March 1 1951

1st March. 1951

    [Cec’s handwriting, with an arrow pointing to ‘Grand’:] you always were that!

Dearest Grand Mummy, 

Cec & I have been laughing because I have a Craving! At least I call it a craving, but Cec says that I should choose something much more exotic & this is such a nice, easy, pleasant, little craving- guess what? Nothing but a nice cup of tea! I have had one every evening since Saturday & do enjoy it so much, & feel slightly wicked at having it, which makes it very much more exciting!! I haven’t touched coffee since before Christmas, & for a while used to retire from the kitchen when Cec put his on to perk, but now the smell doesn’t worry me although I still don’t feel inclined to drink it. At first I didn’t care for milk much either, but the Dr. told me to try gradually & the taste would come back, so I began by putting chocolate syrup in it & drinking chocolate milk & now I can drink it straight! We get skim milk for me, so that I won’t get fat & also it has all the nutrients I need- I am supposed to have a quart a day, but so far only achieve about 1 1/2 pts- a glass for lunch, one for dinner & one before I go to bed. Cec suggests I take some in a thermos to work & I think I will as I don’t seem able to drink it in the early morning. I have continued all along to have tea for breakfast, but haven’t been drinking my orange juice lately as my tummy seems a bit too acid at that hour. At mid-morning at work Milly & I have tea (share 1 tea-bag!) but we have no milk so I really don’t like it much! In the afternoon we eat apples, so do our best to get our vitamins & keep our weight down. Millie is 2 months further on than me & is having her baby in June at the Maternity Hospital here. Her husband, Jerry, is the one I didn’t care for much at first, but I like him better now & they are a very devoted couple. Millie is only an inch or two taller than me- if that – and used to be about the same weight, but of course is quite a bit more now! She is well into maternity clothes, and I was saying to Cec that I would have to get something this month – I don’t exactly show- I don’t think! – but the waists of skirts & zips of dresses are getting slightly uncomfortable! I am most pleased because I don’t know if you remember me telling you that I altered the skirt of my brown suit some months ago as it was too tight!? Anyway, when I altered it, in making the ‘ips bigger, I also made the waist bigger I found when I was finished, but of course couldn’t be bothered to redo it – and am I glad now! It’s just right & quite comfy!! (I only gained 3/4 lb. in 5 weeks between my 2 visits to the clinic.)

I forgot to tell you, when I was talking about foods etc. that there are really very few things I don’t want to eat & we are on a fairly normal diet, except I don’t eat much that is starchy or sweet. The funny thing is, that the foods I don’t like the idea of, are all things we had around Christmas- turkey, stuffing, baked ham etc. & poor Cec is so sad because he loves them all!! However, I will doubtless recover & he hasn’t pined for them too much yet. The nausea & sick feelings I had earlier on are all gone now, but I still need lots of sleep & feel lousy & tired if I don’t get it. I have indigestion quite a bit, but that is to be expected, I imagine, & it is better than it was too. I told Cec that I must tell you that you would be horrified if you heard me now – you were disgusted when Cec taught me to belch loudly, but now I far & away outdo him & reverberate through the house!!! Cec says it is good for me, because otherwise all that wind would stay inside of me & make me feel much worse! [Cec’s handwriting: I sometimes wonder what our neighbours think!]

So far I don’t seem to have done anything except tell you about my symptoms, but you were asking how I was, so I thought I would give you a blow by blow description! When we got home tonight we were delighted to find a letter from you written on Feb 21st – we do enjoy your letters so much & get such fun out of hearing what all the aunties and cousins say, & all about everything. Thank you very, very much for writing us such lovely letters so often – we look forward to them each week, & when we come home & find one lying on the doormat Cec is just as pleased as me. I have not been very good about answering your letters lately, but will try to do better now, especially as I don’t have to spend so many evenings sleeping! Cec is very sweet & is washing the dishes for me now, so that I can write to my Mummy!

Talking of letters, we heard from Cec’s Mummy this week, & were quite disappointed as she wasn’t as wildly excited as we are! Of course this will be her fifth time of being a Grandmama so it’s nothing new to her, but she took it all quite calmly – even the idea of twins! I finally got around to writing to everyone N/C – & mailed them (air) this week, so now you can go ahead in your letters! I saved them & posted them all at once, so hope they arrive together & no one is hurt – I wrote to Dottie; Nan (asked her to tell Mrs. A.); Irene; Amy & Ruth; Denis, Dorothy & Winnie. I owed both Denis & Winnie letters, so wrote a combined effort, & I owed Ruth a letter so wrote to her & Amy, via Amy. I also had sent Ruth a birthday card, & have a present for her which I have ready to send- it is a very pretty cotton sports shirt – it is plaid in soft pinks, greens, mauves etc. & has a white piqué trim on collar & short sleeves – I’m hoping, being cotton, there won’t be a killing duty this time. When I was writing to everyone in N/C, Cec & I talked about telling my Father the news – I didn’t know whether to tell him so soon or not, but as Cec says, he might hear from someone else, as he seems to hear things somehow- so we think it would be best if I write & tell him now. I’ll probably write this weekend, & I am collecting some chocolate mints, tins of biscuits etc. to send a parcel for his birthday. We are also going to send a little parcel to Joan (Cox) with a tin of meat or so (for Joan!!) & some cat food for poor Spivey!! The people at 37 de Freville have been very kind about sending mail onto us etc. also, so we are sending them a box of candy to share & feel we will have discharged all our obligations!!

Before I answer your letter, I’ll bring you up-to-date on our doings this week. Last week I think I told you that we were having some nice weather for a change, & we had a lovely weekend. We went & shopped for our groceries on Fri. evening & on Sat. I cleaned the flat & cleaned the silver (and how it needed it!) & got snacks ready, as we were having Cec’s friend from work, Pete, & his wife Mary Jo in for bridge (they are the ones we had dinner with near Christmas with the cute little girl Jody). Cec spent the afternoon washing & polishing McTavish & he looked just beautiful (i.e. McT. looked beautiful- Cec always does!) The Pete’s came around 8:30 & we had a nice evening of bridge – Pete had a lay down Grand Slam in the first rubber though & we never recovered from it!

On Sunday we slept – of course! – & in the afternoon as it was nice & sunny went out for a drive in McTavish & took some snaps of him, so hope they will turn out all right & will send you some. On Monday morning I had my second appointment at the Mat Clinic & went at 8:45 & then onto work. This was a much less thorough going over than the first time & I had a different Dr. – there are apparently 3 Drs. & you have whoever is on duty at the time. Dr. Johnson was the first one I had & this one is Dr. Bivens, but the thing that impressed me very much with both of them was how kind & friendly & interested they seemed. I thought being a Clinic they would be inclined to rush you through, but they seem to give you plenty of time & really make an effort to put you at your ease & make you feel that they were taking a personal interest in your case. Dr. B. told me the results of all the tests they had taken the previous time & everything was O.K. – x-ray negative- blood count normal- haemoglobin normal – RH factor positive etc. etc.- everything ordinary & normal. He spent quite a while poking my tummy & was very interested in the twins proposition! The thing is that my uterus is apparently larger than is normal for the time I’m supposed to have gone – so either, the baby is a month older than we think, which doesn’t seem likely, or else it is twins! In case the baby was a month older than expected Dr. B got his short stethoscope & listened for heartbeats, but could hear none yet. He says that next time I go back ( Mar 26) he should be able to hear them & that soon after that they’ll give me an x-ray to make sure! He told me not to make plans yet, but that it seemed quite likely! (I only gained 3/4lb. in the 5 weeks- the Dr. said I was good!)

On Monday evening, Millie was having a girls Bridge do, but what with the visit to the Clinic & then work I felt tired so begged off & spent a lazy (sleepy!) evening! On Tuesday, after much sleep, I felt better, & in the evening washed jumpers & stockings & socks & finished my N/C letters! On Wed. evening I went to a Mother’s Class!! They run the series of classes (7) & the clinic advises you to go- Millie had just finished her  lot, so I began this one. One of the fellows at work, Bob Bruinsma (he used to give me a lift sometimes before we got McT.) had told me a little while ago that his wife, Elaine, was expecting too (in Sept.) & we chat about her symptoms etc. She wanted to go to these classes too, so Bob took us both up & brought me home which was v. nice of him as McT. broke a spring on Tues. & is in the garage- sob! sob! The class was quite interesting- we saw a film which was good, but the nurse woman who talked seemed silly to me & didn’t speak well, so I didn’t think much of her! This class was on conception etc. – next week is the hygiene of pregnancy – & they have ones on the layette etc. etc.

Cec is chasing me to bed, so we’ll say nighty nighty & finish this tomorrow. Sleep tight!

Friday.

Cec has gone up to the Lab. this evening to work & has made me promise to go to bed at 10:30, so I am hurrying to finish this! We went to the store this evening & bought all our groceries & then when we came home we had our monthly finance meeting & wrote cheques & balanced our account etc.! We thought we might finish paying for McT. this month, but we have decided to wait till next month, as it makes no difference to the bank, & we just might need some money for something, so it is no good letting ourselves get too short.

Did I tell you that I had a little letter from Milly about a month ago? She enclosed $5 for us to buy ourselves a wedding present – wasn’t that sweet of her? I wrote & thanked her & told her our news, but wondered if she would hear first via St. V!! I had a letter from Janie today with congrats etc. & it made us laugh because she said that she & Billo would love to see their little Half-Pint overflowing!! She enclosed some snaps of the boys & they look very sweet – the little one toddling around now. Talking of cousins, poor Monie – what a disappointment to have Owen home for so short a time. She must be so fed up with all the long waiting & then so often a disappointment at the end of it, but I am glad that she will see him in Baltimore before too long. Margs must have been busy with Allan ill too- I expect he is a real big boy now, at school & everything – I can hardly imagine how they all have grown up.

I loved hearing of all the things you are busy making! You are so energetic & put me quite to shame as I have really done nothing yet – I am knitting this little jacket but promised it to Milly before my news was public so I must keep my word!! Your baby jacket will be sweet I know, as the ones you used to do before were always very cute, but I am entranced with the idea of the little patchwork quilt! I think it is lovely & I am so glad that you remembered it – as a matter of fact I was mentioning the idea to Milly & Dawn a little while ago & saying what fun I thought it would be, but of course I have no bits & not enough time anyway. I can imagine it would take an age, but don’t worry – just persevere, & if you don’t get it done just bring it to Canada & we’ll finish it there – the babies will probably be in a clothes basket to begin with anyway, so we’ll have time! Don’t let anyone laugh at you – I know the twins will love it & I do already!

Cec & I laughed ourselves silly over all the conflicting advice you are getting from the relatives & hope that you’re not getting too confused with it all. It is very sweet of them all to take so much interest but it is funny that they all have their own ideas. About the vests, I am going to solve the problem of hand-knitted versus bought ones, as over here the babies wear cotton vests, & I shall buy some little wrap over ones here! Jeanie forgets that the houses here are so much warmer than in England & all the baby books (and people too) say cotton vests. I hope Bren hasn’t got wool for them – anyway we could use it for something else. Talking of vests I have never been able to wear the two woollen ones Anne knitted for me – it is just too warm indoors & you begin to tickle madly, so I was seriously thinking of pulling them out & knitting baby things. It seems a shame to undo all her work, but better than just leaving them there to get mothy. I haven’t heard a word from her since the baby was born, by the way.

Please thank Auntie Mil for the offer of a little dress – I should love it, & if it was a 6 months size it should be all right. I seem to remember Dottie turning some of Pete’s baby dresses into rompers, so if it is a boy (or boys) I could always do that! I should love to try my hand at a smocked baby dress, but don’t know whether I’ll ever have the time.

I was interested to hear of the Polish Dr. & his wife moving to St. V. & I am glad that he is doing well, and that people like him. Poor Peter must be having a bad time with his leg, but they must be thankful that there is a competent Dr. not far away. I hope that you all enjoy your day visiting around the island & don’t return home too worn out with such a plethora of social activities!! I hope that you liked Lady Baden Powell’s speech too & were able to hear well – I’m glad that you still use the earphone occasionally to keep in practice as it were, but I think that as long as you get on all right without it in everyday life, why worry! And it is much easier for you, not to be bothered with it I know.

I am glad that you wrote & told little Mrs. Johnny & hope she is tickled with the news & feels able to make the shawl. I don’t think anyone I know will offer to make another, & I am not worrying as the Layette Books here never mention shawls but use blankets and “flannel receiving squares” so I can use those when the shawl gets wet!! Anyway, if we have to bundle both twins in it, we’ll need something else to help out! I’m going into town tomorrow & will get a baby nightie pattern & will write again soon. Take good care of Granny now! Lots & lots of love & hugs from us all 

        from 

                        Cynnie & Cec.