3ozs.

Ruby seems to have more of an overall Mulliken look and already makes lots of noise, leading us to believe she will be talkative like a Mulliken. She also has several DuRoss traits making for another perfect creation in our opinions. Her Nana said, "Look at her face, such wisdom!." Grandmothers (or Nanas and Omas, know things) She is calm and serene much of the time, gazing around intently at things, unless upset, at which point her cry seems to say "I am pissed! Get out the way!"

It has been amazing to see their personalities. I guess I didn't think newborns had much of a personality. Or, maybe it is that having two side by side which allows us to really see the differences, similarities and distinguish personality from regular baby behavior. Anyway, all very fun.

One last photo from the hospital. I am sure these two will be great friends one day. Right now they don't seem to acknowledge each other much even though they share a crib and breastfeed only inches from each other. However, in this photo, it appears they are communicating...perhaps just verbalizing some feelings left over from the womb.

"Sibling relationships—and 80 percent of Americans have at least one— outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust."
Erica E. Goode