Feel It

I love that Haley and her Dad have a shared hobby.  They both love trains.  They get to spend time together enjoying their hobby and it is special.

Haley's Dad enjoys some unique behaviors from Haley.  She acts differently when she is with him and away from me.  With me or with her Dad she is always herself, but she shows each of us a different side of herself.  

We like to compare notes.

She is very independent when she is with her Dad.  She will try things that she probably wouldn't try if I was around.  I was about to type that she is more serious with him, but I don't know if that is really true.  She can be very serious with me as well, but she also is very silly with me.

Over the years as Haley and her Dad have gone out on these excursions of theirs, watching trains, her Dad usually comes home and tells me all about it.  He tells me that she was scared of the big, loud engines.  This time he told me that she wasn't.  She got out of the truck - he has trained her to do that all on her own - and stood next to him as he took photos of the train.  There were times that he told her it was cold out and that she could stay in the truck, but she didn't.  She got out and stood stoically next to him.  

He also told me that once when they were about to get out of the truck he told her to take her hat off.  She didn't like that idea.  She was wearing her Daylight hat for a reason - she was representing.  She listened to her Dad and took it off.  When she stepped out of the truck a big gust of wind hit her and she instinctively reached for her hat, it wasn't on her head.  She looked at her Dad and he read the look to mean - hey, you were right.  

It's amazing when parents know what they are talking about you know.

Haley's Dad didn't take a lot of pictures this trip, probably because he had his daughter with him.  I think that limits him somewhat.  He is limited in where he can go to set up and how long he can wait.  I hope he doesn't mind, because I think it is a wonderful thing that they can share these experiences.  I want to share a picture that he did take though.

He tells me that he didn't want to waste that sky.  The train wasn't coming, but he wanted to take a picture of that sky so he took a picture with Haley in it.  He sent it to me on my phone.  It made me cry.  It makes me cry now. 

These are experiences that Haley and her Dad share.  Experiences that they will both remember.  That is special.

In case you are wondering what it was that they saw out there I thought I would share a video that my husband took of the Daylight going by.  The video is impressive, but make no mistake, to see it in person is so much more so.

As Haley will tell you they got to "See it.  Hear it.  Smell it."  and Feel it.

 

~ Haley's Mom

I am participating in 31 for 21 Blog Challenge this month. The challenge I have accepted is to blog every day in October to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. Learn more about Down Syndrome at the National Association of Down Syndrome.