Tiny Steps Forward

Francesca Peverelli, a 31-year-old architect in Milan, has finally realized the family she'd sketched out years earlier on her mental drawing board. First there was Pietro, born two years ago to Peverelli and her husband, also an architect. Then on May 5, Fratello Francesco arrived — like his brother — right on time. With both children down for a nap, Peverelli recalled her plans. "It was already decided," she said by telephone. "We'd always had the idea to have two and to have them close together in age, both for them and for us."

The Peverelli family also...