His infant body needed and craved the milk. He suckled thirstily, murmuring in unconscious delectation. Thomas was so engrossed in his nursing that he never noticed that he occasionally made loud sucking noises as the suction on the bottle was intermittently broken and renewed.
While Thomas was nursing, his mother went to the kitchen sink and moistened a washcloth with warm water. A few minutes later, his Mother returned and took the bottle from his unwilling hands, then held him under the jaw with three fingers, saying, “Let Momma clean you up, baby!”