We are hiring a part time nanny!

(scroll to the bottom of this post to apply)

I’m so happy for you! You know, when it came time to play for maternity leave with Daniel, I didn’t really know what I needed to do and I also thought that it was just impossible as a small business owner. I remember friends asking me how long my maternity leave would be and my answer was simple, “Oh, well, I can’t take one because I can’t be away from my business.”

Are you ready for a good laugh? My plan for taking maternity leave with Daniel was to blog between contractions. Laughing so hard right now after… you know… birthing a baby. Blog posts were the last thing on my mind!

So on the day he was born, after everyone had gone home, I blogged for the next day. That set in motion a habit I’d have for 8 months. I continued blogging 5 times a week because I thought that’s what you had to do to be successful. I had thankfully trained our photo editor and she was killing it, but I had no help on the business side of things. 

As a small business owner, you should get maternity leave, too. Here’s how to know what you need to do before maternity leave…

I’m gearing up for maternity leave and that means that we’re having a bit of a movie day today! Daniel’s all snuggled up next to me, we have a bowl of fruit for a snack, and I’m writing content for the blog and our JB email insiders so that you’re well taken care of while I’m away.

I’ve been telling Daniel for two months now that I’m working so hard right now so that...

We were getting takeout at a new Indian restaurant. Isaac ran inside and Daniel flipped through one of his books in the backseat while I stared out the window... just thinking.

Really, I had been thinking about it for a long time, but I knew saying the words would make it all feel too real.

Daniel ran over to me, "Mommy, you okay? Mommy, you okay?" He was standing next to the ultrasound bed and I told him I was great. The ultrasound tech mentioned that all the littles get nervous when their Mom is laying on bed with someone pushing a stick-like thing onto their stomach.

Daniel had his arm wrapped...

Finally! We might as well insert a thousand dancing/heart eye/crying your face off emojis. Because the impossible is possible with Jesus. Because He hears us. Because He walks with us and cries with us in loss. Because He isn't short a miracle with any of my babies. Whatever is lost here is given permanent victory in heaven and my heart is comforted in that truth.

Friend, we are finally pregnant and expecting our next little miracle in 2018! Loads of stories and details throughout this post.

I have so much to share with you, friend! This summer has refreshed me in a way that I didn't know was possible. I have learned so many momma, wife, and business lessons. It's been a summer of breaking free. I broke free from old habits: staying up way too late, skipping self care, and forgetting about hydration...