1951 January - February

 We left off the last blog in December 1950 - at the bottom of the last page there was an entry for January 6. Let's start with that.

"Jan 6 - Had more of John's relatives out - Joe W & Sis, brother Joe & Peggie, Frannie Joyce & girl, also Hannie & Norman. Aunt Nellie & Fred arrived in the middle of all the crowd with a fifth & a bottle of wine but didn't stay long. 

Everyone got feeling happy - sang, etc all night. Mary Ellen slept like a model child all thru it even when everyone was singing Tennessee Waltz around the kitchen table/ Company left at 12:45 - Hannie & Norman stayed till 2:15. Mary Ellen woke up at 2 & didn't go back to sleep til 3:45. John & I collapsed into bed then for a few hours sleep.

Jan 7 - I got up at 7:20 & went to 8 oclock Mass. When I got home John had Mary Ellen up & had given her a bottle. He went back to bed at 9 & I gave Mary Ellen her breakfast etc, called John at 11. He got up & went to Mass & I went to bed till 1:15. When I got up John was washing last nights dishes & Mary Ellen was on the bathinette, taking it all in. We had sandwiches for dinner, didn't bother cooking dinner we were so exhausted. Only Mary Ellen was in the best of spirits.

Back to Jan 6. Forgot to write about Mary Ellen eating frankfurts down in the Star Market. I had her in the basket doing my shopping & while I was looking at meat she got hold of a package of frankfurts I had put in the basket & bit thru the cellophane paper & bit the ends off two of the frankfurts. I heard her coughing & when I saw the chewed up pieces of hot dog I almost died. I picked her up & she started choking like mad. A big crowd gathered & everyone was telling me what to do. I held her upside down & pounded her back & she threw up on me. Some woman grabbed her & said she still had something in her mouth. I stuck my finger in & tried to get it out but no luck. She must have swallowed it. The woman held her upside down & patted & pounded her & she finally recovered. I got her a drink of water & to top it off she got the hiccups. I guess frankfurts don't agree with her. Some man told me I should feed her so she wouldn't be hungry enough to eat raw frankfurts. What an experience."

"Jan 8 - Mary Ellen said bye-bye today - or I should say 'waved bye bye' to John for the first time. Also had her second shot. Screamed like mad but got over it quickly & had no after effects. Came home & slept like a log. 

Jan 9. Mary Ellen started saying 'mum mum' today when she was eating. It sounded more like 'um num'.

Jan 11. Mary Ellen said one 'Ma' today - her first. I was in the pantry & for a minute I thought she was calling me. 

Jan 13 - No bottle at dinner today for Mary Ellen - drank all her milk from a glass. Went shopping down the street with me as usual. 

Jan 14 - Went over to John's house. Mary Ellen danced, said bye bye, laughed at herself in the mirror & watched television. Slept all the way.

Jan 18 Had Chris down this morning. Mary Ellen won't behave at all when he's around - just laughs & strains herself trying to follow all his actions. Chris went home sick at noontime (cold I guess) & was feeling so bad he didn't like me or Mary Ellen any more. He claimed I hit him & Mary Ellen whacked him." 

"Jan 19 - Took Mary Ellen shopping - had to wait about half an hour before I could go into the Star Market - every time I left her she hollered like mad. 

Jan 20. Shopping again - dropped an angel cake off the top of the carriage twice. No harm done. Hannie & Norman came down tonight. Mary Ellen got up around eleven to see what was going on.

Jan 21 Didn't go out at all today. John had to go to work at 6:30 so Mary Ellen & I went upstairs for a while. She played the piano for Ma while I dashed up to the store."

"Jan 22 - Had Mary Ellen's picture retaken today. She was peeking thru the curtains at a little girl instead of watching the photographer. Hope they come out good. I only liked one of the others. Took the basinette back to Madeline - never thought when I borrowed it that when I returned it she'd be needing it. (Sat night we put Mary Ellen in it for the last time & called Ma, Hannie & Norman down to see her. She seemed so big in it, it seems hard to believe she was ever so small.) Dropped over to Johns for a few minutes.

Jan 23. Didn't go out today. It was cold & I didn't have to do any errands besides I didn't have the ambition. Put Mary Ellen at the window in her high chair to watch the cars. She waved bye bye to Pauline & Mrs Bachman. Bad girl this afternoon - got too tired & wouldn't go to sleep.

Jan 24 - While I was making John's lunch tonight heard a peculiar tap tap noise. At first I thought it was John but when I came out in the kitchen he was sitting here innocent as you please. That left only one person - Mary Ellen. When I dashed into her room there was my babushka laughing like mad and wrestling with the can of powder. She had sprinkled the bedclothes, her pajamas & her face very nicely.

Jan 25 Mary Ellen said 'Ma Ma' today. She said 'da da' last Oct but it took her till today to say 'Ma Ma'. That's gratitude for you.

Jan 26 Took Mary Ellen down the street today. Two people thought she was a boy. She had loads of people admiring her while I was in Eleanor's & Ames' & she was putting on quite a show for them, laughing, talking & showing her two lone teeth.

Jan 27 - Rita's birthday. John, Mary Ellen & I went upstairs for the birthday cake - Mary Ellen ate some frosting. Ma was sick." 

"Jan 28 - Mary Ellen was fascinated today watching the Ryan kids playing in their yard. She was straining her neck looking at them. It was the first time she really noticed kids playing. 

Jan 29 - Another new sight for Mary Ellen today - she watched the birds eating bread over in Ryans yard & she just stared like mad. Had her last shot today thank goodness - vaccination next.

Jan 30 Cold today - couldn't go out & Mary Ellen didn't behave very good at all. I think I've picked her up at least ten times since she went to bed. She's almost eight months old now & there has never been even one night that I put her to bed without having to pick her up to burp her. No wonder my nerves are shot to pieces. I keep thinking it can't go on much longer but every night it's the same story all over again. If the time ever comes that I can give her a bottle, put her to bed & have her sleep thru till morning it will be like a blessed miracle for me. Today when I was down the cellar (I left her in the high chair in her room.) all of a sudden I heard a terrific noise over my head & couldn't figure out what it was. It finally dawned on me it was Babushka pushing the clothes basket which had wooden wheels back & forth." 

"Jan 31 - Cold - couldn't go out. 

Feb 1 - Still cold, also icy - can't go out today.

Feb 2 - Still kind of cold but clear. Mary Ellen & I took off after lunch & went down the square shopping & paying bills. Seemed good to get out. When we got home, Mary Ellen conked out & slept for almost two hours. However tonight she didn't go to sleep till abut 9:15 so I think it was worse. She's getting fresh now & does the raspberry at me with her mouth full of food and her food is so gooey it makes quite a squeaky mess. She's also trying her best to stand up in her high chair, bites the back of it. Almost forgot - she sat up today by herself for the first time. She was in her crib after her bath supposed to be going to sleep. I hadn't heard a sound for a long time so I tiptoed in to investigate. There she was sitting up holding on to the bar chewing on it like mad with her two teeth with her two legs stuck out thru the bars. She looked so funny & I got such a surprise I guess I scared her cause she started screaming. What a child. I woke up at six this morning & went in to see if she was covered & there she was stretched out on top of the clothes turned completely around. I turned her around, covered her up & she rewarded my kindness by screaming till I gave her a bottle. My baby!"

This was the last post in this small diary - the next book picks up on March 4 so there are pages missing from both. Here are  few pictures labeled February 1951.

The back of this picture says: 

"Feb 1951 

Note - Bandaids from

washing diapers by hand."

These pictures were taken in the driveway on Green Street - that must be their car behind my father. That is the house at 222 Main Street on the right where we lived upstairs after returning from Ireland in 1988.