When John Alvin was born, momma was picking plums for canning when she became ill. I think he was probably born prematurely. He weighed 2 lbs 1/2 oz & was 13 inches long. Although he was born in the heat of summer (8/21/1933), momma had a hard time keeping him warm. He would get cold & turn blue. She would work with him constantly & bury him deep in comforters in order to keep him warm.

He was too small to nurse, so we had to go out in the pastures every hour to get fresh milk for her to feed him - with an eye dropper. Even after she had nursed him through all that, a bed was made for him in daddy’s shoebox & he had to be carried that way for several months because he was so delicate.

I was 16 when Vi (Violet Alma) was born, & momma decided I was old enough to help in the delivery. When the doctor came, he sent the other children out to catch grasshoppers for him to go fishing while we delivered the baby. He told them not to come back to the house until he honked the car horn.

I was so scared that I ran to another bedroom & got between the mattresses so I couldn’t hear momma. Although I could hear the doctor talking, I didn’t hear a sound from momma.

The other children were called back to the house & saw the baby. Momma, exhuasted, fell asleep with the infant in her arms. Margie (who has always loved babies), slipped up to the bed, took Vi from momma, & sit holding her until momma woke up & told her to “put that baby back down here”.