Cow’s Milk

Today was a bittersweet day. You know, I’ve been longing to get back on a farm…get closer to nature and all. And we found one! Right in our backyard! Literally! It’s walking distance from our house (though the sidewalk disappears for a few yards on the way…). Yup, it’s a farm complete with chickens, pigs, geese, horses, and cows. AND you can feed them too! It’s really a toddler’s (and a parent’s) dream come true!

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But while I’m happy about going to the farm today, what makes it so bittersweet is noticing how much our family has grown. You see, today, my daughter milked a cow. Yes, she sat on the ranger’s lap and squirted milk out of a cow. I might add that she was MUCH better at it than me. But maybe it’s because she only stopped nursing last week…which brings me to the bittersweet part. For 29 months, this girl has been attached to my breast, and now she’s finally grown up to the world of not breastfeeding. And I remember how I described myself as a true cow throughout the breastfeeding experience…being a Taurus breastfeeding mother and all. Well, I guess there is a time for us all to grow up. And just like it seemed to be me suffering from withdrawal more when we stopped co-sleeping, it’s again me who must embrace the concept of letting go…

Subhanallah. I just am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to breastfeed her for this long. What a blessing!

Trip to the Farm!

Today, my dream came true. Noora got introduced to a farm. We tagged onto a local Muslim Montessori school’s field trip and had the time of our lives. It was amazing to be back on a farm. I don’t think I’ve been on a farm to pick vegetables since elementary school. Granted, they actually didn’t have the vegetables in the ground…(they were already picked and just laying around for the little ones), but actually picking vegetables as a child is a fond memory I have with my grandma and mom, who both spent a great deal of time living on a farm. Our family farm in Alabama…which I have no idea how to get to now…but I do remember picking blueberries and blackberries as a toddler…that was my job. And in elementary school, I picked potatoes and leafy greens…and man! Was it refreshing to see freshly picked greens today…not the ones that are sold to us in the stores…but really green…greens…

But back to the topic, Noora got to pick out a pumpkin and gourd, ride on a non-hay? ride, and feed some chickens, pigs, horses, and goats. She picked out her own apple from the farm’s store and took a bite out of it. (What a relief that there was a complimentary apple included in the trip–I guess Noora was really feeling one with nature)! I, on the hand, had the most fabulous Pumpkin Spice Slushie that I’ve never had…but I know this is the best, and it soooo beats that junk they sell you at 7-Eleven. Noora took that from me too…hmmmmm…..She really had a great time, and so did I, and I pray that we will continue to build memories of the farming life just like my mother and grandmother did with me. Can’t wait til Spring (inshAllah)!

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