Welcome, Joanie!!

June is a wonderful month to be born -- all that sunshine and greenery outside, high spirits and reasonable temperatures.

Joan Elizabeth Gravett just made it into June, arriving on June 30, 1957, at Toledo Hospital.

The fourth and final child for Ed and Dorothy, she was a calm and happy baby favored with sleek blonde hair, blue eyes, and warm, true smile.

Naturally, as youngest sibling, Joanie got lots of attention, especially from her older sister, Marilyn, who treated the new arrival as her own little pet baby. (The next post will contain more pictures of the two little girls together. )

These photos were taken on the back porch of the house, just off the dining room, with a lovely panorama of the Gravett backyard and nearby backyards. On a fine day, it was the place to be, with its southern exposure.

Joanie was a post-40s baby for Dodie, who spent the pregnancy worrying that she might be a Downs child -- we still used the word, mongoloid, in those days. The word carried such a stigma then. One of Mom's friends had indeed given birth to a Downs child and there were whispers . . . .

For Ed, Joanie as another mouth to feed, but as he loved babies, pragmatism gave way to adoration as he loved to hold her and talk with her and play music for her. By then, Ed was into the trombone and had built a fancy music stand in the basement where he practiced jazz tunes. He also listened to some of the best on records. Classical music and jazz were pretty standard accompaniments to evening and weekend life at 120 East Seventh.

For Ted and Sally, the new baby was adorable but they were busy with their growing school and social calendars. (Sally will confess to being embarrassed upon learning that Mom was pregnant again. After all, Sally was a freshman in high school. Ted was 8 and in 3rd grade, busy in Cub Scouts and figuring out how to take things apart.)

Still, Joanie's sunny smile and happy demeanor won over everyone and Sally soon came to look on her youngest sister as a delicious addition to the family.

For Dorothy, life became even more complicated, of course, with a high-schooler, a grade-schooler, a kindergartner, and a baby. But Dodie lived motherhood and doted on her newest baby as much as she had doted on the older kids at their age.

But suddenly, it seemed, the three-bedroom house was becoming cramped.

Next post: pictures.

Then, an expansion at home to accomodate the expansion of the family.

Please leave comments and (Marilyn) corrections so I can keep this record straight.

Love,

Sally