She said she couldn’t handle two infants, that she was entitled to build a life, and that I had “a mother who liked looking after babies anyway.” There was no question about Katie’s weight or Chloe’s vaccinations.

No request for a picture.

My mother read the message and put it down as though it were hot.

“Don’t send that to the girls one day,” she said.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“Good.