a list of things to count in the first year

fingers and toes by tens
heartbeats per minute
grams, then convert to pounds
inches, from head to tips of toes
eyelashes, an impossibility
blessings, a necessity.

days, as in number of days old
consecutive hours of sleep
breaths, audible or
by the rise and fall of the chest
footsteps in the dark
from chair to crib to door
prayers answered, abundantly so.

ounces of milk
pumped, poured, consumed
feedings in a day
feedings per night
hours, as in hours between feedings
hours, by sets of twenty-four
over
and over again.

Seasons, to four
months, as in months old
outfit changes
missing socks
teeth, bursting through
new words
steps
falls
and tears that fall
his
and mine.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series, “Make A List.”