Jess Berne Strombelline

I love being her mom. It’s the most important title I’ve ever had the opportunity to wear, and it has exceeded every expectation I had. This journey has taken me from fear to the most aligned and attuned version of myself. Along the way, I lost parts of who I was, only to sit with who I am becoming. I’ve been healing, clearing, letting go, and creating space for this new version of me to land and expand. And honestly, it’s taken until now ~18 months in to really feel like I’ve arrived back in my body with a new perspective, deeper love, completed healing, and still more to explore. Motherhood is so much more than the lack of sleep, breastfeeding, learning how to do things with one hand, having several threads of conversations at one time but never finishing any of them, bath time rituals and an abundance of love. It’s one of the biggest transformations we can go through- an expansion of self in all the ways. If you pay attention, it asks you to heal, clarify, soften, and grow in ways I never expected. Challenging me to not return back to who I was, but into who I am becoming. For me, this transformation has been wild, humbling, and beautiful and some way more natural than I had anticipated and in others I’ve had to do the work. Sometimes I’ve surprised myself with the mother I am and commit to being every day for this little bright light. To all the mothers and aspiring mothers - I honor you in this massive transformation, wherever you are in it. And wish you a beautiful journey on your way to an expanded version of yourself. To @strombelline thank you for loving us so deeply through this evolution. You are my rock. To my village, because it really takes one . Thank you for being there physically and emotionally, for listening and for being such an inspiration to Nez. And to my momma @loribabes I’ve loved watching you become Lala. It means everything for Nez to have this relationship she does with you. xx

Our first plus one summer.

Miami Days | Miami Nights

Six years ago yesterday we said yes to us, surrounded by our closest people and under the blood moon lunar eclipse. One year ago today, we found out we were pregnant with her. I feel so lucky for our love- it feels so rare and so familiar. It’s deepened and accelerated watching you become a dad to Nez. You were meant to be a girl dad, to be her role model and her first love. You were her first touch on the outside world. You will forever be her safe space as you are mine. And getting to do this together is the greatest adventure. While so much has changed , the constant is just us now just with a forever plus one.

Feeling so grateful for the ☀️shine, togetherness with our humans and littles, for spontaneous trips, and our chosen family from all over the globe finding each other in one place.

A year of expansion physical and familial and true transformation from me to mother. A year of facing big fears, passing through new portals, and playing in new playgrounds. Grateful for it all and wishing you all a big and beautiful year ahead.

I imagine there will be a lot of “never thought I would be the mom to.. “ along this journey. Here’s one — I didn’t think we would take 1 month photo shoot but here we are and there is a lot to celebrate. A month has felt both like it has flown by and like eternity. Measuring in 3-hour windows and ounces. Getting to know her in every way, each sound, movement and look. And each day it all changes again. It’s a good reminder that nothing is constant in life. We are always evolving, we just often don’t slow down to pay attention to the most subtle of cues and we certainly don’t celebrate the smallest wins — (like moving through gas 😜). One month of just us + 1 has already taught me so much. I can’t wait for a lifetime.

A week ago I entered a portal that was one of my biggest fears, and came out the other side changed forever. I am a mother. We welcomed our baby girl Nez into the world as the sun rose in NY on Sunday 10/6. My journey started in fear, and the untangling of stories, ones I didn’t even know I was telling myself. I worked hard (with a lot of support), to clear my head and heart, built new practices, daily meditations and found within myself the confidence to choose to dance through that portal the way that we did . I feel grateful to say that my birth story wound up being almost all that I had written down in my wishes. However, practicing unattachment from that was an important lesson that I am already seeing show up in early motherhood. I am in awe by the way this baby organized things — everything from making my sure my perfect birth team @umamother was in the room from across the country, to the way the sun rose as she made her first big decision to join us on the outside. People say that birth is also death— and I get that now . There is a new version of me, my body, my flow, my way that has now arrived and I’m getting to know her the same way I am getting to know my baby girl. There is also an expansion in my relationship — it’s so beautiful and inspiring to see @strombelline become a father and a girl dad, a role that feels like he was meant for. Nez, it’s wild that it was you the whole time. The moves I could feel on the inside I can now see on the outside. The heartbeat I could hear at each appointment I can now feel beating on my chest as I hold you. I know you so deeply and love you so big. Welcome to this world lil Nez— your dad and I are so excited that our “just us” just got a little bigger and somehow more meaningful.

You are my sunshine ☀️

Love yous. #justus

The Berne babes do the Burn 🔥

It’s amazing to witness masters of their craft do their thing. It’s clear when in their presence they are living their purpose— this is a feeling that brings me so much joy. We met Keval and Hala on our last trip before lockdown (thanks to the amazing @spilgcity ). When we arrived at their shop in London, it was like a treasure hunt and it was clear we were in the presence of masters. You could tell that each piece was thoughtfully selected and curated and had a story to go along with it. What started as a fun drop in, turned into time well spent getting to know each other and then they pulled out my piece, it was hidden in the depths of drawers and boxes, seemingly awaiting to adorn my face. And so, I invested in my first pair of specs which have now turned into quite the collection. These are more than just glasses, they are story telling pieces. These specs have started so many conversations and led to new connections. Given how many times I get stopped over these specs, seems only right they are our first stop when we get to London. It now an annual pilgrimage for us. If you have plans to go to London, go spend some time with these two and their amazing collection. #eyewear #specs #masters #vintage #accessories