Now you are four
Happy birthday darling Rose Raven. Now you are four.
Four years ago, May 9th, I was still taking stock of my lower half, confirming that you did not in fact shoot out of my bottom, as it felt you might, when—twisted umbilicus still spooling out of your belly—someone laid you on my chest.
And I’m not sure what we expected, but everything about you was a surprise. Your olive skin; your cap of shiny, black hair; your mountains and valleys of pudge; your very girlness.
And it’s not that we exactly anticipated another wiry, blonde boy – as if Col were the prototype child, the only possibility to clunk out the assembly line of the Turiel-Hinds loins. No, it’s more that there you were, suddenly outside, your muffin-top face squinched and gorgeous and maybe a bit surprised yourself at where you had landed.
I think sometimes for you being a younger sibling is like trying to ignite a small campfire in the shadow of Mt. Everest while the wind whips about. You’re trying to show off your bright light and meanwhile it seems everyone is gazing up at the highest peak in the world.
Or maybe it’s like being on a perpetual hike with your older sibling, trailing slightly behind him and worrying about him eating all the granola bars. And after walking and walking and finally getting to the glistening waterfall, or the field of columbines, or the steamy hot springs, you find that your brother’s already been there for say, 2 years.
And even though it may seem like you’re always 2nd in line, reaching the summits of reading and bicycling long after the last paparazzi has gone home, the truth is darling, our binoculars are trained on you too.
You’re entirely you’re own little person, comical and fierce, loyal and sweet. Your friends often leave our house with gifts of dress-up clothes and little plastic trinkets, stuffed animals and books that you foist on them like an aggressive street vendor; you get so carried away with the spirit of giving, Col will sometimes step in: “Rosie, actually I wasn’t done playing with that bear.”
Today I heard you telling your assemblage of stuffed animals, “I’ll be back in a wink-eye.” And then you returned to read them a book about the little princess who eats roadkill. Last night when I said that you couldn’t have an apple after brushing your teeth, you disappeared for 2 minutes and then came back to tell me you had some bites of butter instead.
Yesterday you wore pink plaid pajama bottoms under a flowered summer dress, with an extra couple skirts wedged in between. A whole package worth of barrettes hung off your head like brightly colored snapping turtles. “I’m so psyched,” you announced at 6:05 am while Dan and I groped at our coffee, “I’m gonna explode into candy!” And then you twirled around the living room singing Baby Beluga like you were auditioning for the lead role in the new drama: Pippi Longstocking visits the Arctic.
And then Baby Beluga turned into a song about beans. “Beans above and beans below, you’re a little white bean on the go.”
You can be my trail partner any day, Rose.
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Oh my goodness, I love this. LOVE!! What a sweet recap of so many things that your sweet girl just who she is. Happy Birthday Rose! And happy BIRTHday Rachel :)
What a beautiful tribute! Happy birthday, sweet Rose!
omy gosh, what a gem. love Rosie billed as an aggressive street vendor, lol PERFECT
“I’m so psyched, I’m gonna explode into candy!”
I think Rose has inherited your talent with words. That’s beautiful, and an audience of four year olds would totally relate. Happy Birthday Rose!
ps – I finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There isn’t anything I didn’t like about the book. thanks for the suggestion.
Happy Birthday to Rose!!! All that you wrote rings true for me – for our entire family and our dynamic. Thank you for putting it so eloquently, once again!
Happy birthday, Rose!
Happy birthday, Rose! What a lovely post for your girl!
Happy Birthday, sweet little Rosie!
What an amazing homage to your sweet girl. Having no girl myself, I was barely able to read this, through the water welling up in my eyes! So sweet, and not just that you care enough for her to write so eloquently, but that she herself is such an entity and has so much character and personality!
I feel like I’m ALWAYS “thanking” you for your blogs, but this one is super! Thanks!
“I’m gonna explode into candy!”
Oh, what happens to this poetry we are all born with? Don’t forget that poetry, Rose! And happy, happy birthday!
wow…what an amazing girl. I loved reading all these tidbits of Rose. happy, happy day, Rose!!!
Wow, what an mysterioulsy eloquent voice Rose has! She is obviously so precious and precocious! And I love the way she dresses! Happy Birthday Rose! And Happy Birth Day, Rachel.
Love this post so much for so many reasons, but mostly for the obvious ones–you said it all so well but I especially love, “darling, our binocs are trained on you, too!” forgive the inaccurate quote!
youve done it again, rachel. this gushes with beauty…as does Rosie. happy birthday, sweet girl. xoxox
Wow, four years went by so fast. I am so grateful to be part of Rose’s life.
Baba
Ahh Rosie! I am so excited for my boys to be Rosiefied! Happy birthday Beautiful!
Ahh Rach! At least she didn’t say “I’m so happy I’gonna explode into roadkill!” Although Dan would have been proud :)
Aww! Happy Birthday, Rose! Beautiful post, Rachel!
Happy Birthday Ms. Rose! You have a way with words, just like your Mama. Also? You have the best fashion sense in the world. I hope your day is full of glittery goodness.
Happy Birthday, Rose. I love how you described her birthday tiara, with flow-y barrettes and stack of skirts over pants. Four is so magical.
“I’ll be back in a winkeye.” You’re so lucky you get to be her mom; she’s so lucky to call you mama.
xoxo
happy four! what a gal. here’s to more surprise and delight! <3
Awe, what a sweetly sincere tribute to an awesome little girl. I am so thankful I get to ‘know’ little bits of her through you.
She’s four. I always think of your youngest as being so much older than my oldest. They’ll be the same age in a wink eye.
Margot and Ruby look forward to that muddy dandelion tea.
Oh Rachel! Oh Rose Raven! Beautiful post (as always). I laughed at the butter. We know Baby Beluga very well in our house. Must be a 4 year old thing. Happy Birthday!
What a crack up! Happy number 4 to a spunky little girl with a gorgeous name.
She does have a very adorable personality! Happy Birthday Rose Raven! ♥Kyndale
Happy Birthday sweet Rose! I hope it was so fantastic !
I laughed out loud at the “I’m so psyched, I’m gonna explode into candy” – and then I read it out loud. Ollie wonders if she has been watching any of Charlie Sheen’s escapades.
So fun to read – she seem such a pistol (is that totally wrong to say of the daughter of a bowhunter type? Is she a crossbow???). Though it’s fun to know kids, it’s also fun to “know” kids this way – your words are imbued with their liveliness, and loveliness.
Happy birthday Rose!
I’m sure these tidbits are a mere drop in the bucket of so-very-Rose stories. You’ll never run out of anecdotes as long as you have her around, I’m sure!
Happy Birthday to Rose!
yay rose! happy birthday, sweetie!
Happy Birthday Rose! And the “you can be my trail partner anyday” line…what a wonderfull thing.
happy birthday rose raven, and happy birth day to you, mama! it goes by in a wink eye doesn’t it?
Happy Birthday, Rose! Here’s another take on four: http://www.mightymaggie.com/2011/05/i-love-you-a-hundred-times-mommy.html
My girl and I watch in wonder, so we kinda know what to expect. Thank you for writing about it.
OOH happy bd! love the last photo..x
Bites of butter. I love it. And that roadkill princess book … I can order it on Amazon, right?? Happy, Happy Birthday to sweet, exuberant, lovely Rose!
Happy 4! What an awesome post to and about her!