A Ray Of Sunshine

This is our dear boy's birth-day.  And a fine looking fellow for one year.  Picture of health, eyes bright + cheeks like two rose-buds.  In fact, he is our pride, our joy.  He is running over with fun + mischief.  He is the life of the place, a ray of sunshine that has fallen across our pathway.  - Frances, April 1891

Yesterday, I received a birthday invitation from a good friend - not for her, but the couple's one year old son!  He has the cutest baby hair, and rosy little cheeks just like Frances' son.  I'm sure my friend has experienced the joy and mischief that Frances describes as well.  This entry could have easily been written by a new mother today.  Those feelings of wonder and love easily eclipse the feelings of exhaustion! 

For Frances, every child's life was reason to celebrate.  She had 6 children, but one little girl didn't live to see her first birthday - unfortunately, a common occurrence at the time.  While no mother will ever stop worrying about the life of her child, a First Birthday is a joyous milestone.  This tiny person is just beginning his or her time in the world - and that is definitely worth celebrating. 

That "Funny Feeling"

That "funny feeling" has continued and Clary and I are going around saying "hot dog" and "Whoopee" and such things.  Yep, guess we finally hit the jackpot.  Had a full day of lessons.  The gang all came over tonite for a game of monopoly and Clary + Doc teased me about the cigarette smoke.  - Annette, January 1941

Can you guess what that "funny feeling" was?  Annette and Clary had just started their adventures in China when they discovered they were going to have a baby.  My grandparents were newlyweds - not even married a year yet.  How exciting....and a little bit terrifying?!  These days, pregnancy preparation can mean specialized nutrition, baby showers, birthing classes, and regular check-ups.  Here in China, it meant trying to get enough calories to feed yourself and the life inside you.  It meant tearing up old clothes and sheets to sew baby clothes and blankets.  It meant doing your work every day because you were the only one out there who could.  For some mothers, that is still the reality.  We can't always control the circumstances of bringing new life into the world.  But there can still be a "Whoopee!"