December 30, 2021 Dear Darkened Rose, [You can quickly scroll to the bottom if you’re just here for the baby photos. I don’t blame you, but don’t expect quality shots. Life is still blurry right now.] My birthing experience really started taking shape at 37 weeks gestation. I had an early morning OB appointment that … Continue reading 2.6 – The risk to remain tight in a bud…

August 20, 2021 Dear Darkened Rose, I recently read a discussion board full of anxious mothers where they were talking about when their first pregnancies finally felt real. The rational people were saying, “when I heard my baby’s heartbeat for the first time.” My kind of people were giving answers like, “2 months after the … Continue reading 4.8 – Neglecting Happiness is the Groundwork of Depression

July 1, 2021 Dear Darkened Rose, Since I was a teenager, I have written countless prose and poetry bits and journal entries about matrescence and motherhood. Needless to say, I have very carefully awaited this time in my life. Many, many tears have been shed from a deep fear that this time would never come. … Continue reading 3.7 – What were your first trimesters like?

May 23, 2021 Dear Darkened Rose, I wanted to make sure to take the time to share some wedding photos with you. I guess while doing so, I will also explain how proud of and contented I am with the marriage that Caleb and I have. Admittedly, the early years of our relationship were labored … Continue reading 5.2 – Now I gotta wait for you, honey.

May 21, 2021 Dear Darkened Rose, After a myriad of readjusted expectations, Caleb and I finally got married. On your birthday, nonetheless. Planning a wedding made me an angry person. I recognized that I almost made my way to sith-hood before noticing that I had been hanging out on the dark side of the force … Continue reading 2.6 – Failures of Dreaming of a Wedding

August 31, 2020 (Mawmaw’s birthday, I hope you visited with her) Dear Darkened Rose, I remember on one of my first appointments with Madeline Alford she asked me a version of an age-old counselor’s question— When can you last remember being effortlessly happy? Considering at that time I would have been an early teenager, I … Continue reading 3.6 – When was the last time you were happy?

May 20, 2020 Dear Darkened Rose, I’m in a constant state of feeling as though I could use just a bit more sleep. This year, the amount of time I have spent up at work has increased which is quite opposite of what I had hoped for during these months. I had been looking forward … Continue reading 2.5 – Zoom Out of Time

January 19, 2020 Dear Darkened Rose, Now more than ever, I feel as though I am the most healthily aware version of myself as I have ever been. While I may not yet be at the peak of having met my strongest state of mental health, I can see that I am watching myself climb … Continue reading 3.5 – The children’s book