First Post - Our Life in a Nutshell

Okay, so here goes nothing. Just starting this. I figure, if any unskilled person can do this, then certainly I can. Ha! Anyway.

My name is Amy Wood. I am a thirty year old, blond haired, blue-eyed wife of (almost)10 years and mother of two daughters ages 5 mos and 6 years. I have lived near Portland, Oregon for 6 years now, since our eldest daughter was 2 mos old. (October of 2003.)
I love it here. I love the weather. I love being near the ocean and the mountains. I love that we live in a suburban area, yet we are close enough to a metropolitan city so I don't go completely crazy.

Newest things in my life: a newborn. How new can ya get?
Trying to adapt to her as she's trying to adapt to us. I seem to have blocked out all (or most) of what we went through with our first child. Maybe my subconscious did it on purpose. Either way, I feel like I am doing everything for the second time, the first time. sigh. We'll muddle through somehow.

Tara just turned 5 mos old yesterday and cut her first teeth (yes two at once) today. She's not the happiest of campers, but she continues to keep smiling through it with her large, Bambie doe eyes and batting her long, sweet eyelashes. She cracks us up on a daily basis. I am supposed to be trying to catch up on sleep right now, but for some odd reason, decided to start a blog. HA! It'll be my own fault when I am dragging butt and exhausted later.

Tabitha is six years old. Getting sassy in her old age, she is constantly try to show us who is boss. She is in second grade. She is finally coming into her own after a very challenging and aggravating few years. In preschool, her teachers suspected that she may have Autism or a spectrum of it. After months of testing and psychologists, she was never diagnosed with anything other than Emotional Disturbance Disorder. EDD is when kids can have very sudden mood changes, inappropriate behavior since they cannot grasp how to cope with social situations. For example, a child at school was growling in her face so she punched him! I can't say that I wouldn't necessarily had done the same, but in any case, still inappropriate. She gets overwhelmed by too many people, loud noises, bright lights... basically she gets overstimulated. You can imagine how her recess time is! Her outbursts range from throwing, screaming, hiding, to kicking. Sometimes, a part of me still feels like she has a touch of Autism to whatever small degree, but whatever it is, she is getting better at her coping skills and we are getting better at learning what triggers her meltdowns. I have noticed fairly recently that if she doesn't eat breakfast right away in the morning, she is swift to have attitude, then that sets the tone for all day! Quickly after she eats, she is a whole different child. Very compliant, well-mannered little lady. Despite her problems, she is getting better every day, or so it seems. :)

My husband, James, and I have been married for 10 years, but dating for 13. I love him to the moon and back. We're best friends. However, since the birth of our newborn, I have felt quite a strain on our marriage. I think it's getting better as Tara gets older and we all start to settle into routines. I knew it would be more difficult having two children, but I never believed it to be this challenging. James works for the State of Oregon and he's gone back to school to get his Private Pilot's License, which is something he has dreamed about achieving his whole life. Knowing how much it means to him, I am happily giving him 100% of my support. Unfortunately, I just feel it couldn't have come at a more ill-opportune time.
He started back to school weeks before Tara was born. Of course, that meant that with all the sleep deprived challenges of a newborn baby and all the stress involved, he also brought upon himself classes along with his regular work life. By the time he gets home from work/school, he's so exhausted so he plays his online computer games as a stress-reliever. Well, I don't mind him playing games, but sometimes I feel like the girls and I never get to see him even though we're in the same house. I get tired of nagging, and I am sure he is tired of me nagging, too. When he plays after the girls go to sleep, that's perfect, as long as it's not for 3+ hours every night. I know I am not the only wife who nags about game-playing.
I love and respect him for what he does... puts in long hours, he's trying to better himself at school, he puts up with my crap.. yeah, I'm a little high maintenance. (OK, I put up with his crap, too. Ha!)
He does an awesome job at helping with cooking/dish duty stuff. I have the most appreciation and gratitude for him. Maybe I just don't feel the same feelings back.

So I guess I need a hobby, too. The stress-reliever kind that doesn't take up too much time since I am at the beck-and-call of a newborn 24/7 and double the fun when Tabitha gets home from school in the afternoon.
I need something other than eating whatever I get my hands on and watching TV.
I have always wanted to write a book, so I thought I'd start small and blog a bit.
We'll see where it takes me.