Lately.
Hi, it's been a while.
I’ve been quiet here for the last few months. Not because I stopped caring about this space, but because life got really full, really fast.
I swear from like September through January, my kids were basically sick the entire time. RSV, the flu, hand foot and mouth… it felt like we hit the full tour.
Trying to balance that with two full-time jobs, it just didn’t leave much time for anything else.
Then throw in the kids’ birthdays and the holidays, and it was chaos. The good chaos, of course.
And before I knew it, it was March.
But if I’m being honest, being busy wasn’t the only reason I went quiet here.
Something I Needed to Think About
Over the last few months, I found myself thinking a lot about this space and why I started it in the first place.
When I created The Fearfully Made, the goal felt really clear. I wanted to build a place where moms raising kids with limb differences could find each other. A place to share stories, resources, encouragement, and feel a little less alone.
But I also found myself hesitating more than I expected. Not about writing, but about sharing.
Pictures of Parker. Moments from our life. The small, everyday things that feel normal to us but live on the internet in a way that makes you pause for a second.
I think a lot of it comes down to the same question most parents are asking in some form right now.
Am I doing the right thing?
Am I sharing too much? Not enough? Thinking about this the right way?
And if I’m being honest, I don’t think there’s a perfectly clear answer. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized something.
This is exactly why I started The Fearfully Made in the first place.
Because so much of this experience is just trying to do the right thing… without ever really knowing what that is.
And figuring it out as we go.
What I Keep Coming Back To
When we first learned about Parker’s limb difference, I did what most people do. I went online, tried to understand it, tried to get a sense of what life might look like.
Some of it was helpful. Some of it wasn’t.
But what I kept coming back to over time is that no article or resource really prepares you for the day-to-day of actually living it.
The normal moments. The unexpected ones. The things you don’t think about until you’re in them.
And the more time passes, the more I realize how much of this is just figuring it out as you go.
That’s what I want this space to be.
Not a place where everything is tied up neatly or where anyone has all the answers.
Just a place where we can talk about what this actually looks like while we’re in it.
And if I’m thoughtful about how I share, I hope someday Parker will see this for what it is.
Not his story being told for him. But something good that grew alongside him.
So I’m writing again.
Not because I have everything figured out, but because this still matters to me.
And because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the more honest we are about the messy, complicated, beautiful parts of this… the more other people feel like they’re not doing it alone.
If you’re still here after the last few months, I’m really glad you are.
And somehow, I’m writing this exactly one year after I hit publish for the first time.
And as it turns out, this feels like the right time to be back.
Today kicks off Limb Difference Awareness Month, and I have a few meaningful and fun things I’m excited to share over the next few weeks. I also have some life updates that will allow me to spend more time and energy here, which feels really good.
I’m glad to be back.
With love,
Chelsea