One Through Ten

My mother once told me that when she was a brand new mom with me, she was in new-mom wonder and awe at every little thing about me. She said,

"I remember sitting with you sound asleep in my arms, and as I inspected every little detail of you with fascination, I remember counting your toes over and over and over again. To make sure you still had ten, of course. I would get moments of panic, and worry that I miscounted, and suddenly you might have an extra toe or two."

"Why were you worried I'd have extra ones instead of too few, Mom?"

"Because you were perfect in my eyes, of course! And to have extra toes would mean something had gone awry in your poor little genetic code! I don't know... for some reason, I was more worried you'd have extra ones than too few."

Oh, Mom :) . Then we carried on washing vegetables.

Every year on my birthday, I jokingly, yet also seriously, thank my mother, first thing in the morning.