Hudson Gregory Blake

Our baby boy arrived on August 13, 2013 at 1:02 am after 20+ hours of labor. :)  He was smaller than expected, (huge sigh of relief), weighing 7 lbs 1 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long.  We are in love with our babe, and like all parents, believe he is the most perfect gift from God.  We've enjoyed every nap, cry, smile, and even diaper change.  It's amazing what having a child does to one's soul; we are forever changed for the better.

When he was four days old we had Shae Paradise come by our home to take his newborn pictures.  I've given her the nickname "baby whisperer" - I'm sure I'm not the first to tell her that.  I've pulled over 20 images into a favorite folder ... so much for narrowing down the selection.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves; enjoy!

Our house is finally our home.

Love that we are officially a family!

This blanket was Adams growing up.  Fun fact: Adam was born in California
 and also lived in Chicago and Nashville before moving to KC for middle school.

Loving on our little man.

Proof that Baby Hudson does get a little fussy from time to time.

There is no place I'd rather him be than curled up in my arms. 

How true those words are for us as parents.

With a face like that, I'm in trouble.  

His eyes warm my heart.

Love my boys so very much.  Adam is such a wonderful Dad.

Peek-a-boo, my sweet babe.

Hudson snuggled with Mimi's teddy bear. 

In case you've forgotten, we love TCU.  So does Hudson.  We snapped a few pictures of Hudson
lounging on Adam's TCU football jersey.

August 12th: A Day to Remember

Looking back on the past few years, one of my favorite memories happened on August 12th, 2011.  It was the night Adam finally asked me to marry him.  How I wish I would have written a detailed description of the night the morning after to capture all the details and surprise.  I did find an old email sent to a few friends summing it up:

As you may know, Adam and I got engaged and couldn’t be more excited!  It was a crazy work week and the only thing planned for Friday night was a big family dinner.   I didn’t think much of everyone getting together for dinner, as we were all getting together for some very fresh Boston lobsters flown in from the coast.  It was in celebration of all the years my stepdad, Mark, had put in at his job, which took him to Boston countless times for business.  We were also all together savoring family time since Grandma Rita is now (was) living in Kansas City for cancer treatment.  

Adam + I were stuck at the head of the table sitting on the ‘uncomfortable bench’ and since we were sitting there, Adam asked me if he should say a few words before dinner.  I said ‘whatever’ not thinking much of it.  Then to my surprise, after a nice prayer from my uncle Doug + a few words from Mark, Adam was down on one knee proposing in front of my entire family (16+).  I was so excited and rendered speechless … all I could was nod my head.  Afterward more family + friends came by; it was a lot of fun.

The next morning we flew to Boston for an extended weekend (Sat – Mon) to look at office space for Adam’s newest branch of his solar company (Brightergy).  We also looked at a few apartments which were initially just meant for him.  He stayed until Thursday and looked at some other places and fell in love with a beautiful Brownstone in Back Bay - a wonderful neighborhood I swooned over but figured was out of reach for us.  Long story short, he got the place and I took a leap of faith and decided I’d join him this Fall! I resigned from VML on Friday and will be going back to school this Fall most likely for a Master in Non-profit Management at Northeastern University.

In complete shock!

Doing my best to hide my tears of joy + my bright red face.

Fast-forward two years and I can still feel my face turning bright red as I turned toward him while he was proposing.  The thoughts that flooded my head ranged from, "this is really happening" to "I cannot think of anyone else I'd rather spend forever with".  I didn't know what to say in that moment so all I did was nod my head and hug him to hide my mix of emotions from my family.  There were toasts, laughter, and the overwhelming feeling of being blissfully content with life.

Before we went to Boston on a first AM flight, we stopped by St. Luke's Cancer Treatment Center/Intensive Care Unit to visit Grandma Rita.  Unfortunately she was unable to join us for dinner but she was so happy to hear the wonderful news.  After years of bonding with her on road trips and time spent at the Lake (she called me "her little clone"), I had heard and understood her journey through life and love.  When she saw the ring on my finger and the excitement beaming from my face she knew my love story was just beginning to flourish.  I am forever grateful for that moment with her, especially since she passed before our wedding.  We didn't get a picture with Grandma that morning but did capture the memories the night before: 

My incredibly supportive + goofy siblings.

My beautiful mom who has been there for me during every moment of my relationship with Adam.

My wonderful Kansas City girlfriends who came by after dinner to celebrate!

And here are some engagement shots from our session with KDog Photography.  We went to their studio for a quick couples session over Easter 2011 in anticipation of Mother's Day presents for our moms.  I quickly realized how much I loved working with Rachel and confidently chose her as our wedding photographer.  She has done a great job photographing such important moments in our life.

Update: Fingers crossed this day continues to get more special with each passing year - contractions have been going for 12+ hours (intensity picked up/began around 3:37 pm on Sunday). Placing my faith in God and "rolling with the contractions". This is what I prayed for - to feel the progress, so despite the pain I'm feeling very lucky.

Back to School: Fall Baby Gear

You know it's that time of year again when all the commercials have catchy tunes + adorable kids decked out in the coolest Fall fashions.  I have always LOVED this time of year, well, besides the summer ending part.  The excitement of a new pair of tennis shoes, jeans, and jacket seemed to make even a catholic uniform-wearing girl happy. Even if it meant wearing that new outfit in 90 degree+ temps. 

Now fast forward to the part were I am the parent, or soon-to-be I should say.  My poor Hudson.  He is going to be my dress up doll until we are potentially blessed with a baby girl one day.  I pledge to never intentionally embarrass him, clothing or otherwise, and will always have his best interest in mind.  Call me materialistic, but fashion is one bad habit of mine that I will have a hard time giving up ... at the very least, I will switch my wants/needs over to my children.  It is all a balancing game, right? A recent visit to Nordstrom + Nordstrom Rack was an eye-opening experience.  Instead of shopping for myself I went straight to the baby section and loved every second of it!  Sigh.

So here are some of my top baby boy picks for Fall.  Yes, before I begin, I realize a few things:

• babies don't go to school, so back-to-school time is still years away (duh, I know this people)
• babies don't/shouldn't wear shoes for some time because of foot development and the fact that they aren't really walking, but figure a few pairs can't hurt.  Will still wait until we have an idea of his foot size/growth stats.
• the whole coat thing - who knows how often we will actually get out when it's cold; however, we will be prepared for all types of weather just in case!

SHOES

Of course I turn to one of my favorite brands when shopping for my babe!  Check out these adorable leather shoes.     

Zara Baby - Lined Winter Hightop Sneaker ($35.90)

                                                    

Another fashionable, less pricey brand to turn to for baby fashion: H&M.

Loving on these gray H&M Baby Hightop Sneakers ($12.95)

We all know personalization ups the price, and for baby, it makes hand-me-downs tough.  I will have a hard time passing these chuck taylors up, but will be holding off on ordering/sizing until Hudson is walking (start at size 4 - so anywhere from 10 months +; $80)

CLOTHING

Just like maternity clothes, baby boy clothing has far surpassed my expectations - everything is adorable!  The key for me so far has been knowing when and where to buy.  I am sure my opinion will change slightly about the when part once Hudson arrives.  Fingers crossed the sizing and seasons match up on purchases!

Once you pick up your basics from Target, check out these stores for seasonal options:

This WEEKEND is the time to shop Gap Baby and stock up on Fall trends; 30% off through August 11th using the code GAPFRIENDS

Yes, H&M Baby has the cutest most hip wear around all for a great price.  Loving this little cutie's outfit!

Next stop, head over to Nordstrom Rack for the following brands:

Wendy Bellissimo coats and outfit sets are both swoon-worthy + masculine.  The price point at Nordstrom Rack saves you around 50%, just be sure to buy ahead of the season to ensure first dibs.  This blazer/hoodie combo is the perfect mix of preppy + laid back.

Little Me is a popular brand with lots of cute outfit sets for Fall.  The best part about buying a set is you can mix & match or wear as is. 

This military jacket from Peek's Little Peanut line is so cute!  Maybe too cute - made my first baby clothing mistake, it is listed as a girls coat online, although I assure you it was with boy stuff.  Hope Hudson can forgive me.  It was on sale and seemed boyish enough to me!

If you don't have time to hunt deals at the stores, sign up for a Zulily account and look for my favorite brands:

There are few things cuter than a little boy wearing a collared shirt.  Beetle & Thread is a line exclusively for boys and it is on Zulily from time to time.  

Beetle & Thread is also available at BuyBuyBaby.  Found this turquoise Toggle Parka over 50% at the Overland Park location a few weeks ago.

                                               

Angel Dear is an adorable line of clothing + plush accessories.  Definitely skews away from the trends and gets back to the traditional baby.  I found this piece on Zulily months ago and can't wait to snuggle with Hudson while he is wearing it.

Hope you find Fall clothing shopping just as fun as I do, especially now that you are in the know when it comes to baby brands. :)  Now back to the countdown until my little dress up doll/model arrives ... 5 (to 8) days - yipeeeee!  I love you, baby Hudson.

Urban Cultivator: Convenient Gardening

Our residential model of the Urban Cultivator arrived a few weeks ago - yipee!  Getting this kitchen appliance delivered has been a long road but well worth it.  A plumber came out to install it a week or two ago - we are now just waiting on a teeny tiny replacement part that holds one of the hydroponic light bulbs in place ... let me back up and explain this amazing appliance.

The Urban Cultivator allows restaurants and homeowners alike the ability to grow their own herbs and veggies year round inside their business or home.  In our case, the unit is the same size as a mini refrigerator and it fits seamlessly in our cabinetry and almost flush with the countertops.  It allows us to have the freshest, most organic greens possible, all while giving us the opportunity to watch our food grow.  The lighting, watering, and feeding schedule can be automated too which is makes the whole process so convenient.  Here are some stats/selling points that make it well worth the investment:

• Year-round and hassle free: as described above, this appliance says whatever to our Midwestern weather and puts the gardener in control of the crop and it's growing conditions.
• Nutritional value: store bought greens have a much lower nutritional value.  The Urban Cultivator eliminates the guess work of just how many chemicals and pesticides were used to grow food.
• Food without miles: the turning point for me was driving to Whole Foods this winter and realizing their produce department was practically empty.  When I questioned one of the employees he stated that a snow storm on I-70 shut down most of their shipments and to check back in a few days.  That's all I had to hear to fully grasp that even organically grown food clocks hundreds of miles (time + energy) before even reaching my local store, and eventually my family's dinner plate.
• Expiration date: buying fresh herbs to take a dish from good to great, but the price tag and limited shelf life drive me nuts.  If fresh cilantro is needed for tacos I don't want to be eating mexican food all week in an effort to eliminate waste.  The Urban Cultivator allows you to grow the amount you want, when you want it.  Not to mention it cuts the cost at the store too (pay-back on the until is estimated at 1-3 years).

Here are some pictures of it when we first got it, along with a picture of it installed:

It may be hard to read what we'll be growing so I've listed out what came in our starter kit: Arugula, Basil, Broccoli, Chives, Cilantro, Kale, Pea Tendrils, Radish, Wheatgrass, Spinach, and Lettuce

It's a perfect fit!

Once we start growing (likely a few weeks post baby) we will post an update.  All are welcome for dinner to taste the difference between "fresh" store bought vs. our homegrown herbs + lettuce.  YUM!

Hudson's Grandpa/Papa: Toy Chest Makeover

As many are aware, Hudson is going to have the coolest Grandpa in the world - lucky boy!  Mark, my stepdad, is officially enjoying retirement after dedicating countless years to DST/BFDS.  One of his first projects for Hudson was revamping a toy chest we found at a vintage KC shop called Re: Restoration Emporium in the West Bottoms.

Our idea was sparked by Restoration Hardware Baby + Child's toy chests; however, we didn't want to spend over and beyond.  Also we wanted the piece to fit with the other nursery decor.  Here's our inspiration:

Like the lettering + the masculine colors/feel, not crazy about the price. This piece is called the industrial basket & toys liner 

The metal framing + wheels on these rock, but the espresso color is too different from his furniture.  Also the wheels look generic.  This piece is RHB&C's industrial rolling storage crate

Here's what we started with:

Right before Mark started washing/painting the wood with a DIY gray staining solution consisting of vinegar + steel wool (recipe, instructions, etc on The Modern DIY Life blog).

Although the process took some time, Mark figured out how to get the stain on correctly and turn the toy chest into a masterpiece that matches the other artwork/frames in Hudson's room. The best part is knowing that chemicals weren't used to treat the wood. After about a week of drying and setting time, here is an after shot:

So the lighting isn't great in Hudson's room, but the stain turned out perfectly!  

Grandpa suggested leaving the recycle letters in the front, which I like because if Hudson wants to get toys for his Birthday or Christmas in the future, he will have to learn early on that his old toys will be "recycled" and given to other kids in need.

Here is a picture of Hudson's chalk/photo board.  This is the color gray we were aiming for and achieved.  I promise I'll rotate in cute pictures as our babe grows - lots of sonogram photos right now.