A Glimpse

My name is Amanda. My life consists of my son, Gabriel, my husband, Tim, and my extended family. I also work fulltime at the Central Ohio Poison Center.

First:
Gabriel is 16 months old. I found out I was pregnant with him the day before our wedding, which was St. Patrick's Day 2007. He arrived into my life, Novemebr 15 2007. Since that point, life has been a blur. Everyday he is growing and developing in some new way. Unfortunatly, I feel like I miss half of it since I am working full time. He is a fulltime walking toddler now. He is able to say several words, such as mam, dada, ball, get, all done, baba, kitty. He is the most precious part of my life.

Next:
Tim and I have been with each other for 10 wonderful years. We met in junior high, and began dating exclusively in 10th grade. After our first date so many years ago, things clicked and we've never been apart longer than 2 weeks. I never fully understood why my life brought me to Ohio, and then I met Tim. I was supposed to come to Reynoldsburg, supposed to fall in love with Tim, and supposed to have a beautiful son, Gabriel. Tim has been my best friend and my should to cry on and lean on for the past 10 years. He has stood by my side when everything else in life has left or fallen apart. As cliche as it sounds, I really don't think I could have made it through 19 to 21 without him.

Then:
I have a family like anyone else. Since I married Tim, I have really become closer to my in-laws. Everyday I trust my mother-in-law to take care of my son. She does so with the most love and compassion as I have ever seen from a grandmother figure. Everyday, she encourages his growth and development though interactive play, reading, and outdoor activities. I am so fortunate that he is able to have one on one contact instead of a daycare setting at his age.
My side of the family is going through many transitions at the moment. My grandmother is in early stages of alzheimer's, which is progessing rapidly. It is so hard to see her like this. I try to have a conversation with her and she can't remember what we talk about and repeats herself every 5 minutes. If the family goes over for a visit, she will forget she saw us the next day. I know she is frustrated and doesn't understand why this is happening to her. I haven't spoken to my Aunt in over 6 months. Her lifestyle choices and bad decisions have caused our relationship to pretty much stop. She has remained unemployed for many years, and proceeds to have children that she is unable to financially care for. The latest news is that she is expecting twins, which will make 5 children total. I hope she realizes that even though each child is a blessing from God, you should only have as many kids as you can afford to feed and care for.
My mother is taking all the steps to improve her life. I wish her all the best. I know she will make it, if she keeps her eye on the prize.

Finally:
Me. I consider myself a fulltime working mom and wife. By day I am a Poison Information Provider/Education Assistant. I work part time in each position. Some days I enjpoy the call center. When I help a scared mom with a toddler that ingested something find out that their child is going to be ok, I really feel like I'm contributing something. Mostly, I hate working the call center. On average I get about 100 call during an 8 hours shift, an avg of 13 calls an hour. About 90% of my calls are from drug dealers or addicts, and about half of those always have kids in the background. I find it hard to go to work everyday I'm on the phones because I am helping drug addicts with their addiction. I enjoy working education because most of the time I actually contribute something worth while.

Right now, I am trying to expand our family once again. My biological block is ticking, as the saying goes. I really want to give Gabe a sibling so that he never has to feel what I felt growing up. I never want him to feel alone or awkward, or stressed. Being an only child forced me to wrap my childhood around my parent's happiness. I was never a bad kid. Never really broke the rules. I always did what I was told. I had to make up for the children my mom and stepdad couldn't have. I never, ever want Gabe to feel that kind of immense pressure and unhappiness. It was a horrible habit that I only recently broke after Gabe was born.
Anyway. Tim and I have been working very hard...lol...to conceive another child. I have finally chosen to hand it over to God and let him decide when and if we are to be blessed with another blessing.

A few of my loves:
-bargain shopping via thrift store, second hand shops, discount retailers, and yard sales.
-Being outdoors in the warm sunshine
-The Beach, which is where I'm convinced I should be living instead of landlocked Ohio
-Animals, I loved animals much more before Gabe was born. Even though I respect and appreciate them, I really don't have the patience for them anymore.
-Movies. I love renting, watching, going out to see them. Rarely have I been able to go out to a movie lately, but that is why I have found a website online in which I can view movies in theaters for free...shhh!
-Snuggles with Gabe...unfortunatly they are few and far between nowadays...a running active toddler doesn't like to slow down and snuggle.

So, for my first REAL blog, I wanted to give people a glimse into my life to see who I am. More to come...