Baby Book 3

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Story by Dora Bedell Bowers

October 21, 1939  

  It has been a while since I wrote in this little book, but I shall try to remember the most important things that happened. When DiVoran was nine and ten months old we lived in one of Ira and Marie’s upstairs apartments. One day when Ivan and I were standing at the top of the stairs getting ready to go down, Punky (which is what we call her now) walked off the top step and tumbled down seven stairs. Ivan sprung down four steps in order to pick her up. I was so scared I nearly fainted. She developed a black and blue spot on her jaw, but she’s all right now.

Punky was eleven months old when she started walking. The day she did, Ivan and I had gone deer hunting and left her at the apartment house with Grandmother Bowers. We didn’t get home until late but when we did Marie told us that DiVoran started walking at four-thirty in the afternoon, and didn’t stop walking and falling until six o’clock in the evening.  

Two weeks before she was a year old, I took her to Sunday school. Her teacher, Elvira, who was my Campfire Girls leader and Sunday school teacher when I was young, said DiVoran mostly watched the other children and mirrored Elvira when she patted the pictures in the book. Our toddler was happy to see me when I went in to get her. Elvira said she seemed to have a wonderful time. Punky’s first birthday was the next Sunday so I was going to take her to Sunday School but by the time I got her dressed and undressed and dressed again, she was asleep with her new leggin’s half on, half off, so I decided we’d just stay home.

Babies are sweet, but one-year-olds are cuter. Punky says, “Mama, “Da, Da”, “Ah boo,” “hi”, and “yep.” She can patty cake, be a big girl (by putting her hands in the air). She crosses her arms over her chest to love the baby, she throws us kisses and says a how-do by nodding her head. She knows that means yes, too, but it’s different. She shakes her head no when you offer her something she doesn’t want.

The other day DiVoran and I were out in the yard. She saw a rock and started to laugh as she went toward it.  She tried to pry it up but it was as big as my head and wouldn’t budge. I picked her up to distract her and we went to pet our Irish Setter, Boots. 

This morning Punky was sitting in her high chair as usual when she suddenly spotted her rag doll. She reached over and took her child in her arms and kissed it smack on the mouth.

She isn’t house broke yet. It doesn’t seem like she ever will be. When she is through with her bottle she throws it out of her crib and sucks her thumb. She is bow-legged and pigeon-toed, but she is still the most wonderful baby in the world.

At a year old DiVoran has eight teeth.

We planned a birthday party, but her great grandmother Hunter was so sick we couldn’t have it until Monday. DiVoran had two cakes, one on Sunday, another on Monday. It was the first time she blew the candles out by herself.

Marie and Ira Bowers

Punky’s Granddad Bowers gave her a little silver bracelet with a big red jewel the size of a quarter. Her mama and daddy gave her a heart-shaped locket with a pearl on it.  

To be continued

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: 1930s baby book entries