YOU GUYS!!! He’s here!!! It’s taken me a bit of time to actually get on the computer and post this, but if you’ve been following along on Instagram you know he came 3 weeks ago on the beautiful day of October 6th. He was born at home at 5:27pm, weighted in at 9 lbs 6oz. and was 22 inches long. He was a day early even! Woot! Woot! I can’t wait to share his birth story with you guys but today I wanted to share the story behind his name. We named him Orion David Richardson. He’s the very first son (duh!) and grandson on both sides of our family. David is Kev’s middle name and I love that my 2 boys now share that in common. Kev’s middle name is after his Grandfather. I never got to meet him but Kev has lots of wonderful memories and loved him very much. He sounds like such a good man and I wish I had gotten to know him. I am proud that Orion gets to carry on his legacy.
As far as his first name, I knew when we found out we were having a boy I wanted to name him after my Dad somehow. Not in the traditional sense by just giving him my Dad’s name, but by something with deeper meaning and maybe a little more abstract in reference. You see, my Dad is a pretty special guy. Next to Kev, he’s my favorite guy and probably the smartest one at that. My Dad has always been in love with astronomy, telescopes and space exploration. For most of my childhood there were telescopes in abundance at our house. At school I was know as “the girl with the observatory in her backyard”. I’m not talking dinky, little observatories either… like real legit ones that my Dad built himself. He not only built the observatories, but built and machined almost all of the parts for the actual telescopes as well. Because of his love of for astronomy he instilled in us a sense of wonder, to dream big and to follow our passions full force. He taught us to have an appreciation for the extreme beauty in the skies and the awe of God’s creation. Kev has this memory that he told me well after the fact, that on one of our early dates we were out sitting by this reservoir and I said to him something along the lines of “doesn’t the sky look huge tonight?” He said he looked up and noticed that the sky did indeed look big that night. He told me that he knew right then and there that I was special (haha mushy I know). He said he’d never dated someone who would have noticed something like that. Aww what a guy to remember something like that, huh? Love him. Anyway back to my Dad… His observatory is called Heaven’s Glory Observatory after Psalm 19:1. I love that my Dad works amongst some of the smartest men and women in the science and engineering fields yet has never felt the need to question his faith. If anything it has only grown stronger- science does not need to be separate from God. He is such an awesome example of a strong man of God.
My dad is a super talented astrophotographer (all astronomy pictures in this post are by my Dad)! When we started to come up with names we couldn’t get our minds off Orion, which is actually his favorite constellation. It was perfect!! It was everything we wanted in a name for our sweet little boy. Something to represent my Dad but also express the beauty of God’s creation and especially in creating this new life. Did you know that Orion is actually mentioned in the bible a handful of times? How cool is that? My favorite is…
He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.
Amos 5:8
^^M42/NGC1777 Emission/Reflection Nebula region in Orion (photo by my Dad)
^^My Dad and his new grandson. All the heart eye emojis please!!
^^Horsehead and Flame Nebula Region in Orion (photo by my Dad)
^^M78 Reflection Nebula region in Orion (photo by my Dad)
^^Oh boy! Look how cool I was in 8th grade!
^^Observatory in my parents backyard
Thanks for letting me gush on my Dad and my new baby boy for bit!
and thanks for all the love and congratulations- you guys are the best. THE BEST I TELL YA!!!
xoxox
Jen! How COOL is your dad?! What an amazing guy to grow up with, and what a loving and special tribute by you guys to name the new babe Orion in honor of him and his passion. He’s adorable — looking forward to watching him grow alongside his big sisters through the magic of the internet! Hope you’re all doing great!
Dumb question: is his name pronounced O-rion or OriON? 😀
Congrats!
Congrats on your son and what an awesome name! I think your dad and my dad would have lots to talk about. He built a telescope when we were kids, worked as an engineer on parts for the Space Station and now works in an observatory in Flagstaff and helped build the 5th largest telescope sponsored by the Discovery Channel. We grew up with a love for the sky as well. Your dad takes amazing photos and how special for your little boy to have them be part of his nursery. Enjoy time with your little Orion!
Jen, this is an amazing story – what a tribute to your dad. Orion is just precious!
Congratulations!!
October 6th is my oldest daughter’s birthday, GREAT day to be born! 🙂
Next one is due in December. Can’t wait to get her here!!
congratulations!! you have a very beautiful family
xo joselovincolors
http://www.joselovincolors.com
I’ve followed your blog for a long time and I hardly comment on blog posts but as a stay at home mom/former graphic designer, and someone who still very much loves and appreciates fine art and design, I relate to a lot of the content I find on here and felt the need to respond to this post as I found it really touching. But I also wanted to say thank you for all the art related, inspiring, and heartfelt posts you write on motherhood. They really help remind me to continue to encourage my kids to develop a love of the arts and creative expression. And, those photo’s by your dad are incredible, just mind blowing!! Thanks for sharing them. Congrats and best wishes, your son is precious!
Congrats! He’s precious! We also did a constellation theme in our nursery for our baby girl and I just love to go in there. Enjoy your new little one!
Your dad sounds so rad. He reminds me a lot of my husband. Orion is an awesome name and I love how you share your faith on here. You have a beautiful family girl! God bless you guys!
Girl! Yes! Your babe is so cute and his name and the meaning are just beautiful! Congrats!
How beautiful that you put so much thought into Orion’s name. Your Dad sounds like an awesome guy and the picture of him holding Orion made me tear up. Congratulations to your whole family. <3
That is such a sweet way to honour your Dad! I love the sweet shout out to someone you love so much. We had our third baby girl on October 1st and Named her Marigold Luna. Mary is my sisters middle name and we wanted to give her a shout out for always being there for us and our family. Luna is for Luna Lovegood…. had to get my Harry Potter nerd on. I love reading about names and why a babies name was chosen for them. This is a beautiful storey, well done.
Welcome to Orion David! You’re so beautiful baby boy! And What a sweet story about his name! Your father must have an immense knowledge and must be a great source of inspiration for you.
I follow you from France, I’m sorry my english is very approximate but it held me with heart to congratulate you for your wonderful blog . You have a wonderful family, take care about you 5 and continue to make share us your happiness!
Marie
What a strong name for such a beautiful baby!! Here’s to wonderful things ahead for him!!
Such an adorable story and congratulations!
congrats! beautiful story
Congrats to you and your beautiful family! What a cool story about Orion’s name, it’s so unique! Funny, I saw a quote recently that was shared by one of my Catholic school teacher friends (attributed to Sir William Bragg, according to the internet) that says “Religion and science are opposed…but only in the same sense as that in which my thumb and forefinger are opposed – and between the two, one can grasp anything.” It just made me think of your sentiments about your dad and your position on faith. Hope you’re all doing great!
So very happy for all of you! I was so anxious to hear the good news. It’s so sweet that you honored your dad. His pictures are breathtaking. Orion is a beautiful name for a beautiful little boy. Hugs to you, Kev, and two big sisters!
Aw, congrats on your beautiful baby boy, Jen! And I love the name you chose + the meaning behind it. My girlfriends son is named Orion, and I’ve always thought of it as such a special name. Also, your dad sounds like the best grandpa ever and I love his astronomy pictures. Can’t wait to show Martin! xoxo
What a lovely story and meaning behind the name!! And such a cool name at that. Congratulations! 🙂
This is incredible. CONGRATS! The photos that your father took are awesome in the truest sense of the word. And the photo of him and your new guy is so sweet.
Congrats! that is such a touching story about the name of your new born! such a cute story and cute baby!
http://www.footnotesandfinds.com
Congratulations! He’s so precious! What a lovely meaning behind his name, I wish you all the best. 🙂
http://helloitscherry.blogspot.co.uk/
Those photos are truly special. I didn’t even realise the universe could look like that!xx
What a beautiful story! That is probably one of the best meaning behind a name I have ever heard! Orion is one powerful little man. =)
Love his name! Congrats. he is adorable! What a great name story and amazing photos!
This is just the sweetest:)
YAY! Oh my goodness, I’ve been thinking about you guys and checking in often:) Happy NEW FAMILY! Happy Birthday Orion!
Wow Congratulations Jen and Kev! How wonderful for your family! I’ve been following along since you were newly married and a school teacher, and it has been so wonderful to see your family grow with love and Grace! xxx
This is AMAZING! The name, the photos, the story, all of it! Congratulations to you and your family!
Welcome, baby Orion (great name :), and congrats to you and your family!