1955 6 11 Irene Schnack to Olive Schnack

My mother wrote this letter to my grandmother shortly after my birth.  I am the first child born to Irene and Walter Schnack.  Names in this letter and their relationship to my mother are:

• 'Ma' was Olive Letha Rose Schnack, her mother-in-law
• 'Viv' was Vivian Eleanor Schnack Cope, her sister-in-law
• 'Tommy' is Thomas Alan Cope, her nephew
• 'Jake' was Walter J. Schnack, her husband
• 'Cindy' is Cindy Lou Schnack Arsenault Coffell, her daughter

10th Field Army Hospital
Wuerzburg, Germany
June 11, 1955

Dear Ma and all,

Well, what did you think when you got the telegram so early?  Viv had told me I should have my baby on Tommy's birthday so that's just what I did.  Not that I had much to say about it, though.  I was surprised she was early - I was so sure she would be late.

I finished a letter to my folks and it was all about the baby.  This one probably will be, too.  I'm so happy about her I can't think of anything else.

Wednesday, I came over for my check-up in the morning and felt just fine all day long.  I never felt so good before.  I had invited my neighbors in for spaghetti supper.  My water broke at 6 p.m. and the pains started fast and furious at 6:30 p.m.  I had the supper all ready except for cooking the spaghetti.  Jake ended up cooking that.  My neighbors started at 6:30 trying to get the hospital

and an ambulance.  The ambulance got there at 7:30 with the pains about 1 1/2 minutes apart.  At 9:40 p.m., Jake and I had a little daughter.  I thought the pains would start real easy like, then build up gradually, but I found out different.  Being so sure I would be late, I didn't have a thing ready to take to the hospital and didn't feel like doing it when things started popping so Jake did that, too.

I saw little Cindy before she was cleaned up because, stubborn me - I refused to take the gas they tried to give me.  I wanted to be sure I wouldn't miss a trick and I didn't either.  I saw everything and heard everything until I got in bed; then I was ready for sleep.  I was sleeping when Jake got here.  But, woke up as soon as the nurse asked me if I wanted to see him.  He thought the baby looked awful, but even though newborns are homely, I thought from the first that she was the sweetest baby there ever was.  She weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and is 20 1/2 inches long.  I am breast feeding her for awhile

and she is taking about 2 ounces to a feeding.  Now she knows what the breast is for and starts in like a little pig.  I think she looks just like me but then maybe I would anyway.  Jake doesn't know who she looks like but then he hasn't seen any of my baby pictures.  She isn't as chubby as I was though, but she'll fill out.

All I want now is to get her home.  She is really a little doll.  I think she is real cute.  I thought having a baby was great before she was born, but now it seems even greater.  Being a mother is just a grand and glorious feeling.

I feel real good - I don't even know I had stitches but I did.

Now you have a little German granddaughter.  She won't be an American until Jake goes to Munich to get an American birth certificate for her.

Jake had C.Q. today until tomorrow noon so I didn't see him this afternoon or tonight but I'll see him tomorrow afternoon and evening and

Monday morning, I'm going home.  He starts a three day leave on Tuesday.  He says the house is a mess already but I'm not letting that worry me one bit.  When I do get home I'm not even going to bother about cleaning it up.  I imagine I'll be rather tired anyway.  My maid will be there on Wednesday and she can do it.  That's what she is being paid for.

Jake brought me some birth announcements to send but I can't think of any relatives so I'll have to wait til I get home and use my list.  I'm going to send them by regular mail.  It will take them two weeks to get there but will be a lot cheaper and there are oodles to send.

I will close now.  If I keep on, I'll be repeating myself about Cindy Lou being such a doll - she really is.

Love,
Irene, Jake, and Cindy

P.S.
Hi Mom. 

Well, I guess I can't add any more except to say I feel the same way.  I saw her today (Sunday night) and she's real cute now.  I'm glad all is going good.

Send me a copy of my birth certificate.  I need it for proof of citizenship.

Jake

German birth certificate for Cindy Lou Schnack

Family birth announcement for Cindy Lou Schnack

Oneonta Star birth announcement for Cindy Lou Schnack

The Oneonta Star of Oneonta, New York, published the birth announcement on 28 June 2011, page 5, column 6.

Irene Orvetta (Cole) Schnack holding Cindy Lou Schnack on 13 June 1955