Our Experiment

Haley had a great weekend.  Her grandparents came to visit.  They arrived on Friday shortly after Haley got home from school.  She was so happy to see them, but she was really shy.  They got hugs, but not the hugs with big squeezes that we had been practicing.  

They went to Yoga with her. 

They said that it seemed like she was being very shy.  Her Dad said that she did everything at about 110%.  I got an email from her Yoga instructor this weekend saying that although she wouldn't look at them, she was worked a lot harder than she usually does.  She said that Haley was sweating.

Haley spent the weekend around her grandparents.  

In the past she has done her own thing.  Not this time.  She sat on the couch next to them while we watched a baseball game on the TV.  We went on several walks, she kept up with us.  I didn't have to drag her.  It was really nice.  She laid on the floor of the living room on Sunday evening while we were sitting around talking.  

She didn't use her laptop on the kitchen table like she usually does though.  For some reason she sat at my desk at one point and started using my laptop.  I don't know why she did it.  I guess she was too shy to ask someone to set up her laptop.  Both Grandma and Grandpa used their laptop on the kitchen table, where Haley is usually set up.

After they left she continued to use my laptop.

Haley came home on Monday with a snotty, runny nose so I didn't send her to school today.  I had a meeting to go to this morning.  When I got home she was still on my laptop.  I found her looking at my Facebook.  She was looking at my "friends" profiles and their pictures.  She likes to look at pictures of people that she knows.  She also likes to look at the things that her Dad likes.  Train things.

I broke down and created Haley a Facebook of her own.

She won't communicate like other people do on Facebook, but she will follow the things that she likes.  I asked a few people to friend her.  I asked them to put pictures, videos and audio messages on her wall.  I set it up so that it is pretty secure, I hope.

Then I asked her to come and look at it.

She sat down at the computer.  I showed her the timeline.  I clicked on the About section and asked her to tell me what she likes.  She said "Grinch."  I typed that in and found it, then I clicked "Like."  She said "4449" and "700."  I found those to.  We typed in a few movies that she likes.  Then I clicked on her wall.

Nothing.  It was blank.  I forgot how Facebook works I guess.  We needed to wait for the people that we friend requested to answer.  We needed to wait for the pages that we liked to put some content on.

I started searching for other things that she would like.  After I had found a dozen or so things I left her to it.  Pretty soon she came to me and asked for a movie or a train.  At this point I don't remember.  It has been a whirlwind ever since I started this.

She asked me for something that I had a hard time understanding, it basically sounded like "an"  I asked her to repeat it.  It didn't change much.  I had to really think.  Finally I realized that she meant "Tarzan."  I typed that in and hit "Like."  She said something else that sounded the same.  She started getting frustrated with me.  I finally got it.  "Aladdin!"  

A little while later she brought me the Mulan DVD.  She didn't want to watch it, she wanted me to type in the name of the movie.  It has been like that all afternoon.

I just sat down and showed her how to click on the Home button.  

She now has lots of things on her Wall.  I don't know what is going to come from this experiment, but so far she is having a wonderful time.

Find Us On Facebook

When I began this blog about Haley in April of 2010, part of the reason that I decided to write a blog was because my husband thought it would be fun if Haley had a facebook. 

When he suggested it, I just laughed.  I know she uses the Internet, and she uses it well, but of course she wouldn't be able to post, or like or interact the way that other people do on facebook. 

He thought it would be fun to have a web presence for Haley that would feature the things that she likes and I agreed.  That would be fun, but I was not about to sign her up on facebook.

I read several blogs at the time and I had been toying with the idea of writing my own blog.  I thought that people might like to read my unique perspective on life, but I wasn't sure what form my blog would take. 

My husband and I had several discussions about it.  We tossed ideas back and forth.  Then one day it just came to me.  "What if my blog wasn't about me, what if my blog was about Haley?"  Once I had that thought the blog post ideas just started flowing.  I wrote them down.  I filled two pages.  I thought "I can do this!"

So this blog was born on April 27, 2010 and the very first blog post was Money. One. Two. Three.

I posted it to my personal page and people really responded to it.  I have gotten great responses from my friends and my family ever since.  I am happy that people like to read what I write, but I don't fool myself.  I know what people really like are the stories about Haley.

So I have decided that maybe it is time that Haley have a facebook. 

The facebook page for this blog will include blog post updates as well as what Haley's likes and the occasional incident or quote that won't make it into a full post on this blog.  So check it out.

If you are on facebook click on the link at the right of this website to "Like" our facebook page.  If you are not on facebook, what the heck are you waiting for?  Now is your chance.  Sign up and then "Like us!"

If you know me please respect my decision to write this blog in anonymity.  I have done it for the safety of my daughter.  If you refer to me or my husband on our facebook page please stick with Haley's Mom and Haley's Dad.  Thank you.