HELLO?????

Yes, I know…..I have totally been MIA. It has been crazy town here at the Buchanan household for the last few months. Still, NO excuse not to write a quick blog post or post some uber cute pictures of Haley. So what has been going on that has kept me from blogging about Haley you ask???? Well, we finally finished phase 3 of project “Backyard Oasis” It has been a pain in my neck labor of love for over 1 year now. The construction of a new retaining wall, patio extension and fireplace began just before Haley’s first birthday…..yeah, she is now almost 2 1/2!!!!! As always, nothing is as easy as it seems, but look at it now (except envision it with nice plush furniture, haven't gotten a picture since we got the furniture). Its such a nice place to sit back and relax, roast marshmallows and dry off by the fire. Even on a warm summers evening, a fire is nice (oxymoron, I know!!!)

I also just completed my first half MARATHON this past weekend. For those non-runners out there, that is 13.1 miles (or half the distance of a full marathon duh!!!) Why did I run 13.1 miles you ask??? Well, just to see if I could really, and although I’m not actively raising money for Jog for Joubert Syndrome, I’m still blogging about my training and doing a lot of “awareness raising” for JS which is equally important. I am toying with the idea of running a full marathon in October, I’m stoooopid, I know!!! If you are interested in reading my race report read {this} post on my training blog.

So, what has been going on with Haley???? I don’t really realize how much she is changing and accomplishing on a day-to-day basis. I get caught up in the daily grind and a few weeks pass and I turn around a realize how much she has changed right in front of my eyes. I really need to stop and take it all in!!! I don’t even know where to begin. Its the simple little things that really amaze me. She is saying a few “words” the funniest of which is “poop”. She learned the sign for it and will say “poop” and do the sign if you ask her if she has pooped. I thought it would be a great functional word when learning to potty train but she thinks it the most hilarious thing and says it whether she has to poop or not! She apparently loves potty humor. She also says “car” “Clyde” and “clock”. The letter of the week must have been “C'” last week. Grandma taught her how to sign “I love you” that is really cute!

She is also cruising a little bit along the furniture, getting braver and braver with that. She can pull herself up on to a low couch or chair, can get in and out of the pool (that she just started yesterday!) and has even taken several steps unassisted. She still looks like she is a drunken sailor and quite wobbly on her own, but she is sooooo close!!!! She doesn’t spend much time in her “go-go” which is her toy walker, because she gets very frustrated about not being able to get into small spaces. She also is getting very frustrated with her “real” walker because it won’t go backwards. We are really trying to encourage her to walk only holding one of our hands but she doesn’t like it. She will do it against her will at times

Speaking of frustration…..ughh, she is developing that classic “terrible twos” attitude. She wants what she wants NOW, and actually 5 minutes ago wouldn’t have been soon enough. She can turn that hissy fit off and on so quickly its scary!!!! There are times when she just lays on the floor on her belly and whines for 15 minutes or so……just because. I imagine a lot of her frustrations come from her poor communication (or our poor interpreting skills) I can’t begin to understand how frustrating it would be to live in a world where no one understood you.

She is also developing the palate of a two year old. Where she used to eat anything you put in front of her has now turned to ugly faces and lots of pushing plates and forks away and many uneaten meals. I try to resist the urge to offer different things until she finally gives approval to the 30th thing (which would probably be a cookie) I present to her. I try to stick firm to the belief that “you eat what we eat, if you don’t like it….I guess you won’t eat”. It may sound cruel, but kids will eventually eat when they are hungry even if its not the junk food they really want.

This year Haley does not seem to be very interested in the pool. So far she will only sit on the top step. She cries and shakes like a little leaf if you take her any farther. We have a Carowinds water park trip planned for this Friday and I’m just hoping that we don’t go and just sit under the umbrellas and watch everyone else play in the water because she is too overwhelmed to play. It is hard for me to go places like this with her because if we go and she is miserable it only reminds me that much more of how “different” she is. Its always a stab in the heart to watch kids do the things that she should be able to do if she didn’t have JS. But on the other hand, I can’t NOT try to do “normal” activities for fear that she won’t have a good time or she would never be exposed to anything. Its a catch 22. It just sucks that I have to risk spending a ton of money to just see if she will enjoy it.

Haley amazes us everyday with the things she just seems to know. She has a book that has unique animals in it and we hadn’t read that book in a while. I don’t even recall ever naming the animals for her like “koala” “iguana” “shark” but when I asked her to point those animals out she could….weird!!! She can also look at some of her number flash cards and see the number 3, for instance, and hold up the appropriate number of fingers. She is getting better at shapes, she will make a triangle with her fingers if you ask her what a triangle is. She points to her body parts and then points to the corresponding one on you, and even on some of her stuffed animals when asked. She is doing a lot of “pretend” play. She puts her babies in bed, covers them up, tries to dress them, gives them bottles. I’ve seen her on several occasions put the faces of two figurines together and make a kissing noise (adorable!!!) She is so smart, I can only imagine the things she could tell us if she could speak.

Well, I hadn’t intended for this to be a crazy long post, that's what I get for having such a time lapse in posting. Sorry about that. Take care!!!