Mom Era. Maternity Leave. Back to Work ✌🏻

Family of 5

I SO cannot believe that Colt has officially been part of our family for almost three months. Insane. It’s honestly wild how someone so small can bring so much love, meaning, and fun into your life. He truly completes our family, and watching our crew settle into this new chapter has been the sweetest thing.

Let’s Get Back to It As much as I’ve loved maternity leave (well… most of it 😂), this mama is officially ready to get back to The Jess Press. Do we love being a mom? Absolutely. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love my work too. But hey, this is why I left my Manhattan career + invested in myself and future fam. BUT, now that I opened that door up, I’ve got to also flag that while being your own boss is such a game-changer, it took me a LONG time to get to the point where I am now. AND I still totally get on myself for not working enough, for being better, etc. The insecurity + imposter syndrome exists here too, people. The flexibility, the freedom, the ability to build a life that works for my family… it took me years to get to this point. I genuinely don’t take any of it for granted. We’re lucky + we know it. (Thanks, mom, dad + Nick, for supporting this decision) To anyone out there thinking about making the jump, DO it. But just know you’ll be working your ass off for the first few years + it will be so rewarding and fabulous. 

And PS: absolutely NO shame to the moms commuting into the city, working corporate jobs, doing both, doing neither — this was just the path that felt right for me, and that’s okay too. 

Coffee on Maternity Leave >>>

If you know me + have been following, you know I definitely wasn’t sitting home this entire maternity leave. Sorry, not sorry. Outside of spending quality time with the fam + taking a much-needed reset, we’ve been journeying the MoCO scene for coffee and treats. As your self-appointed coffee connoisseur, I had to rank my top five coffee + treat spots from maternity leave:

1. Riposo Coffee Roasters: IYKYK. Their espresso martini spring special is insane. I die for the blueberry cheesecake too. And because you know I live there, we’re loving the pistachio baklava too.
   

2. Caffeine Haven: Honeycomb latte, unreal. Hints of lavender. Like, what is life?
   

3. The Nest: Toast crunch latte, what every morning should be made of
   

4. Cafe 11: Blackberry shaken espresso. Out of this world, 10/10, easy
   

5. Filoncino: Vanilla matcha latte. It’s still caffeine, don’t @ me. 
   

✨ Honorable mention: Wandering Bear. Done. No better alternative for an at-home coffee. Dirty vanilla chai is always my #1, and my fridge is always stocked with it. 

See you back in the studio, friends!