Monsoons and Babies

What broke my day: When terrifying storms rip right through your town. Now, I love thunderstorms, and I find that listening to the rain beat on the windows and the distant rumbling quite soothing. I also adore falling asleep to the crashing , and love waking up in the morning to the fresh scent left after a rain. But today, the thunderstorms we had were ridiculous...ly terrifying. I'm talking sheets and sheets of rain, combined with wind gusts like that of a hurricane, and nearby thunder and lighting so close you can almost see where it hit. For a moment, I thought it was the end of the world, and I was positive that God was about to come down any second and admonish me, but then with  a shake of his head and a cautious okay, take me up to heaven. But he didn't, which is good because there are several things I would like to experience before dying. I think what ruined my day the most about this silly little storm was the fact that in the middle of the monsoon, my dog decided that she really had to pee, and she couldn't hold it. I tried letting her out the front door, but the rain spattered her before she even set foot outside the door, and she would have none of that. She is SUCH a diva. Do you know what I had to do? I had to walk outside with her, and wait for her to go the the darn bathroom. THEN, she decided to take her sweet time about it too and choose the perfect place to go to the bathroom. By the time I got to go in the house, I was soaked, and my freshly dried hair was nowhere in sight....and I smelled like wet dog. That made me sad; well, that and the fact that half the town has a power outage, including my fav restaurants, and many people now have lovely hundred-year-old trees as new decor in their living room.
What made my day:When a child decides that he wants you more than he wants his blood relatives. Today I again babysat Aydan, and I guess even though I was a meanie and made him take a nap, he really does like me a lot. When his aunt came to get him for the night (his mom works the overnight shift as an EMT, I believe) he was still taking his nap. So, she had to wake him up, which he didn't like one bit. He refused to let her touch him, and instead insisted in his teary-eyed adorable goofiness that I hold him. He clung to me like a chimpanzee (a cute, cuddly one) and woke up slowly. I was touched. then he made it very clear that he didn't want to go to his aunt's house, because he wouldn't put his own shoes on, or walk out to the car. In fact, I had to carry him to the car, and even then he didn't want to get in, but after an ultimatum and some heady compromise (I believe that 3-year olds would make fabulous businessmen, because they sure know how to haggle) I had to buckle him in and assure him that I would be back next week. I truly felt appreciated, and loved. I mean, I don't think I'm that fun, but the fact that he wanted me, and clung to me as if I was his mommy made me feel special, and important. Part of me didn't want to let go of him, and I imagine that if he was my child I would feel 100 bajillion times more of that. I now know why parents don't want to leave their children when they cry out for them, it's emotional, and it feels so good. It really tugged at my heartstrings, and the fact that he wanted to see me again made me feel like I had done something right.