ABOUT

Who Am I? 

Aspen Rose was born on November 19, 2011 at St. Luke’s Northland in Kansas City, MO.

At birth, she weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 18.75 inches tall.

She was born with an extra 21^st chromosome.

Why Aspen Rose? 

While the name Aspen is not terribly common among children born today, we had a strong conviction to choose this name based on the beauty and elegance that we felt it represented. 

There is no doubt in our mind that the Aspen tree is nature’s shimmering beauty.  After visiting many mountain passes over the course of several years, the sight of these trees are simply beyond words (especially in the fall).  While they are beautiful to the eyes and ears, we did not fully understand what the tree represented until looking further into the symbolism (after Aspen’s birth). 

-          Community

-          Strength through diversity

-          Overcoming fear 

The Aspen is seen as a symbol of strength in the community, as they often grow in cohesive groves – with longevity up to a thousand years of age or more.  A grove is actually a single living organism and amazing enough, fire damage cannot kill the grove as long as the roots remain alive! 

Aspen groves are healthiest when they include trees at all different levels of maturity.  A grove with only trees of the same age is far more susceptible to disease and natural disasters.  In this way, Aspen trees represent strength through diversity.  As with a community, which is comprised of many people who differ in some way (ages, nationalities, religious affiliations, occupations, etc), the Aspen would symbolize the strength of those individuals coming together for a particular purpose.

In many countries, the Aspen tree is known to drive off evil spirits.  These trees were often planted near dwellings to protect villages from these unwanted or feared nuisances.   The Aspen tree often symbolizes determination and overcoming fears and doubts, while seen as a source of strength, shelter, protection and life. 

As for her middle name, we selected Rose specifically from our family lineage.  We felt it was important to carry this name forward as we wanted our daughter’s first name to be complemented with beauty and grace, while keeping a strong focus on our family and its strength and longevity.