As for Leia remembering her mother. Why not remembering her adopted mother? It's not like anything in any of the dialog stated that it had to be her birth mother. If adopted when only a few days old, she probably very much called her adopted mother "mom" or whatever her entire life. THe description Leia gives in Ep 6 isn't exactly Padme specific.
But Anakin called Palpatine on the holo-phone after killing the trade guys, then right afterward Padme and Obi-Wan showed up, then the emperor said he thought Anakin was in danger and left to go get him. I don't think Anakin was sitting there on the rock for a week while Palpatine's ship got there...do you?
I think there could definitely been a time lapse in between there. But the reality of time of travel has never been a big issue for Star Wars.
Anakin DIDN'T go from being a perfect person, EUOL, or even one NOT prone to selfish displays of behavior. He has been living in violation of the Jedi code for years now, keeping his life a secret. He killed an entire tribe of Sandpeople for revenge, remember that? INCLUDING the women and children (in his own words).
Plus, I submit to you, that he did NOT stop Mace Windu for doing the right thing. What does he say right before CHOPPING HIS ARM OFF? (because, y'know, he couldn't have BLOCKED that blow, could he -- oh wait, yes he could). He says "I need him!" "I" not "we" not "This is wrong!" His reason for so brutally stopping Mace Windu, and breaking a direct order from a superior, and for not acknowledging that Mace is right: the senate will let him off, and he'll be free to terrorize the Jedi again, this time with even more legal protections -- his reason is because he wants to save padme.
At that moment, he has made his decision. He has decided that saving Padme is more important than anything else. Even bing the person who doesn't kill little kids. He has already betrayed his own people, he has already decided to throw in with the Dark Side. Knowing addictive and sinful behavior, he's probably of the mind set that it doesn't matter what he does now. His mind is clouded by passion and guilt, and he doesn't think reasonably. In fact, he still can believe the lie he tells himself when he calls the Jedi evil and argues that he is now in a position to do good in the world, having turned to the Dark Side.
So yeah, you're right, you don't go from doing from nobly stopping a dishonorable murder to slaughtering children in an instant. But that's not what Anakin did either. He didn't stop the murder because it was dishonorable (and you'll have a difficult time convincing me that Mace's proposed action was dishonorable: illegal MAYBE, but necessary for the good, Mace was RIGHT). He stopped that murder for purely selfish reasons. He was already the killer of children. He already had chosen to follow the dark side. That was completely believeable and how I think it really would happen.
