May 16, 1943. Anna writes to Dad. She begins with the news that she seems to have developed an allergic reaction to fish reporting that she gets “itches every time she eats it”, and that it doesn’t matter whether it is “canned or fresh or pickled”.
She passes along advice to Stanley who seems to be concerned about a high blood pressure issue. In short she tells him not to push things since “high blood pressure…would keep you from going overseas…You should be glad that it would keep you from going. If I were you I would be very glad if I didn’t quite meet the requirements and I wouldn’t have to go.” Based on how Anna is responding to Stanley, I assume he feels differently.
She details a visit from Henry and Claire (no known last name). Apparently Henry is home on furlough for a whole week and he expects “to go to sea in a couple of months.” The visit was a surprise by Henry and they caught “Eddie…working out in the yard…and mama was mending some socks.” She writes, “I am not complaining but I looked like heck.” She reports that the baby was not afraid of them and they stayed until pop came home and stayed until 11 PM.
The baby continues to grow with “one tooth in her mouth and she certainly knows how to use it. She bites her spoon and glass…and fingers too.” Anna reports that the baby “knows how to say mama… She used to cry dada dada but no dada cams so she decided to change her way of crying. Today mama asked her “Gzie jest mama?” (where is mama?) She turned her head and looks directly at me. She understands that I am mama because we did it several times and each time she did the same.”
Anna also passes on the news that “Dr. Derkowski came over the last time and asked if she knew how to talk anything yet. I said yes and that she keeps on yelling for dada all day long and he doesn’t come. He said, ‘Can’t help daddy got to go to work and make money to buy the Pablum.” Anna writes that the baby is also eating Farina, oatmeal, carrots, beets, spinach and canned peaches. She says that the baby “does something new every day. One of these days I will probably find her standing up in her crib.”
A 1940’s era ad for Pablum, one of the first precooked baby foods ever to hit the market. Image Credit: www.vintageadbrowser.com