Milli was born able to hold her head up, and kept this ability. She had sheeny, topaz eyes, dark hair and I loved her so much I let the doctor in the hospital give her a Hepatitis B vaccine containing mercury because I couldn’t bear to think of my girl catching a disease.

As an infant, she laughed at everything. She carried armloads of teddy bears, kissing and cooing over them. She said her first word – “tickle” – at four and a half months. She drew scribble pictures and pushed cars around the rugs. She made us smug, our strange, clever girl.