There were days when a household task did not get done.

There were times when she asked someone to come sooner because she was more tired than expected.

Those decisions looked unimpressive from outside.

Inside the house, they meant Chloe could finish a puzzle instead of deciding what needed to happen next.

The twins grew stronger.

Their cries became fuller, their movements more purposeful.

They developed preferences Clara could predict imperfectly: who settled more readily in which position, which sound caught their attention, how quickly one woke when the other began making noise.

She was careful not to turn the early difference between them into a permanent identity.