1. "Oh she's been so good," says the other mother about her 19-month-old daughter. "She gets very worried when he cries, and brings him tissues."
2. She is tiny and porcelain fragile, and looks too young to have a scrunched red newborn in her arms and a blonde three-year-old at her heels. She talks about terrible problems with feeding -- but wants to succeed so much. The toddler brings her a plastic banana and she breaks off her conversation with the lactation consultant: "Did you peel it for me?" The toddler shakes her solemn head and mimes stripping the skin off. The mother patiently, kindly, eats the banana.
3. "Thank you for the smile," says the lactation consultant to Alec. Later, the health visitor holds him and counts "One, two, three, four, five smiles... and you're talking as well." When Alec is in the mood, he gurgles and coos, and looks surprised at the sound that has come out of his mouth.
