It was 10 minutes before I had to be out the door for work. The baby had been up several times throughout the night (teething) and I was tired. Husband had made me a cup of tea and a breakfast sandwich to go. Since I was ready early (solely because I didn’t have enough time to shower), I thought I might indulge in eating at home instead of on the run.
“Why don’t you take Fiona out to feed this morning?” Husband prodded.
(I used to do all the feedings of our animals. But when I was pregnant, I had severe nausea and fatigue and struggled to make it into work each day, so Husband took over. His work day is more flexible than mine anyway. When I went back to work after my maternity leave, I was the one juggling Fiona’s drop-off each morning, so while I hurried out the door with more bags than I could count (laptop bag, purse, lunch, bottle bag with empty bottles for me, bottle bag with full bottles for her, diaper bag, etc.), Husband continued to feed.)
When he suggested I feed this morning, my first thought was “you’ve got to be kidding me”. He had gotten the chance to sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy some down time this morning, even if it was just 10 minutes. I wanted my 10 minutes!
I looked out at the beautiful morning and down at my nice office clothes. Begrudgingly, I removed my nice shoes, grabbed the baby’s boots from her shoe bin and slipped them on her. I threw a jacket on to protect my clothes, slipped some garden shoes on and headed outside. It would be good for Fiona, I consoled myself, as I want her to take on the chores of feeding the chickens and collecting eggs as soon as she’s able and she’s needs practice.
Fiona LOVES being outside. The chickens came to greet us, so we went to their pen first. I scooped out a cup of feed and Fiona dug in, knowing exactly what to do. She threw handfuls of it on the ground with such delight. “Muh, muh,” she said when I put it away (“More, more.”).
After closing the chicken pen, we walked over to the barn where the horse and goat were, rather impatiently, waiting. I fed the horse, then grabbed a handful of goat feed and showed Fiona how to offer it to Jane. This was a new chore for her, but she was fascinated by it. She loved the tickle of Jane’s lips on her hands, and even started to get the hang of how to drop the feed through the gate into the pasture. She ran around the barn yard while I hayed those two, and then we trooped back inside.
In all, it didn’t take long. Less than 10 minutes.
In all, it was a beautiful, sunny morning. Not too hot, not too cold.
In all, it was a really good moment with my daughter.
In all, it was the right thing to do.
I think I need to make more time in my mornings so Fiona and I can do chores together more often.
