When I was going through papers from my mom’s house, I found a bunch of letters she wrote to her parents a few months after I was born. She wrote to her parents every couple of weeks, and most of them are full of daily chitchat and talk about what was going on with her, my dad, and their lives. I’m copying here some of the things she wrote about me for posterity.
NOTE: I was called Lisa after I was born (named Elizabeth for my dad’s mother’s middle name, or more likely, just because my mom liked the name!). I was Lisa until I was 5 years old. I was born August 10, so in the first of these letters I was just over 2 months old.
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OCTOBER 22, 1964
Lisa is real cute and lots of fun! I put her on a full-strength formula and since then she has been happy and contented! Doesn’t even scream when she wakes up now! —much more pleasant as I can get her food ready with no strain! She’s started on vegetables now—so far—sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots. Will start some green veg. later next week. She likes to watch things—her hands, etc. So, a couple weeks ago got her a mobile of colorful birds—such fun to look at!! She holds a rattle and waves it for a few seconds or a minute or two—if you put it in her hand. Also makes sounds that sound like “OK” and “Hi” and a sort of laugh-like scream! She sucks her fingers (much like Peggy’s youngest*) when she’s in bed and has lost her plug! I gather she weighs a good 12 pounds or so—as she can hardly fit into the rubber pants for birth to 12 lbs!
The girl across the street, Marge, has given me several outfits, bibs and socks for Lisa, which she doesn’t need anymore. I’d make a good guess that Lisa is about the best-dressed baby around…until she grows out of her infant size clothes.
[…] Say, is the crib ever nice! It has a darling picture on the end of 2 cute puppies. Sure seems funny to see Lisa in that big bed—if you can find her in it!
*Peggy was one of mom’s cousins, and her youngest at the time was Laurie, who was born in 1961.
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NOVEMBER 5, 1964
Your darling granddaughter is just that! Darling!! She is getting big…wears size medium (13-19 lbs) now, not fat, but just right!! She is real good and quite happy—and quite spoiled! Her eyes are getting much more brown, but her hair really hasn’t made up its mind yet! Marge has a 2-year-old boy, Steve, who is just tickled over Lisa, as his baby sister is just too big! (at 4 months: 16.8 lbs!!!) (sure do like my nice-sized one!) He says “I luuuve ze” and hugs Lisa and calls her “Baby”!! So Lisa has her first boy friend already!!!
[…] Am sending in our TV stamps for a playpen! Don’t know where we’ll put it, but guess we’ll find room. Had best get her used to it soon—since I do want to use one! She tries to laugh and loves to look at things: her toys and bird mobile. She is real cute and so much more fun now! —but loves attention!!
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NOVEMBER 22, 1964
Grandma Pangborn (Jessie) sent us a darling pair of belt shoe booties for Lisa. They’re white with blue trim, and beautifully made.
[…] Lisa is really getting to be pistol! She s so spoiled! I’ve taken her off the pacifier—no trouble—but she sucks her fingers instead. She likes to stand up but is just wobbly, so needs support, but makes her think she’s pretty smart! She plays with her hands and tries to grab and reach for things…really is enjoying all her toys now. She is wearing a size medium now (13-19 lbs), but they’re still plenty big! I’ve gotten her a few pairs of tights and she wears those with all her dresses now that it’s a bit chilly.
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FEBRUARY 15, 1965
Lisa had a few bad days when we first got home—that’s when it really showed how spoiled she had gotten! And, of course, teething added to her troubles! She is really trying to crawl, and has actually gotten a couple of steps before flopping down again. Anyway, she can get anyplace she wants to go—by pushing, pulling, and getting up on her knees and then falling forward! And it’s amazing how far she can reach! She babbles constantly, lots more sounds, as she moves her tongue around more. She has also picked up one “cute” (?) habit of sticking her tongue between her lips and blowing or trilling it—so she kind of spits bubbles! Cute kid! She is now learning to roll over from her back to her stomach, which she has accomplished a few times, mainly in reaching for toys or other objects.
[…] Lisa goes to the doctor tomorrow for her 6 month checkup. Guess she is about ready for some more shots, too!
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FEBRUARY 28,1965
You should see Lisa—boy! is she moving! Her crawling has really improved—she just goes (not too fast yet, but hard to catch!) Today she pulled herself up and stood up in the port-a-crib. I was quite surprised when I saw her— and she has just done it again! Can’t trust her anywhere now!
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MARCH 17, 1965
We spent Saturday night and Sunday visiting Mary Golden*. […] We went to Storyland and the zoo there. Storyland is similar to the Children’s Zoo at Belle Isle. Lisa really enjoyed the zoo. Jack** took her down a couple slides. She was really taken by the birds and geese: talked to them and tried to follow them…it was really funny. Then, she liked the seals—laughed at them as they barked and splashed in the water. She was really thrilled with it all!
[…] Lisa really gets around fast. She stands up on anything—will even grab a handful of my nylons for support to pull herself up! She walks around furniture a little bit. And—most exciting—she is trying very hard to talk. All her jabbering sounds like a real conversation and yesterday she started repeating words: “a book”, and “bye-bye”, “ma-ma”, etc., even started waving bye! Expect we’re the only ones who understand her!
She got new “first walker” high-top shoes yesterday, with bells on them, yet! Also got her a pretty blue dress with pink flowers in a T-design across the front of the dress.
*My father’s sister.
**Jack was my dad’s nickname.
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MARCH 31, 1965
[…] After the wedding* […] we went to see Harrah’s antique car display. Grandma* elected to babysit (and I gathered from some remarks by the room maid that Lisa had really been quite a pill!).
[…] (In Solvang, a Danish town in California) Also bought a couple cloth books for Liz***, as she’s so fascinated by all our books!
[…] Lisa keeps us constantly waving and saying “bye-bye” back to her! Along with “ma-ma”, I don’t believe I hear anything else all day long! Can’t wait to get her back in her own crib—trying to put her to sleep here has been our biggest problem! This week she is going through (or rather, starting) the school of hard knocks. Have had several spills off the beds and chairs, just a little frightening or surprising to her more than anything! She seems to be working on cutting her second two bottom teeth—but no sign of the uppers! She’s busy, busy, busy—won’t stay in the playpen and thinks Ma and Pa’s shoes make the best toys! Likes to roughhouse: the more tosses, throws and drops, the better!
*My dad’s sister Mary’s marriage to her second husband, Al Guilliams, in Fresno, California.
**Mary Elizabeth Slaughter, my father’s mom.
***My mom referred to me as Liz TWICE in this letter, but then went back to Lisa toward the end.
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MAY 8, 1965
[…] Liz is a pill! She sure has a mind of her own, and stubborn, to boot! Quite a show she can put on, when she’s told NO! It’s sometimes so obviously put-on, that we can hardly keep from snickering! This food bit has me! Actually, in some ways it does save time, but I find myself hard put to scrounge up suitable finger foods (she won’t use a spoon) and when she starts playing with it, that’s it! Gone! (favorite game is to pick something up and set it off to the side—which it then ends up on the floor!) So…I don’t think she’s been getting full enough. Since this has started, she’s been waking up 2-3 times a night! I can’t remember when I’ve had even 6 hours uninterrupted sleep!
We finally got her in for her smallpox shot nearly 2 weeks ago, but it didn’t take, so she had to have it again. We have to take her in to check on it Tuesday, but this time we can see it and it’s starting to get red now, so it’s probably taken.
Lisa’s vocabulary is slowing increasing. She is working on her own name now—but you’d probably not recognize it! In fact, ma-ma, da-da and bye-bye are quite clear, but since then her words have lost a letter or two. Like “a book” comes out “ah boua”! Anyway, we understand! “Oh boy” is also fairly distinct, with possibly the Y sometimes getting chopped in half.
She’s terrified of the vacuum cleaner, so I have to run it while she’s napping, which means her room isn’t always as clean as the rest! She laughs real hard, mainly when tickled, which she loves, or tossed around a bed! I can’t get her to clap her hands for patty-cake, but she excitedly waits to “throw it in the oven”! She likes to play peek-a-boo, with me hiding, of course! And, she’ll say “boo” in return.
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Mood: nostalgic (mostly for my mom)
Music: Beau—Captivated