L: January 17, 1973: 11 months, 3 days ~ R: June 23, 1973 [1 year, 4 months, 10 days]
September 4, 1973
I suppose that after a year, I should see if I can remember what has transpired in [Nettie’s] development so that when we decide to have a brother of sister for her I can see how much fun [she] was. Feeding this little girl has been a lesson in Morgan personality [AN: Grandma Roa’s side of the family]. Feed her when she is hungry or else we have a whining, crying child. Sometime in September ’72 [Nettie] started having one meal, then another in her high chair. Mama found it easier as [Nettie] held her head up for the food. By then, too, we went to Jr. foods, but still cereal/fruit morning and night, vegetables at noon, and fruit, vegetables, or a dessert at about four. She still wanted a snack in the afternoons and does even now when she eats with her daddy before he goes to work. [AN: GrumpaMax had a series of night jobs too, as well as going to school and working during the day.] By January, we were blending from the table food, but the last of February she balked at my feeding her and fed herself bread mostly for about a month. By April, the cereal had about ceased, and now she feeds herself everything, except applesauce, which I still spoon feed her. She eats well and enough, but doesn’t seem to like mashed potatoes, but give her French fries and she will out eat Cindy or Ray [AN: My two older cousins]. The bottle was given up for nap time in June, and at nights on August 13. In May, she began drinking from the glass and takes all liquid adultly now. She wasn’t much of a spiller, even at first. When she did anything the first time, she usually waited long enough to do it well. No spoon yet, but that will come.
SLEEPING
She always slept well, once we got her to sleep. Naps still continue in the afternoons, some thirty minutes, some two hours, depending on the tooth cutting. We still put her down on her tummy, cover her with her quilt, and put her, and she sleeps. Up until we gave up her nap bottle, she usually went to nap time asleep too, but now naps are not too much trouble as far as fussing for awhile. Up until we took the bottle away from her at bedtime, we still put her to bed asleep or she’d cry and make herself angry until she’d throw up. We really had some rough times through the winter getting her to bed. For awhile, we went through getting her to sleep while taking her bottle, putting her to bed, and having her wake up and cry thirty minutes later until she threw up or we got her up and give her more bottle. We thought we’d just let her cry until she gave up, but usually she’d get so angry she’d throw up and we’d have to clean her up and start all over again. She finally outgrew that after about a year old and would stay asleep once put down. Now, we put her down and she plays until she goes to sleep. Usually 12 hours, as has been the rule since she started to sleep through. Except for the nights she wakes up teething—these are two to five hour sessions with no stop. She just will not give up and go back to sleep. We’ve let her cry and cry—usually we would get up and lay on the couch with her until she’d calm down and go off to sleep. Since September, 1972 when she cut her first tooth, we’ve gone through this several nights a month. One night we can’t explain is our anniversary in N.C. Mama and Daddy took care of her for us to go out and let her stay up too long. She was up from 11:30 until 5:00 sitting and jabbering happily in the middle of our bed. If we had been home, that is one night she would have cried. [AN: Apparently, I’ve ALWAYS been a night owl.]
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Bathtime is still fun for [Nettie.] Two baths continued until about two weeks ago when I stopped the morning bath. The only part of the bath she doesn’t like is having her hair washed. She doesn’t like to lay back to have it rinsed. But, she does like to play with her doggie and other toys and try to wash herself when I will let her have the washcloth.
[Nettie] started crawling for sure August 20, 1972 and was really on the move and still is. The bathroom and our bedroom were off limits except when we were in those rooms, but she had the run of the rest of the house. She learned to leave the plants, papers, etc alone with several hand slappings and No No’s and has never bothered the drawers or doors in the kitchen. She explored, patted the floor, doors, fireplace, coffee table, everything, laughing and squealing, and soon pulled up to stand. For months, she would stand a long time by things, only touching with her finger until she started walking February 21. Before she learned to sit down from standing, we had tears and temper because she could not get down immediately and got easily frustrated. She finally learned to bend her knees and sit. Sitting along also took awhile. For months, she’d sit, propping with one arm. If we sat her, she’d sit there until she decided to crawl elsewhere, but she just took awhile learning to push up with that arm and sit without propping. As she got more mobile, she spent less and less time in her playpen, and we let her go, except when I vacuumed and mopped. She didn’t like her walker after she started to crawl; it just didn’t go fast enough or get into tight corners, so we just let her crawl—that she did until she started to walk; then she gave up crawling any at almost immediately. Now she walks/runs all over, has mastered her motorcycle that Grandma [Roa?] sent her from California, and pulls Larry Liteup, Humpty Dumpty, and her wagon instead of carrying them around like she did until about a month ago, and has learned to put her pop beads together without help.
Her first word was “see” in January. Now her recognition is enormous, but she still doesn’t talk English as some at 18 ½ months do. Not that she doesn’t verbalize. For a mother who is so reticent, she just jabbers all day long, to everything. She does say the English words doggie (and about everything has been doggie since late June) toe, no, nose, horsie, whee, uh oh, daddee, momie, pretty, baby. She recognized and will point to kitty, pig, shoe, fish, hair, ear, eye, button, mouth, foot, hand, flower, tongue, etc, puts things in the garbage, puts her bib away, clothes in the hamper, daddy or momie’s shoes in the right closet, goes to get her coat, leads me to put away furniture polish, closes drawers and doors, knows the way to the garden, puts her specific toys away in the toy box, helps fold her quilt in the morning, blows her nose, and generally know where things go in the house and tells mama to put them away if they are not where they are to go.
[Nettie’s] pain threshold is high. Bumps and falls that would make some children scream, only get an “uh oh” from her. I did spend most of the summer outside watching her because the two 2 and 3 year olds next door were so aggressive.
Potty training started Sept. 5. No pee pee in the potty yet. That is for another writing.
[Nettie] is generally a happy, disciplined child. We love her and feel that our firm discipline is important for her to know the limits and be able to work within them. I know that I have left out many memories that are dear to me, but rereading this will jar my memory to recreate these spiritual 18 months with our [Nettie.]
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