6 weeks and counting!

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I found this post, unpublished from Amelia's birth. I liked it, so I'm sharing it now.

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Just checking in to share some photos and let people know we're alive!

I've struggled to post, not because I don't have awesome photos to share and sweet moments to document, but because I don't want to paint a perfect picture that's not entirely true, or be Debbie downer about all the hard times we have, too. So here's the truth!

The truth is that we have the sweetest little munchkin, I can't even believe it.

Truth is, Ryan is adjusting, but he's really a good kid. I've seen his highest highs and his lowest lows in the past 6 weeks. Truth is, he's seen mine, too. :)

Truth is, Baby Amelia likes to sleep. We've had our bad nights, for sure, but once I gave up sugar, chocolate, and mexican food, she's been sleeping 5-6 hours and then another 5-6 hours. And lots of naps in between.

Truth is, when we tell everyone how good Amelia is, she usually starts being fussy and crying. Touche.

Truth is, I'm not going to win mom of the year anytime soon. Really. Ugh, I'm humiliated at the way I've handled plenty of moments.

Truth is, my kids hopefully won't remember those moments, and will remember the times that Dada comes home to tickle

Amelia Jane Johnson

Introducing Amelia Jane Johnson

Born 3/6/12

Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz
Height: 20 inches

We are home and happy and taking it all in between naps.

Ryan has taken things very well--I think he did all his worrying and preparation in the three months prior to her arrival so we don't have to worry about it now :) He was very excited to get Toy Story's Jesse from Amelia and he gave Amelia a little Baby Boo from Monsters and a Baby Minnie Mouse.

Amelia is sleepy and feisty and has the longest toes ever.

Seth is a trooper and a total champ. Takes care of so much without me even having to ask, and endures my constant checklist of things I want him to do for me :)

Our neighbors and friends have been so good to us--from taking care of Ryan to showing up with flowers and delicious food and laundry services (yes, we're SO lucky!).

I am sooooo happy with the way that our birth turned out. I went into labor around 2AM, labored at home until 5:30 AM, got to the hospital and had Amelia less than an hour later--almost in Triage, but we made it to L&D on a little prayer :) We have been preparing for months for a hypnobirth, and while it wasn't a textbook relaxed and calm and quiet birth, we definitely employed a lot of the techniques we learned and I feel like it was a huge blessing and success, due in large part to the fact that labor was so short and without other intervention. I definitely threw some punches at Seth's thigh and tried to bite his forearm for a brief second, but he took it well and knew I didn't mean any harm by it. :)

I've also been a little bit in shock at how much easier this recovery has been. When we had Ryan I seriously was SO sick and it was SO hard for SO long. I know it has been less than 72 hours, but it has been 10x easier than the first 72 hours with Ryan, for sure. I only tore a little bit with Amelia, which helps a lot, and being able to get up immediately after the birth was very helpful, too. Nursing is going a lot better as well, and since I was nursing Ryan up until I got pregnant the transition went much smoother--and the lactation specialist is hoping that will make the whole process go a lot easier.

We are so grateful for the MANY prayers, thoughts, and positive sentiments sent our way, especially while I was trying to endure being overdue, and especially the prayers for this baby to come easily. We couldn't do this without you, and are so grateful for your thoughts and prayers and help!!!

Creations

I am so glad that nesting kicked in when it did--it has kept me sane during the past few weeks! And after deep cleaning the house for 7 hours today, I'm not quite sure what else is left to do but snuggle my little Ryan and keep him entertained until he can "get his present from the baby" :)

Here are some of my favorite creations:

The Nursery: Homemade Bumper, Skirt, Mobile, Pillow, and Quilts :)(Excuse the mess of toys on the floor. You should have seen all the pictures with a blurry Ryan running through or running to the camera...)

















The Bassinet: Quilt made by mom


Some Hats of varying size and cute-ness...eh, some might never be worn!



Some Embellished Onsies:



Bow Holder and some bows and Flowers: (Some purchased, some gifted, some made!)


The refurbished carseat: I re-did the canopy and made the slipcover.






We're so excited to have this little baby girl join our family!

Etsy Sale

Just thought I'd let friends and family know that until I have the baby (which could be anytime between now and the end of the month, how's that for a vague prediction!), everything in my etsy shop is discounted to $5! I'm going to clear a lot of my inventory so that I don't have to try to get in and out of the post office with wee ones in midst of cold season. I will be going on vacation mode for awhile after this little girl is born, so stock up now on your gifts! :)

That being said, I'm only going to ship once a week--on Fridays--so you have all week to decide or change your mind before I ship things out! :)

Message me on etsy with your order and I'll send you the discount code!

I also have some items that aren't currently in my shop that I do have stock of...namely:
Lavendar Pink 10mm Posts

Grass Green 10mm Posts

Coral Flower 10mm Posts

Cream 14mm Posts (O̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶i̶r̶ ̶l̶e̶f̶t̶!̶) UPDATE: Reserved!
Several hair pins like this one, in Light Green, Light Pink, and Cream.

Thanks!

Sneak Peek!

I just have to share some sneak peeks of Baby Girl Johnson's Nursery--her quilts! A few years ago while at Michael Levine in Downtown LA (the only fabric place worth going to in LA for quilting fabric, IMO) I stumbled upon this owl fabric and bought two yards of it on a whim. When we found out we were having a girl, I brought it to Utah on my next trip and had Mom help me pick out coordinating fabrics to make nursery quilts. I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out!!!!! A huge thanks to Mama for all her help and running around for me!

I especially love that the quilting has owls in it! And special thanks to Aunt Pat for fixing some of my applique--her blanket stitch is amazing!!

I'm so excited about it, I can't stop--now I am determined to make crib bumpers and a crib skirt to match everything, and am working out the details for it all--luckily I already have some amazing coordinates to go with it--Mom made a beautiful Yellow quilt that is perfect for the bassinet and Grandma Beck made a coral afghan. I just feel so lucky!!!

Uh-oh

Earlier today I posted on Facebook about how I needed help figuring out what I needed to get together for baby girl Johnson. So many people are so helpful and so supportive...

but guess what? It made me realize how LITTLE I've done, and how much I have left!

With Ryan, I had a spreadsheet with everything I could possibly need, and by 32 weeks i had purchased and crossed everything off that list. I'll be 34 weeks in two days, and I don't think I have a thing! The carseat needs to be washed/recovered, the crib needs to revert from being Ryan's stuffed animal storage to being a crib, new sheets to be ordered, quilts to be finished, bassinet sheets to be washed, nursing bras to be scoped out and figured out so I can purchase with relative ease once I see how ginorm I am, storage for her clothes and necessities, baby carrier to be picked out and purchased, burpcloths to be made/purchased...um, and then the 35 other things that I'm forgetting.

And I have 7 loads of laundry that I can't even manage to do. Don't mention that I need to wash all of baby Girls's clothes, too!

Let the nesting begin!!! :)

Update:

Well, my friends, it turns out a day and a half is all a girl needs to get the real necessities taken care of! I organized my thoughts/wants/needs yesterday, and this morning ventured out to Target and Babies R Us, scoring some GREAT deals and getting *almost* everything I needed for this little one. We're holding out on a few items, knowing that they'll come in or be easy to grab, and I'll make steady progress on the things I "need" to make and we'll be set!

One Little Word 2012

Last year it took me months to come up with our one little word 2011. Probably because we didn't know what was around the corner for so long, and it was a process to find "Purpose" in everything. You know what? It was a good thing that I did it rather late than never, because Purpose was exactly what we needed to focus on. I would re-use the word for this year because I like it so much, but we came up with a few other good ones last night, so on with the new!

I also have to credit Heather for motivating me to get our One Little Word in order, since she's selling cute posters of the word at her site, Simply Fresh Designs. Check them out. Buy One. Hang it up and remember it all year. And by all means, tell Heather that she is so super talented while you're at it. She has 5 kids and somehow can still stay on top of everything and still have time for the cutest lil business--that's sainthood, right there!

We have a few runners up for our one little word this year, namely:

I think if there's a word that will sum up 2012, it will be CHANGE. New living situations, New jobs, maybe a new state, new baby, new challenges with 2 kids, new challenges with kid #1, new weight loss goals, new marathons to run....lots of NEW. Lots of CHANGE. Lots of UNKNOWNS!!!! I think recognizing these things will help me keep some sanity, since I normally thrive on a set course of knowing what to expect. So if I expect change, maybe I'll be prepared for it???!?!? (Insert panicky half-laugh have terrified scream here).

As I was setting new years resolutions, I realized how impossible it is to actually control some of them. You know, like "Don't get Mastitis." BUT, there are things I can try to do, and that I can focus on, to at least get me in a better position for a lot of these things!

So, as I was looking at Seth's goals, my goals, and trying to work toward a one-word solution for all of them, it came...


ORGANIZE.

D&C 88:119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;

I know the context of this scripture is referring to a "House of God" AKA Temple, but what a better example to follow than to establish a house that reflects the same order as the Temple? So, that's my goal, that's my word. We're going to work on getting this house in order--spiritually, physically, mentally!

I'm looking forward to this year. My friend Natty used to always tell me she had "Lucky Feelings" about things, and while I feel a little foreboding at the daunting changes before us, I also feel a little lucky feeling, like that we're ready for lots of tender mercies and blessings to recognize and be thankful for in this upcoming year. And as I type that I knock on wood, because we're going to need lots of that to get us through!!!

Have I mentioned that I'm a little terrified and overwhelmed lately?

I also just have to add that as Seth and I were discussing our One Little Word last night, I added that I needed a post script to our word. Organize. *Stay Sane. Wish me luck!!!

So, what's your One Little Word?

Cream Cheese Chicken and the New Year

I've been feeling really selfish for the last 20 minutes because I realized that I haven't shared my absolute favorite Chicken recipe with the internet, and it's really such a loss, so I thought I'd relieve my conscience and post it here for you all. Let's just say Donna changed my life with this one, it's creamy and delicious and super duper easy. For whatever reason, I just love it more than all the other creamy chicken recipes. And, for the record, if you use canned soup, I do not guarantee the results. It's really just as easy to use the homemade cream of chicken soup from my MIX here, and the results are out of this world.

Cream Cheese Chicken
(From the Hollywood Ward Cookbook 2010, submitted by Donna)

2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup (Undiluted) OR a double batch of homemade.
1-8oz Cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat one)
1 Envelope Good Seasons Italian Dressing (Dry)
6-8 Boneless Chicken Breasts

Place 1 can of soup in the crockpot, then layer the chicken over the soup. Slice Cream cheese and lay on top of chicken, followed by the dry dressing mix. Add second can of soup, cover, and cook on high for a few hours or low all day. If you are home and can stir occasionally, you will get a smoother consistency. The gravy is perfect to serve over rice or pasta.

For the record, I usually use 4 chicken breasts and it's great.

Also, if you add the tiniest touch of cream at the end, the creamy results go through the roof.

Also, I always sprinkle Paprika on the top, because Mom taught me that Paprika makes everything a little yummier.

Also, you're welcome. ;) (Haha, I'm cracking myself up today. Pregnancy does weird things to my humor).

Also, Happy New Year! One little word post coming soon....