Wednesday Treasures~Baby Me!

Since this is my birthday week (Friday), and it is a major decade year, I thought it would be okay to share a few "treasures" of my babyhood. I hope you won't mind.

Here is my favorite baby picture, because it is one of the rare photos that is in color and shows my red hair. Actually, this picture was from a "slide" that my grandparents took, and it was made into a print later. I was about 10 months old.

This picture was my first birthday, and what I love about it is that my mother used her good crystal water goblets and stemmed dessert dishes for the ice-cream. I wish the picture were clearer to get a better look at the cake. I don't know what kind it was, but I imagine my mother made the boiled white icing for it. There was no such thing as frosting in a can or box back then...or cakes either, for that matter. The cake was made from scratch. Birthdays were always special occasions and a good time to bring out the good dishes and crystal. Even for a baby's first birthday! 

This picture was me at 6 months old. According to the "notes", I had the chicken pox then.  I believe this occasion was on my sister's birthday, because she had the chicken pox for her birthday that year.

I recognize that toy on my high chair tray...It was a "Humpty Dumpty".  Not sure how I remember that. Probably my mother told me that was what it was. I doubt that I can remember my toys from when I was 6 months old. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast today...

I love this picture of me with my Grandma Tedlie. I don't have a lot of pictures of my maternal grandmother with me, and this was special because we were going for a walk in the woods. I was about two years old then.

No, this isn't me, but this is my "Baby Elva" doll that I've told you about before. 

Today Elva is dressed in my original baby dress, and she is holding a doll that my Grandma Tedlie made for me when I was a baby. Her name was "Sandra". Why I chose that name I do not know. I don't recall knowing anyone with that name when I was little, but for some reason that is the name I gave this little doll, and so that is who she is.  She is well loved and worn...well...after all, she is almost as old as I am!

And here below, Baby Elva is modeling my original Baby Bunting outfit.

Since I was born in Pennsylvania where it was very cold, a Baby Bunting was a necessity!

I found this wrapped in a special bag among my mother's treasures when we were cleaning out my parents' home preparing for the estate sale. My sister and I both agreed that it was probably mine, and so I kept it. It fits Baby Elva just fine!

I found a few other things in the same bag with the Baby Bunting, and "Baby Elva" has agreed to continue being our model today:

Baby Elva is wearing a sweet little hand crocheted bib and knitted booties. I don't know if the booties were originally yellow or white. I believe they may have yellowed with age. It is amazing to think that I once had feet small enough to fit in those tiny little booties! A far cry from my size 9 shoe today!

There was also this beautiful knitted baby blanket, again, probably yellowed with age. I don't know if it was hand made or not or any other details except for the fact it was with these other baby things, so we will just assume that baby blanket once covered my tiny little body and kept me warm and cozy!

Upon closer inspection of this sweet little dress Baby Elva is wearing below, it looks a lot like the dress I was wearing in the very first picture up above. I am not sure how that can be, because I was 10 months old in that picture, and this dress seems like it is only for up to about 6 months in size...but if you look at the sleeves, it sure looks the same. Maybe all baby dresses were made like that back then...

Here is another of my favorite treasures from my childhood:

Yes, that is my Tiny Tears doll. She is very old and brittle. Her one rubber arm is cracking and coming apart, so I have to be very careful with her. But oh! How I loved that doll!  Tiny Tears could drink and wet her diaper, and she cried real tears too! My sister also had one just like mine, and we played and played with our baby dolls.  We pretended we were "Lucy and Mary". I was Lucy, because I had red hair, and I loved Lucy!  My sister Doris liked the name Mary better than Ethel, so she was Mary. My baby was "Little Ricky". Not sure what she named hers. We sure had a lot of fun pretending. 

Do children still do that today?

I wanted to mention the blanket. It was embroidered by my Aunt Margie (my mother's oldest sister) for my first baby. So it is also a "treasure".

Oh! Here I am in one of my more angelic moments:

Maybe I should leave it here and quit while I am ahead! LOL.

Well, maybe one more. You have probably seen this picture already because I am sure I must have shared it before, but it's another favorite.

This is my whole family.

My Dad and Mom are on the back, and we four kids are on the front, "The stair-steps"

Russell, Clifford, Doris and yours truly.

Only my brother Clifford, my sister Doris and I still remain. 

The rest are waiting for us in heaven some day!

What a great day of rejoicing that will be!

So, that is my little "Wednesday Treasure" Album for today. 

I hope you enjoyed coming along down memory lane with me.

"But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; 

for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14