Catch Up

I have some catch up to do.  Owen and Ruby are 8.5 WEEKS old and the last pictures I posted are from when they were 8 DAYS old.  So, forgive all the collages, but we have about a bazillion pictures of these two little gems and I want to share as many of them with you as possible.  As usual, click on any of the collages to make them fill the screen (and almost be life size of the babies. :))  

 In this collage I attempted to capture the many expressions of Owen Thomas DuRoss.  His defined features communicate all kinds of emotions from complete peace to frustration, pensiveness, and many more.

Ruby Elizabeth DuRoss, loves to be held and makes it worth your while.  She gazes into your eyes, smiles, and seems to create a sense of peacefulness in the holder.

Check these two out.  Too much.  This one is worth enlarging to check out their expressions and interactions.  We are loving getting to know each of them individually, but also how their personalities mesh and compliment each other.

As I mentioned, Ruby loves to gaze into your eyes.  But when her daddy holds her, the gaze becomes one of awe and adoration. I can't get enough of it- melts my heart.

This is all of us (including Kessler) trying our hand at holding both of them at the same time.  It is possible, but not easy. ;)

The next few collages capture some of the month my mom spent with us.  We feel extremely grateful and fortunate that she was able to come and help us make it through the early days with the twins.  We sustained nights of simultaneous fussy babies and grappled with what parenting style to embrace- pacifiers? napping? schedule? how much crying IS okay?  And, by the end of our time together we were getting out on the town pretty regularly, walking around the neighborhood daily, and Chip and I even got out for a quick backcountry ski lap in the "backyard" while my mom watched the twins.  My mom filled the freezer with food (picture of rouladin factory below) and held the babies no matter their mood.  In fact, she made an art of putting them to sleep (even when sometimes I wanted them awake ;) as evidenced by the collage above.   They must have sensed her confidence with twins (for those of you who don't know, my mom is also a mother of twins).  

We were SO sad to see her go and hope she visits again soon.  We will miss our afternoon Starbucks, walks around the neighborhood, and delicious dinners prepared and served up.  Mostly we will miss her loving our kids in person- walking around with them in her arms repeating phrases like "Ruby loves Oma, Ruby loves Owen, etc.", singing German songs, and trying to get Owen to like those darn flash cards.

Owen and Oma checkin the weather out our front windows.  "What do you think, Owen, walk in the stroller or carriers today?"

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?  ~Milton Berle