Sanya Richards-Ross generally prefers gold. But ahead of the August 12 birth of son Aaron Jermaine (named for her husband, retired NFL cornerback Aaron, 35), the five-time Olympic medalist, 32, dreamed up a different color scheme. “I want more kids, so I didn’t want it to be too gender specific,” the Austin-based track star tells Us of the custom room. “I wanted grays, whites and just a little bit of blues.”
Sanya Richards-Ross’s Chic, Gender-Neutral Nook Is Nursery Goals
Sanya Richards-Ross generally prefers gold. But ahead of the August 12 birth of son Aaron Jermaine (named for her husband, retired NFL cornerback Aaron, 35), the five-time Olympic medalist, 32, dreamed up a different color scheme. “I want more kids, so I didn’t want it to be too gender specific,” the Austin-based track star tells Us of the custom room. “I wanted grays, whites and just a little bit of blues.”
Sanya Richards-Ross generally prefers gold. But ahead of the August 12 birth of son Aaron Jermaine (named for her husband, retired NFL cornerback Aaron, 35), the five-time Olympic medalist, 32, dreamed up a different color scheme. “I want more kids, so I didn’t want it to be too gender specific,” the Austin-based track star tells Us of the custom room. “I wanted grays, whites and just a little bit of blues.”
After searching Pinterest, Richards-Ross turned to designer Vanessa Antonelli to help hone her vision. Recommended by her close friend Angela Simmons, the nursery and modern baby-gear specialist initially asked the parents-to-be whether they had a preference between gold or silver. "With four gold medals and two Super Bowl rings, of course they're gold people," she said. "So, gold accents throughout the space were the logical choice."
Richards-Ross used these mini Nikes to tell her spouse they were expecting. "I can't wait to see his personality and what kind of person he's going to be," says the athlete. "I look forward to just teaching him everything and investing all the lessons that I learned — and hopefully making him a better version of me and my husband." She's also excited about the usual big milestones, including talking and walking.
“We were emotionally and spiritually ready,” says the new mom, “long before we were physically ready.” Ross always wanted a namesake, according to his wife: "I remember since we've been in college he's always called our future son little AJ, little Aaron, so I think that was kind of decided on long before he was born."
Antontelli arrived in Texas "just days away" from Richards-Ross' due date. "They were simultaneously undergoing a major home renovation," she explained. "So to say it was chaos at the Ross home is putting it mildly. On top of that, it felt like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. They were even calmer and cooler than I was while everything got sorted out. Their ability to handle pressure with such grace is undoubtedly going to make them incredible parents!"
Ross always wanted a namesake, according to his wife: "I remember since we've been in college he's always called our future son little AJ, little Aaron, so I think that was kind of decided on long before he was born." For a nickname, the couple chose "Deuce, as in the second."
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