Chandler wants to go outside always. It can be raining, snowing, or mid lightening storm, and he will pull me by the hand and lead me to the patio door and say "Ow-sigh", and I will look into his sad blue eyes and say "No baby its raining", or "We can't today, its too wet." Today he did not cry or scream, he smiled and said again "Ow-sigh", and put on his shoes. So I stared a moment and made that clicking sound with my toungue, and got the umbrella. I just bought this beautiful new rainbow umbrella with a big U shaped handle. It reminds me of lovely photographs where Marilyn Monroe looking moms shade themselves and smile with their blonde babies on a beach somewhere.
Chandler can't hold an umbrella, he doesn't know how I realized as I handed it to him. The weather was humid and sticky and the rain warm. He let it fall to the ground. I pulled it upright, and it softly drifted downward again. He stood there in the rain looking at me, and my tears mixed with the droplets. I said "Chandler up", and stood under the umbrella and showed him that the rain wasn't touching us. Then I stood out in the rain while he stayed under the cover of the rainbow fabric. He saw I was getting wet and I said out loud "Channy, look, mom's all wet now!" and he smiled, and gave me a little giggle. I jumped under and smiled and said "Now I'm NOT getting rained on!" We practiced and practiced and he finally stiffened his grip and the umbrella no longer fell. He walked all over the yard, this huge umbrella covering his head, with feet under the water pouring out of the drainspout, and tip toeing across the soft grass. Round and round, and mom stood watching in the yard, dripping from head to toe. Sometimes words aren't necessary. It is the experience and getting your hands in there that teaches the child who cannot speak. Go out in the rain. Brave the snow. Brave the mall. Do whatever it takes! He teaches me all the time he can learn. I have to let him.
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