Rose is 2!

Rose is 2! We ended September with a party and a birthday to celebrate another whole year of our Rose. I’ll admit, I’m sort of in shock over this one because how can my baby be entirely out of babyhood and into toddlerhood? Rose doesn’t yet say her own name but refers to herself as “Baby” and I’m okay with that for a little longer.

In fact, I think Rose’s language tells you a lot about her personality. One of her first two-syllable words was “happy”. Another is “yummy” – her word for soothers but also anything you can put in your mouth. Rose doesn’t yet say “no” or very many negatives. She tells me, “Mama” with a shake of her head when I drop her off at childcare for our moms group, to remind me that this is just for kids, no moms allowed.

We celebrated Rose with a Beaver Party. If you’ve ever seen Rose, you’ve probably met Justin Beaver. Her best friend and near-constant companion. So it seemed fitting that we take Beaver Lodge as the party theme. I made beaver lodge cookies (pretzel sticks and melted chocolate) and a local doughnut maker provided us with beaver tails. Friends and family came to celebrate out girl. She had a blast.

This growing up is bittersweet. It’s good and healthy and what we want of course. At the same time, I’m glad that Rose still reaches her arms around my neck in the morning when I lift her from her crib. I’m glad that although we’ve stopped nursing, she still loves to cuddle, nestling her soft head against my neck. And I’m glad for the soft way she sighs and says, “Mama.” I am thankful for this girl.