When my husband pulls Hannah out of the bath all wet and slick, her back to me, and he wraps her in a towel to hand to me, she looks just like she did when I watched the doctor/nurses preparing to hand her to me after birth. However, when I look at her across the room all dressed in her slick red shoes, her legs are long, her stance is steady, and she looks almost like a little girl already.

When I am deep in conversation with Rachel her voice sounds so sophisticated and grown-up to me. However, when I eavesdrop on her conversation with others I am suddenly aware that she’s got this squeaky, still-developing little voice and says things like “por” instead of “for.”