February 1896 - Children Learning to Walk, Evelyn's First Words - The Calls 1896-1915-1934
Family Record
February 1896. The 16th, the thermometer stood 20° below here at Grandpa Call's between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning. Papa said that was the lowest he ever knew it. There was almost no wind and it didn't seem so cold.
Evelyn was one year old Wednesday the 12th. She weighs 22 pounds. She has stood alone for quite a while, but doesn't walk yet. When she first began to stand alone; she would stand up and then settle in a kind of curtsey then up again, very prettily. Arthur lacked a week of a year when he took his first step alone. Edith was two weeks over a year, but she was large and heavy. His papa coaxed Robert to take his first step alone the day he was ten months old and he was running all around long before he was eleven months.
Feb 29. Evelyn took a few steps alone the day she was one year and two weeks old, just Edith's age. We have had continuous sleighing now for six or seven weeks. It is very poor now, high banks and bare ground alternating. Baby says just a few words, "mama," "papa" "by-by" for good-bye her hand - "bye" - [...] to rock or swing anytime, "ba" for ball, and "ths" for see. She pat-a-cakes prettily, She had two teeth at a time she was 8 1/2 months old, and hasn't pulled out any more yet.
One of Arthur's first words was "cook a" for cookie, some time before he was a year old. The first time I noticed his saying it was when I took him [to?] the pantry where I often got one for him. Arthur always talked very distinctly, pronouncing every word quite correctly. He stumbled over his name, calling himself "Arser," till one day he turned his head on oneside, and with a determined effort said "Arthur," and usually spoke it right after that. Edith pronounced it "Ahthah." The first time I noticed her saying it she was playing on the floor, - before she could walk, I think, and saw him out the hall window, when she began to call "Ahtah, Ahtah!" "Refrigerator" was a stumbling block for Arthur. He said "ferigerator."
One day I was stopped on my way to Aunt Sarah's right next house, by Edith who asked if "das" was wrong word to say. Arthur had been studying German a little so I said " [?} it was all right" but one of the others said "she means 'gosh." The next morning we had fried potatoes which were very hot. Edith got some which were very hot into her mouth, and rolled tongue and eyes around till she disposed of them. Then, when she was comfortable and all right, again she said, sweetly and serenely, "Das!" Edith was particularly fond of cream and our milk was very nice, and we used it freely. One morning I was pouring with a spoon so it wouldn't all go into the first cup, but Edith called out in piteous entreaty "Let the tream do, mama, let the tream do!" - let the cream go.
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Patty's Notes on this entry
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