August 2011 - Colby's Birth Pictures

After his bath - They had to wash his hair several times because he had SO much of it.

With Dr. Tutt

Mom holding Colby for the 1st time. It had been a long 2 days. I look pretty exhausted! And drugged!

After 5 long days in the hospital, Colby (and mom and dad) were WAY ready to go home!

August 2011 - Colby's Birth Story

So, along with having a baby in the month of August, I also switched jobs (careers, actually). I was so incredibly sad to say goodbye to my favorite people ever at Rollins & Petersen Orthodontics, but it was a huge blessing in our lives for me to be hired by Gilbert Public Schools as a sign language interpreter. It had better hours, summers off, more money, and health insurance benefits, all of which were quite important since we had our little boy on the way. I started at GPS on August 10 and just 13 days later, gave birth to the most precious baby. Here is the story (if you don't already know it):

So, my body broke out in a crazy rash just a few days before Colby was born. It was the most uncomfortable thing and didn't know if I could have lasted until Colby came on his own. After a hospital visit on Saturday, August 20 to see what the mysterious rash was, we left with no answers since all the blood work results came back normal. I did, however, receive a steroid shot to the booty, which seemed to help a bit. Dr. Beck (the doctor on call that weekend) said that I would need to be induced on Monday though, since we had no idea what this rash was or what was causing it. They had to wait until I was 39 weeks and 1 day. Plus, Dr. Tutt (my actual doctor) would be back Monday to see me and deliver our baby.

Monday morning, August 22, we were supposed to check in the hospital at 3:30am, but of course the rooms were full. We had both already taken work off so we sat around, very impatiently, for the hospital to call with a free room. That never happened, so we went to lunch and Target for some last minute things to keep ourselves busy. Finally, we went to Dr. Tutt's office to see if there was anything they could do to help us. At this point, the rash was unbearable. I was itchy all over and couldn't handle it anymore. Dr. Tutt wasn't in, but the front office girls suggested we just show up at the hospital and wait till they got us a room. So, we did!

We showed up at Banner Gateway around 3:00pm. Shockingly, they got us back in a labor and delivery room about an hour later and started me on pitocin. Because I wasn't progressing, they took me off pitocin and started me on cervidal. I was supposed to be on that for 12 hours, so I tried to relax and get some sleep before the big day. The next morning, Tuesday, August 23, they started me back on pitocin around 11:00am. They also got an epidural started for me. It worked for a little while, but eventually wore off (or as the nurses said, the needle moved, and I wasn't getting any medicine). They ordered ANOTHER epidural for me and again, it wore off. They said they've never seen anything like this before, where 2 epidurals moved and didn't work. So, needless to say, I was feeling a lot of the contractions and was very uncomfortable. Dr. Tutt kept coming in and checking on me, but things were moving very slow. They also told me that the baby was face up and had me start switching laying on my sides to get him to flip. I've never been in so much pain in my life and so exhausted since I hadn't eaten all day.


As it was getting later and things were just not progressing, Dr. Tutt finally made the call at about 9:15pm that we needed to schedule a c-section. I was completely terrified because this is exactly what I was afraid of. I did not want a c-section, but we didn't really have a choice, since I had already been in labor for about 30 hours. I was feeling every contraction as they prepped for surgery. It was the scariest experience of my life as I watched nurses and doctors rush all around me to get things in order and wheel me into the OR. Tyler had left to get scrubs on and fill our family in on what was happening. They had all been waiting in the lobby of the hospital for most of the day waiting to meet our baby. It was about 9:30pm when everyone was ready to go for the c-section.

At 9:51pm, our precious Colby Tyler Johnson was born by emergency c-section, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 and 1/4 inches long. Dr. Tutt said that Colby was extremely stuck in my pelvic bone and his bruised face showed that. He also said that even if things had progressed fully, Colby wouldn't have come on his own because my pelvic bone is too narrow to deliver. And we would have had to do a c-section anyway. I'm so grateful for modern medicine and a doctor who knew exactly what to do and when to say enough is enough. Although this was one of the scariest experiences in my life, it was also one of the most spiritual and life-changing experiences. Colby has changed our lives in so many amazing ways.

May 2011 - July 2011

May 2011

We had our 4 year anniversary. With a new house and baby on the way, we didn't do anything crazy.
June 2011

Summer started and we spent lots of time at the pool, since I was getting quite large and it was bloody hot!

July 2011

We went to San Diego for the 4th of July. It was a blast and we enjoyed our last year of being at the beach without a baby.

January 2011 - April 2011

January 2011

We were just getting settled in our new house when we found out we were expecting our first baby! WAHOO!

February 2011

We celebrated my golden birthday, 25 years old on the 25th of February.

March 2011

We celebrated Tyler's birthday on St. Patrick's Day.

April 2011

We found out on April 1st that we were having a precious baby boy. Even though I was REALLY hoping for pink, we were so excited to finally know what we were having. Tyler was especially excited to be getting his mini-me!

October 2010 - December 2010

Well, since it has been WAY over a year since an update, I figured I would fill you in on what has been happening in our lives. Let's just say that A LOT has changed since September 2010. We will just do a quick month-by-month recap of events, then I will try to keep a better journal of our lives from here on out....

October 2010

We were supposed to close on our house mid-October, but because of stupid Bank of America, the deal fell through the day before we were supposed to move. Everything happens for a reason though. We ended up signing a contract for a brand new house that weekend instead. (The other house we were supposed to buy was 10 years old and needed all the flooring ripped out and lots more money put into it. So, in the end, it was a true blessing.) Our new house was a spec home and would be done being built by the time we were supposed to close around Thanksgiving.

November 2010

Thanksgiving time - So grateful for all our many blessings! We had lots to be grateful for. Our new house was almost finished, but we weren't quite ready to close on it, like we had originally thought. Darn!

December 2010

What a busy month! Drew got married, we moved the very next day, and 3 days later it was Christmas!

$25 & Under Boutique

Check this out tomorrow! You won't wanna miss it! Bling Bling by Amelia will be there, along with OOPS! burp cloths and many other vendors!

NEW PRODUCT - Crochet Headbands

Check out these precious crochet headbands for babies! Available in black, brown, white, light pink, and bright pink. Crochet headbands look great when combined with a gerbera daisy hair clip (3.5"), available in 12 different colors. Create any color combination for the perfect baby shower gift (alongside a blinged pacifier and OOPS! burp cloth, just an idea). Email me or comment if interested in purchasing. Crochet headbands won't last long at this amazing price! Check out these great deals listed below!

Crochet headbands ONLY $3.00 each if purchased individually

1 crochet headband & 1 gerbera daisy flower hair clip combo ONLY $6.00

1 crochet headband & gerbera daisy flower hair clip combo & 1 blinged pacifier ONLY $15.00

Bling Bling by Amelia

(blingblingamelia.blogspot.com)

50 % OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get your peony hair clips (5") for 50% off while supplies last. See post below for what colors are available. Hurry! Flowers won't last long... Email me NOW!

New Updates

* New grad - Tyler

* New full-time job - Tyler

* New part-time job - Amelia

* New blog - Amelia

So proud of Tyler for graduating and getting a new job.

So excited to see what the future brings for us.

So glad to be back in the cheer scene and coaching 2 all star teams at USA Starz.

So happy to announce Bling Bling by Amelia is back via blog world.

Check out my blog at blingblingamelia.blogspot.com. All products and prices are listed there (flower hair clips, beanies with flowers, blinged pacifiers, blinged flip flops, ribbon tied flip flops). Just contact me! All products can be purchase at my mom's house. Just email me NOW!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Better late, than never! Sorry for the delay!

The winner of the BLING BLING BY AMELIA GIVEAWAY is (by random drawing)....

ASHLEY HATCH YOUNG

Email me at tylerameliajohnson (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize. Thanks for playing. Others who entered the contest can receive 25% off any orders through the end of March. Thanks again!

BLING BLING BY AMELIA GIVEAWAY!

Ok, it is time for a BLING BLING BY AMELIA giveaway... Here are the rules:

1. Post on your blog about my Bling Bling by Amelia giveaway.

2. Include a link to my blog on your post about the giveaway.

3. Leave a comment on this post with your name and email, so I know you entered the giveaway.

4. Check back to this blog on February 25 (my birthday) to see if you won!

Winner will receive $25 in Bling Bling by Amelia merchandise (your choice of product)! So get posting about Bling Bling by Amelia and enter this awesome, FREE giveaway!

PEONY FLOWERS & BEANIES

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were all amazing! I'll spare you the details, but all were spent with family and friends.

The reason for my lack of blogging: busy with work (my day job) and my new adventure with Bling Bling by Amelia. My items are now in Glitter Box at SanTan Mall and I just received new product, shown below.

The peony flowers are available in the 9 colors shown below, are about 5.5" each, and are $5.00 each. The cotton beanies come in sizes for infants and toddlers, have a 5.5" peony flower on them, and are $12.00 each. They are randomly matched colors, so contact me for specific orders. Contact me if you are interested in any flower clips, beanies, pacifiers, or flip flops! Thanks!

Stay tuned for a giveaway involving my Bling Bling items! It will be worth it!

$25 & Under Boutique - This Saturday!

This Saturday, October 24th, from 12:00 - 5:00pm there will be a different kind of boutique going on. All the vendors will be selling items that are $25 & under. I will be one of the vendors featured there. All the items listed below on my blog will be available for purchase at this boutique. Plus, I will be taking custom orders for flip flops as well. There will be a lot of awesome vendors there, so come see us! And make sure to pass the word along. :)

Dreamy Flowers

Here are the new, dreamy flowers! The flowers are 3.5 inches wide. I have 4 flowers in each color available, and there are 12 colors total. Below are pictures of the flowers. The flowers can be bought as pictured for $2.50 each or with BLING (15-20 clear rhinestones) for $5.00 each. Email me at blingblingbyamelia (at) gmail (dot) com to call dibs on the flowers. First come, first serve. I have a limited quantity on hand, for the time being. Check them out!

Red, Brown, Yellow, Peach, Light Pink, White, Bright Pink, Light Blue, Black, Light Purple, Cream, Orange

New (& Old) Bling Bling Hair Clips

Old Bling Bling Hair Clips - $2.50 each

Here is a list of the colors & how many of each are remaining:

Green - 7

Yellow - 10

Light Pink - 5

Light Blue - 3

Purple - 2

Fuschia - 8

Blue - 10

Light Purple - 9

New Bling Bling Hair Clips - $4.00

Here is a list of the colors & how many of each are remaining:

Light Purple Polka Dot w/Clear - 12

Turquoise Polka Dot w/Clear - 12

Brown Polka Dot w/Clear - 3

Pink Polka Dot w/Clear - 13

Blue Polka Dot w/Clear - 12

Red Polka Dot w/Red - 9

Brown Polka Dot w/Brown - 8

Bling Bling Pacifiers - $8.00

(Sorry the pictures aren't great... It's hard to take pictures of BLING!)

Email me at blingblingbyamelia (at) gmail (dot) com to call dibs on these Bling Bling hair clips & Bling Bling pacifiers. First come, first serve! Bling Bling items can be picked up at my mom's house (Romney's) or mailed for an additional charge. Hope to hear from lots of you! Thanks!

Pictures of new DREAMY flowers coming soon... Check back! You won't want to miss it!

Much Needed Update... Cali, Car Wreck, Cancun!

Here is an update on what we have been up to:

We have both been extremely busy working & Tyler is going to school (graduating May 2010... YAY!). Here is an updated family picture from our trip to San Diego in July with Tyler's family. We had a great time & loved having the week-long break from reality...

A couple weeks ago, we were rearended in my car and it was totaled. We were sad to say goodbye to the Lancer. I drove that cute, red car for 4 years and loved it (especially since it was paid for - thanks mom & dad). But, alas, we said adieu and recently got a new car. We love it, but Tyler gets to drive it the majority of the time. Oh well! Someday I'll get used to the new car. So far, I still give myself whiplash when I hit the brakes... a little bit touchy.

I just got home from Cancun last weekend. We went for "work" aka a trip just for fun. The doctors were so generous to take our whole office (20+) girls to Cancun for a few days. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort & had the time of our lives. We visited Chichen Itza, the amazing Mayan ruins & one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I'd never been to Mexico before, but loved every single minute of it. The beaches were gorgeous & a good time was had by all. Thanks, Dr. Rollins & Dr. Petersen! I really work for the best doctors. At the beginning of the summer, I started a new position at work as the financial coordinator. I love it! It keeps me VERY busy. I really love where I work & who I work with & for. (Oh yeah... And I got my braces off two days before the trip to Cancun. It was a sweet week for me!)

Stay tuned for an update on BLING BLING... New colors of clips, old colors of clips, and new DREAMY flowers! I can't wait to share!

BLING BLING!

With school being OVER and a little more time on my hands... BLING is back! I won't be making mass quantities to have on hand at all times, but I will be taking orders for flip flops and pacifiers {cutest shower gift ever - along with OOPS! of course} and making more clips here and there {which I will post as I make them}. Let me know if you are interested. Email me at blingblingbyamelia (at) gmail (dot) com or tylerameliajohnson (at) gmail (dot) com. I'd love to BLING for ya! You know you need some BLING!

Clips starting at $3.00 each

Flip flops starting at $15.00 per pair for kids, $25.00 per pair for adults (BYOFF... Buy Your Own Flip Flops - Just bring them to me to BLING!)

BLING FLIP FLOPS

I have BLING flip flops that are already made (used for samples in the past) that I'm wanting to get rid of. They are priced very, very low. If you are interested, just leave a comment or email me at tylerameliajohnson at gmail dot com. Here is what I have (ALL LITTLE GIRLS SIZES):

Size 10/11 White Old Navy flip flops w/clear rhinestones ($15.00)

Size 8/9 Silver Old Navy flip flops w/clear rhinestones ($15.00)

Size 8/9 Black Old Navy flip flops w/clear rhinestones ($10.00)

Size 8/9 Gray, Silver, & Pink Old Navy flip flops w/gray rhinestones ($15.00)

FINALLY GETTING CAUGHT UP.....

Oh my goodness.... The last few months have been CRAZY BUSY, to say the least. Sorry for not blogging. I hope to be better. Here is what we have been up to....

In January, Tyler & I went to the sand dunes. It was my first time going and it was freakin' windy and freezing cold. Needless to say, I looked like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" all bundled up. It was lots of fun and hope we will go again when it cools down. We gotta use that rhino more often since we are the proud owners of it!

In February, Tyler & I went to Disneyland and California Adventure for Valentine's Day. It was a fun trip for us. It poured rain the first day, so we got our money back (which we still have 2 adult one-day park hopper tickets that don't expire until 2012, if you need some). But, the next day was perfect, so we hit up both theme parks all day long. It was a short weekend trip that we both needed badly.

In March, Tyler & I, with the help of MANY people (which we are so very thankful to), made our move from our first house to my parent's house. It was bittersweet, like my last post said. We are so grateful for my parents and the opportunity we have to live with them. It has been such a blessing so far and we have loved it! Goodbye orange house! We will miss you!

In May, I FINALLY GRADUATED FROM NAU! YAY! I graduated with a Bachelor's in Organizational Communications. I got to wear the special gold cords for graduating Summa Cum Laude (aka I graduated with a 4.0 GPA). It has been quite the semester, and I'm so glad to finally be a college graduate. I'm so grateful to my parents for allowing me to get my education while I can. I'm so lucky to have a college degree, especially with the economy we are in. I love the job I am at right now with the orthodontic office. In fact, I just got promoted to do the financial position, which I'm so excited for. I'm also going to be working on getting my substitute teaching certificate this summer so I can start substituting in the fall on my days off. We took the trek up to NAU in Flagstaff for my graduation. It was a fun little day trip. Thanks to all those who supported me on my special day, especially Tyler! Next year we will make that trek again for Tyler to graduate. I can't wait until we are both done with school. It will be such a relief!

Finally, on May 25, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. I can't believe I have been married for 2 stinkin' years. Crazy! We just went out to lunch and went shopping on our anniversary. It was a fun day off, since it was Memorial Day. I'm such a lucky girl to be married to such an awesome guy! Love you!

Until next time....