Jarryd (our awesome co-founder) and Jess (part of our People & Culture team AND the person who created 3pm squat o’clock) are the JBs and epic pioneers within the Thankyou journey. Last year, they brought into the world their precious little girl, Jordan (to make the JB tribe a three-piece), so we caught up with them to chat about family, adapting to change and what gets them dancing.
Your family in 3 words, GO!
Jarryd: Sports-loving, supportive, relaxed
Jess: Sporty, kind, loving
Best thing about being a Mum/Dad to little Jordan?
Jarryd: The best thing has been seeing lil JB change and grow so quickly. During the first couple of months not much happened, but it seems since she hit about 3 months old every day she’s changing and learning new things. We now have to be very careful what we say, ie ‘maybe we should take that diamond ring out of her hand in case she puts it in the bin’…..next minute, off she goes running towards the bin!
Jess: The best thing thing for me has been to watch her grow and learn new skills each day that enable her to achieve the mini milestones of each development stage. I have been blown away by how intelligent babies and toddlers actually are and their capacity to learn and develop at such a fast rate. As Jarryd says, she picks up so quickly on things we do and say and now we have to make sure we’re modelling the kind of behaviour we want to teach her!
On the flip side, what’s been the biggest challenge?
Jarryd: When I first became a Dad I couldn’t wait for times when I’d be able to lay around on the couch with Jordi, or even just hold her whenever I wanted. Things have turned out a little different to this! Lil JB is a fairly strong-willed girl who is very, very clingy to her mama! Unfortunately that’s meant those moments of laying around chillaxing with her have been few and far between. It’s made it hard to connect with her as much as I would have liked to, or imagined I’d be able to! I can’t wait for the day she becomes ‘Daddy’s little girl’!!
Jess: Jordan has been a pretty strong-willed and determined little girl from the get-go, which has made for some really challenging times. She’s always hated the car seat and pram which made outings generally tough. She’s also been very clingy for pretty much her whole 16-months of being alive, which at times has been really tiring and meant I haven’t had breaks when I thought I would. I have a whole new level of respect and appreciation for single parents! What’s made this manageable is having a strong support system around us - we’re extremely lucky that my family are close by and I can count on them for anything!
How has life changed since you became parents?
Jarryd: I think my freedom and what I place importance on has changed. Even more now family comes first! I want to be there for both Jess and Jordan as much as I can. I’ve changed my work hours around a bit to make sure I can leave on time to get home for bath and feed times! The lack of freedom has been an interesting one to also come to terms with - no more quick trips to the gym for a workout with Jess, or spontaneous date nights or taking long weekend trips up in QLD!
Jess: As any new parent might relate, the loss of freedom is definitely a huge one to wrap your head around… so for me the biggest adjustment has been not having 7 days a week to exercise and hit the gym! Exercise is my biggest form of stress release and motivation and not being able to workout whenever I want has been a massive challenge for me. Instead, now life pretty much revolves around Jordan and what’s best for her, and I’m ok with that because she’s the most important thing to us! We plan our days around her schedule because we know that’s going to make for a happier toddler the next day, and the day after that and so on. Oh and I too miss spontaneous date nights and long weekend trips to QLD! Haha.
What’s the one thing you really want to instil in Jordan?
Jarryd: I want Jordan to grow up being kind-hearted, friendly and loving. I am constantly telling her how kind, friendly and loving she is. I’m hoping that this language sinks in haha. I’m sure the above qualities combined with her strong-will and determination will make a great combination for her to chase after what she wants in life!
Jess: I want Jordan to grow up with a kind heart. I want her to always look for ways to be generous and loving. I want her to be motivated to be the best version of herself she can be, to be determined, to go out and achieve the impossible and chase after her dreams. I want her to always be friendly and have a positive outlook on life and to love her friends and family.
What song gets the Burns family up and dancing?
Jarryd: Something by Beyonce ;)
Jess: Queen B or a lil JT go a long way in our household :)
You can find Jarryd and Jess on social here @jarrydburns and @jesburns
