In 1947 I got pregnant and had a miscarriage. That event contributed greatly to my anxiety about pregnancy. I didn’t know much about the birth process except what I read in books. I suppose that’s what it’s like for most moms-to-be.
In 1950, Ella was Born
After a marathon 36-hour labor, Ella presented herself. You’d think I’d never want to do that again.
Day care was out of the question, so we took Ella to Kit Kraft to spend the days playing in her play pen. We shared a storefront on Melrose Avenue with a woman named Alice, who was glad to help keep an eye on Ella while I helped Joe with sales. Ella was quiet, happy, contented. She fit into our life nicely.
When Ella was about two years old, I decided to take her to the beach while Joe held down the fort at the store. My father offered to come along and we drove together to the beach at Santa Monica. I had packed a blanket and a change of clothes for us. My father carried Ella across the hot sand while I carried our bundle of beach stuff. When he put Ella down, she immediately stepped on a piece of glass. Her foot was bleeding like crazy and Ella was yelling “Ow!”. My father picked up Ella and ran with her to the nearest lifeguard station where a lifeguard patched up Ella’s foot. My father was the hero of that day. That was it for that beach expedition. Unfortunately, I realized I had to take Ella for a tetanus shot after that. A double whammy for her.
Bill Came 18 Months After Ella
From an early age, Bill seemed to be in a world of his own. He was an active child always looking for things to do and places to go. At the time Bill was born, we were living on Clinton Street in a u-shaped two storied building. There were several families there and he was able to find other children to be with besides his sister.
When Bill was around two, he was riding his tricycle with me walking behind. When we got to a hill, Bill decided to step on the gas and pedal as fast as he could. I could see that he was heading down towards a cross street, and he wasn’t going stop. I stepped on my gas and dashed down the hill after him. I managed to get in front of him just before he went over the curb. That got my adrenalin going! Bill didn’t seem at all perturbed.
Then Came Mike in 1954, 18 Months After Bill
Mike was the cuddly one who seemed to need more attention than the other two. He could also be rather feisty. Mike loved putting things together. He found joy in building and manipulating things to fit. He made a load of airplanes from model kits. So many, that he took to hanging them on this ceiling.
Whenever we would travel any distance in the car, Mike found a way to climb over into the front seat and sit in my lap. There were no seatbelts in those days, although it may have been illegal to have a child in your lap in the front seat. He pretended to fall asleep with a little smile on his face so he could stay there and be held. My arm would fall asleep from the holding, but I loved those moments of cuddling.
