Mom's Letter, March 12, 1961

Dear Mother and Dad,

It was so good to hear from you. We received the blanket and thank you very much. It is so pretty and Shelley is such a pretty little girl. Not really, I guess but she is such a sweetheart. She is cute and she is surely getting a double chin. I tried to nurse her for about three feedings but I just didn't have enough milk left as it had been four days since my milk came in by the time I tried to feed her. It is really easier on me this time not to nurse he as I know how much she is getting and when she fusses it is easier for me to determine if it is hunger that makes her fuss or not. The indications of a severely anemic baby are restlessness and being irritable. She is really quite good so I don't think she is too seriously anemic altho we still have to keep her away from other people for a couple of weeks or so. The children are so cute with her. When I bathe her Stacey has to get all the clothes out and Jeanne and Jayne have to help me put them on and Brett just has to have a hand into everything. As soon as she opens her mouth I  have five children telling me she is awake or crying or hungry or all of them. But it is wonderful how the children seem to love her and enjoy her. I play like she is talking to each of them and they like that. She is getting so much more alert and is awake more if the time now. It is amazing how natural it is to have a small baby and how enjoyable they really are. She shows no inclination to sleep through the night yet and I am getting tired.

Bruce is having one of the most serious attacks since his original one and he certainly doesn't feel well. He actually isn't sick but very tired and he jut doesn't have it. He has gained a lot of weight and I think if he would lose it would make hime feel better. I am feeling really good. It seems good not to hurt every time I move and I am looking forward to being able to exercise. I would like to get dow to about 112 lbs. I can never remember being that thin and for my built if I exercised I think I could carry it quite well. Ha Ha! I can't imagine it but I am going to try.

It is quite hard on the other ladies in the court who have lost their babies and I feel so sorry for them. This one we expected within four weeks of each other and it has been about two months since hers died and I think she has had a hard time with my having our baby home. We have such wonderful neighbors and I do so appreciate them and our families. Brett and Roark want to go to Stella and Bob's now as the twins talk so much  about how much fun they had. Dean and Keith have called regularly and I think maybe I will be able to get closer to them. Auntie seems happier than I have ever seen her. She goes to school four nights a week and it is doing her a world of good. I talked to Shirley for quite a while the other day and they said they wanted to come up so we are looking forward to seeing them. We are really blessed with family and it makes us very humble. Two fellows in the ward donated blood for us and Keith is going up the first of this weeks. That saves us $75.00. The blood is $25.00 a pint.

I bought the twins material for their Easter dress yesterday. I tried to get Shelley a little Carter outfit yesterday they didn't have one at the store I went to. Thank you so much for all you do. I wish you had time to write more. How long do you think you will be now. We certainly hope you will be home for Bruce's graduation in June of 1962. That is only 15 months away but you have gone gone for a year now. Do you think you can make it. Why don't you get some of those men on the ball and get their work done like you do? Really though, it is such a wonderful thing that you're doing, it is very selfish to wish you back here. How well we felt the spirit of sacrifice and love we felt in the mission field. Too often her we get wrapped up in ourselves rather than in service to the Lord.

Now the baby is here and I feel so good it is so much easier to play with the children. Jeanne and Jayne are so eager to help. You always had so much patience with me and my helping I hope I can be that good with them. Well, I go on and don't say much. We just finished our family night an I'm exhausted. This family hour for us is funny. We need a family night. By the time each of the children has told what he learned in Sunday School and each has told what problems he has and we figure out how to solve them it has taken a lot of time. Then we have to sing some songs, have a special message of some kind and then a story and refreshment so it sometimes goes on and on. Stacey has always showed more inclination  for music than the other children and she will come up to me and say, "'ing mama, 'ing." While I feed Shelley we sing and tonight when we asked her what she did in Sunday School she came and stood in front of me and sang and then sat down. After each of the children told us what they had done then she would come up and sing for a while. We can't understand a word of what she sings but she really thinks she is sharp. She is so grown up and has really matured. Brett still isn't too well for some reason or another. Last week he had a strep throat and we got him medicine and that seemed to knock it but he was running a fever again today. I can't figure out what is wrong and neither can Bruce. He is really a sweet little boy and then again he is a hellion. He wants so hard to be able to play with Roark and Scot. Most of the time they are very good good and let him play but them sometimes he just wants to play with the twins and Stacey. Roark and Brett play so wild and noisy I'm always afraid some one is going to get hurt We have had some snow and rain but it is getting quite warm so the children have been able to go out quite a bit and that is so good for them.

I'd better close and feed Shelley. Please write when you can and take care of yourselves. We love you and certainly miss you. Here are some pictures of the twins a friend took and them on of the family and one of Shelley Dad N. took with his Polaroid camera. That would surely be ice to have and we have appreciated his taking these pictures for us.

Love,

All of us

Note:  Mama said that Dad's attacks were gall bladder. It took him years to get it removed, I remember he had surgery while we were living in Clearfield.