Wind

Have the elements ever just been so bad you didn’t want to go anywhere? I have had many days like that. When I was single and even before having kids I could usually stay home if it was raining hard or snowing or just nasty outside. With young kids you would think it would keep you inside more if the weather was bad. But, I find we have so many things to “do” with our children that it can be hard to avoid the elements. Having to take Luke to therapy two to three times a week, puts staying inside when it is bad out very hard.


Many weeks we have somewhere we have to go at least four days out of the week, between therapy and doctor appointments the weeks fill up fast. During the winter we braved out the day after a snow storm, and about 90% of the Fridays (when we always have therapy) there was rain. It wasn’t always a huge storm, but the OT therapist we see always jokes with us about it. “Oh, its raining…Luke must be coming today”. So far in 2010, it has reduced from 90% to about 50% on Fridays…hopefully that continues.

To understand our most recent “adventure with the elements” you have to understand that where we live it is pretty flat. When I say “flat” I mean FLAT. You can see for miles and miles, especially where we take Luke to therapy. There are hardly any buildings either, so when the wind picks up you feel it.

A few weeks ago the wind was so bad when we got to therapy that when I parked the car, it was rocking with the wind. Then, when I went to open my door…I felt like I was pushing against some sort of weight machine or a person who weighs 300 pounds! Once I finally got out of the car, I barely cleared the door when it slammed itself shut!! Then I had to get Luke out, luckily I didn’t need to bring our baby girl that day as well. I had to put my body between Luke and the door to keep it open, which allowed the wind to ram the door into me over and over. After finally getting him out of the car and barely clearing his slamming door I got his walker situated, which the wind kept trying to pick up, and we tried walking into the building. Luke was literally being caught by the wind and being pushed backwards, so I got behind him and pushed him up the ramp and then into the building.

Now, we when we left therapy I was hoping the wind had died down…but if anything I think it picked up. Once we got out of the building, a bag of thickener the therapist gave me (which had to weight at least 1.5 pounds) flew out of the diaper bag. When I bent to get it, Luke got caught by the wind at the same time and took a nose dive to the sidewalk!! Poor guy! His momma abandoned him for a pack of thickener!! He cried of course, but I picked him up and helped him finish walking with this walker to the car. Only this time instead of him needing me to help push him into the wind, I had to hold onto his shirt to slow him down since the wind was pushing him!!

Then I had to wrestle with the car doors again while keeping Luke upright, which was fun. Once we were both in the car and safe from the wind, except the rocking of the car, I noticed he had road rash on his forearm. I felt so bad, but Luke seemed to be fine. He stopped crying right after I picked him up and started walking again.

I had to wait till we got home to clean his “war wound”, which he didn’t like. Imagine that!! But, we survived another day against the elements.