Dear Me, We Did This

A year of Tender & True — from a quiet beginning to a community that holds, shares, and grows together

One year ago, I joined this platform.

At the time, I didn’t fully know what this space would become — only that I needed somewhere to put everything I was carrying.

My goal with this blog has always been simple: to promote awareness and acceptance.

In my very first post, The Who, What & Why, I say:

My goal with this blog is honestly to just promote awareness and acceptance. My boy belongs to an amazing community and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I just want to harbour a safe place for parents & parents to be. Because I’ve been there…

And somehow, in just one year — we’ve done exactly that.

We’ve built a safe place. Check.

We’ve shared stories that matter. Check.

We’ve raised awareness in ways that ripple far beyond this screen. Check.

We’ve attended live sessions, started building a parent network for resources, taken early steps toward an inclusive playground — and grown a community that genuinely, consistently shows up for one another. Check. Check. Check.

None of this came from nowhere.

Tender & True was born on the drive home from my first CHAMPS seminar.

I remember sitting with everything I had just felt — the weight, the understanding, the quiet but powerful sense of connection — and thinking: this needs a place.

Tender from the heart. True to my soul.

I meant that then. I mean it now.

Every word written here has been real. Every post, every fear, every breakthrough — I have laid it all down honestly, because that’s the only way I know how to do this.

This past year has been something I never could have imagined for myself.

I became a mom.

I became an advocate.

And I became stronger than I ever believed I could be.

I didn’t see that coming. But I am so glad it did.

When I look back, I feel proud. Genuinely, deeply proud.

This space can be hard sometimes. The journey can be hard. But I love where we are. I love who we’ve become — together.

And when I think about the pieces that meant the most…

So, the Anatomy Scan Brought Hard News — You’re Not Alone — this one still sits closest to my heart. Because the truth hasn’t changed: your baby is not broken. And neither are you.

Dear Me, Look How Far You’ve Come — a reminder I still carry — you don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to show up. Messy bun, tired eyes, open heart. That’s enough.

Dear Me, It’s All Going To Be Alright — my first letter to myself written before I even understood my own voice. Raw and unpolished and so honest. It reminds me that I simply started. And that starting was everything.

Handling Limb Differences in Public: The Stares, The Questions, and The Grace — a piece that helped me process, understand, and feel less alone in the everyday moments that no one really prepares you for.

30 Things I’ve Learned After 30 Weeks of Being a Mom — because even now, it still holds: we are always learning. There is a lesson in every single day.

To the Ones Who Show Up (Even When It’s Hard) — because whether you stay home, go to work, or somehow do both — we are all just moms giving everything we have.

And beyond every word written — the connection.

The conversations that found me at just the right moment.

The shared experiences that made me feel less alone.

The way we have quietly, beautifully found each other here.

That is what I am most proud of.

This first year has been incredible. And I do not take a single moment of it for granted.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for letting me grow.

Thank you for trusting me with your stories, your time, your presence.

Every single one of you matters to me. You are not just a reader — you are a part of this.

And I can’t wait to see what this next year brings.

I can’t wait to keep growing, learning, and building this with you.

With all my love,

Anna

💌 Thank you for reading.

If this resonated with you — or if someone in your life could use these words — please feel free to share it with them. You never know who might need the reminder.

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