The Name:
Hudson Ryder Williams
Even before we found out we were expecting I'd began thinking that the name 'Hudson' could be a strong contender. It wasn't a name that we had even considered when trying to name Hunter, but sometime during the last couple of years, I'd heard it and thought how strong & manly it sounded, plus it can't be shortened - the 3 standards Andrew & I agreed our son's names have to pass. I also loved how cute it sounded next to Hunter's name. :)
So once we heard "It's A Boy" I was pretty much set on Hudson. Andrew liked it and after just a little discussion, it was settled. :) So much more fun than waiting until after he's born like we did with Hunter! However, the middle name has been a different story. We tossed around every name that we could think of and nothing just stuck. We have been offered several suggestions and opinions by family & friends and these were the list of our favorites that we continued to try out over the past 4 months:
Cole, Colt, Jack, Cash, Ryder, Wright, Cade, Sawyer, & James
Hunter wasn't much help either. At first he was a bit slow to start calling him Hudson because he was hung up on us having a "baby Landon" like Ava's baby brother. (I can take a little responsibility for that since I may have said on a couple of occasions that I was hoping for a 'baby Landon' because he is always such a wonderful baby.) But once he caught on to the name, there was no changing it. He has a baby brother - and his name is "baby Hudson." We tried asking his opinion on a middle name and all we could get was a consistent - "his name is baby Hudson." Hahaha
Just for fun I looked up it's meaning & a few extra tidbits . . .
Origin: Old English name; typically a last name
Meaning: French-Norman roots of the name Hugh, meaning "soul."
Characteristics: People with this name have a deep inner desire to serve humanity and to give to others by sharing money, knowledge and experience, or creative and artistic ability. They tend to be passionate, compassionate, intuitive, romantic, and to have magnetic personalities. They are usually humanitarian, broadminded and generous, and tend to follow professions where they can serve humanity. Because they are so affectionate and giving, they may be imposed on. They are romantic and easily fall in love, but may be easily hurt and are sometimes quick-tempered.
Popularity: It's #127 on the list of current baby boy's names (and I thought this was funny) It is most commonly linked with siblings named Hunter, Jackson, Harrison, Ryder, Ella, Hayden, Harper, or Hannah.
Finally, similar to how we made 'Hunter Steele' official, I was just ready to decide. I think I'd been leaning towards Ryder (a little bit) all along, I just couldn't commit. Ryder was a contender when naming Hunter and I still just really like it. So, I pretty much said I like the name 'Hudson Ryder' and since Andrew didn't give much opposition & didn't offer anything better - we made it OFFICIAL!
Hudson Ryder Williams
We love you more than words can say & can't wait to meet you precious baby boy!
Popularity: It's #127 on the list of current baby boy's names (and I thought this was funny) It is most commonly linked with siblings named Hunter, Jackson, Harrison, Ryder, Ella, Hayden, Harper, or Hannah.
We love you more than words can say & can't wait to meet you precious baby boy!
The Nursery:
After much consideration for room placement etc., we decided on eliminating the upstairs 'guest' bedroom and making it Hudson's new nursery. We decided that our best option for long-term success, was to move a queen bed into the room for us to sleep in, temporarily, along with his crib. I know from my experience with Hunter that I am not the kind to hike up & down the stairs throughout the night to nurse and tend to a new baby . . . it's just not going to happen. So if we want Hudson to learn to sleep in his own bed rather than end up in ours, like Hunter did, then we need to make some changes. (as of right now that's our goal . . . although we both agree that our ultimate goal is for our entire family to sleep well - so we will just have to see what the future holds)
This was our upstairs guest bedroom - aka "Grandmommy's Room" for the past 3 years.
The paint & decor was all pretty much a complete transplant from our previous home.
I was super excited to MOVE ON from the blue & brown. And not that it was so BAD, I was just really ready for a change. (the wedding pic was just a temporary placement until mom can find another place to put it, obviously it didn't fit )
I knew what I was wanting & found some inspiration pics on Pinterest.
Andrew was definitely up for the challenge and took the headboard - head on!
We've had some old wood lying around since we moved in over 3 1/2 years ago from part of a fence that Andrew had taken down around a tree in our back yard. We figured it would be the look we were going for . . .
He had such a good helper
I think it turned out "pretty AWESOME" as Hunter would say . . .
No, it wasn't exactly the color I'd been imagining but it actually turned out perfect. It's really a mixture of grey & baby blue, but once we moved furniture & accessories in, the little bit of color is just enough to keep it from being too dull or drab and gives it the hint of baby boy that should be in a nursery.
I decided to re-use the crib that Andrew had already stained & distressed for Hunter just a few short years ago (that never got used) and found very simple & fairly inexpensive bedding right from the start.
And since I'd appliqued a pillow for Hunter, I thought it only fair to do one for Hudson as well, so I used some leftover fabric and added on a sweet little elephant to his.
I decided to keep the nightstand we'd been using in the old guest room, since it was stained to match the crib. I thought it looked cute as well as added a handy place to set needed items, an extra lamp, and of course extra storage.
The next big piece was his dresser/changer. I had been keeping an eye out on Craigslist and at garage sales, but it was mom & granny who picked up this amazing find -- huge wood dresser, with velvet lined drawers, in practically new condition for a whopping $60. I was thrilled!
I thought about tackling it myself, but between Hunter & this pregnancy, I really just wanted someone else to do it for me . . . So I asked a sweet new friend I'd met at MOPs last year, to do the painting & distressing. I thought it turned out great!! Thank you Emily!
With Hunter we only had a changing station set up, in our bedroom (downstairs), but since the plan is to spend much more time upstairs, I figured we needed a second. We tried out a couple diaper disposal options but nothing really compared to the diaper genie so I was really happy to score another one at Rhea Lana's for ultra cheap. I used one of Grandma Jerri's baskets that Grandpa had given me to hold all of Hudson's supplies and Hunter gave me the 'ok' to share a couple of his stuffed animals with his baby brother.
Not sure I'm done with the space, and I know a few things will probably get moved or switched around, but so far I like how it's all coming together.
Although clearly hand-made, I loved this saying the moment I first read it, and knew it'd be perfect to display Hudson's very first picture . . .
The other frame holds a sweet sweet poem that reminds me, in those moments of parental doubt - messy house - or mommy weariness, that
this won't last long . . . so cherish it.
Just like a warm fuzzy blanket on a cold winter's day - there's nothing quite like rocking and holding your baby. And even though I will attempt a different sleep routine with Hudson due to logistics of having a second child, there's no question I will still rock my baby . . . because very quickly they grow up and it's no longer an option.
Which leads me to my next project - The Rocking Chair
Mom gave me the go ahead, so while Hunter was at KDO, I attempted my very first DIY furniture make-over!
Although a pretty color, it blended in with the walls too much so my sweet hubby helped distress it for me - and made it look SO much better!
The material for the chair is actually a shower curtain that I found at Target - gotta love that! It's durable, pretty, and (much cheaper) than I'd found at any fabric stores around. Granny suggested using an ultra plush throw I had just lying around, for the chair cushion which turned out so comfy! I am very ready to rock my little blue bundle in it so very soon . . .
I also had Granny make this throw for the end of the bed by attaching that same material to the top of an old blanket - WONDERFUL!
Above the rocker, I added a few personalized baby memorabilia. The 'H' was from Nanny but was orginally orange & blue, so I recovered it in a cream burlap and placed it beside one of my favorite newborn pictures of big brother.
The gown & bubble suit were actually my dad's (supposedly all babies, regardless of gender, wore dresses back then), that both Colt & Hunter also wore (mainly just for pictures). I just love the added vintage look it gives the room, while also being such a neat keepsake.
My first project - choosing a paint color. Oh. my . . .
I've learned that there is no such thing as "grey." There's not just 50, but more like a million shades of grey and each shade looks completely different depending on the time of day, accents, and basically everything. So I narrowed my selection down to 3 and painted all 3 colors with & without primer - on all four walls. After much debate, I finally chose what I thought was the PERFECT 'light elephant grey' I'd been searching for and mom & Granny went to work painting the room. When it was completed, I stepped into our new & beautiful nursery, and saw the prettiest shade of baby blue I could have ever picked. :/ eerrrrr.
At first, I thought it might be too plain but after adding all the other prints & textures throughout the room, I thought it was perfect.
Just a few of my favorites . . .
Honestly, can you have a little boy and not adore "Love You Forever"?
I removed the glass inserts and absolutely LOVE the middle cabinet detail - plus it's great storage for all his precious blankets we will get to use! (I'm so excited about using blankets since I didn't get to really use them with Hunter that much -- there's just something about snuggling a tiny bundle in a soft & warm blanket)
I've had a really fun time doing several projects for my littlest's new room. I admitted that my "Granny Hicks" is finally coming out in me. :) Which opens the door for a shout out to Granny for ALL THE WORK she did for us in both Hunter's & Hudson's new bedrooms. I felt like a slave driver keeping her tucked away up in the bonus room sewing for hours - I apparently had no idea how many projects I'd lined up for her as well. Lol
So thank you, thank you Granny. I am blessed beyond words to call you mine. You have a servant's heart combined with a grandmother's love and you are a continuous blessing to all of us. I love the precious relationship you & Hunter share, and I am so excited to see the love grow between you and Hudson. You are a truly wonderful grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend and I love you so SO much. 
Another special thank you to my momma - who is always there to help me, no matter how big or how small. And as Andrew teases, it's hard for me to make my final decorative decision without her approval. ;) So thank you momma for your continued guidance, help, and all the million other ways you share your love. I am truly blessed to have both of these women be such pillars in my everyday life.
We've worked slowly over the past 3 months . . .
But it's finally coming together!! Yippie
The curtains I fell in love with right away. I loved the color and the modern-ness of the branch details.
The only problem - this room gets sooo much natural light, blackout panels were a must. Thankfully, I found some grey ones that Granny was able to sew onto the back of these to make them absolutely perfect.
I just love how my changing station is turning out
this won't last long . . . so cherish it.
I moved this picture grouping over from Hunter's room, and hopefully before too much longer I'll have precious new pictures to add to the mix.
Which leads me to my next project - The Rocking Chair
This antique rocking chair was actually a wedding gift given to my parents, from my grandparents. For Hunter's nursery, the only change I'd made was to replace the 1970's gold cushions with a brown material that fit better with the decor. But for the new nursery, it needed an overhaul.
But for now, I guess I can practice with my Big Boy
My little man's name sign:
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
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