Rumuruti Laikipia July 18th
‘08
Mrs. John Minch,
Hoopole, Ill.
Dear ones in Hoopole:
If you would’nt think it was awfully bad of
a missionary I would like to say “Gee Wittikers but I am happy
this morning”. Since four o’clock we’ve had a Tom Thumb
sucking his fist in our house and he seems to be as happy as
he can be. We landed him in about half an hour after the real
business began. Florence is very happy and seems little the
worse for her experience. She says she feels as if she could
get up and make dinner. She was very fortunate. Exceedingly
well up to the last hour and then having a baby which weighed
only 6 ˝ lbs. but looking very well. He set up a little howl
at first but has been sleeping nearly all the time since and I
dont think it is at all bad to have babies but be sure you
dont ask me about it in a month or two. Florence has had a
good sleep too and the Doctor says she will not have any
trouble at all. We had Doctor Blackburn from Kisumu. Hurlburt
thinks he is the best doctor in the country. Miss Nisher is
acting as nurse and Mrs. Hurlburt is taking care of me. Of
course she has the hardest part. We were very well prepared if
anything should have gone wrong but as it was I could have
taken care of it all alone without any help at all. I suppose
you worried about it somewhat but I know if you could see how
happy we are you would say it is worth it. Florence was so
very well. She ate supper with us last night and sat up until
ten o’clock and was as jolly and happy as anyone although we
were quite sure it would all be over by morning. Well now
we’ve got a little youngster on our hands but what are we
going to do with him. The little scamp just looks at you and
blinks away as though he thought he was sassing you. He makes
me mad but worst of all we dont know what to call him. We
could think of all sorts of girls names but we always
quarreled over boys names, because Florence wanted to call him
John. I’d like to call him Hank, or Ike, or Rube, or Bill, but
she wont have it. Well we’ll get him named some time. Now I
feel awfully big to think I am soon going to be called daddy.
but what must it be to be called Grandpa Minch and Grandma
Minch and Aunt Cora and Uncle Warren and aunt Alice and all
the rest of it. Well you will have something to thank me for
now when I come home. There is quite an excitement among our
boys. They never saw a white baby before and I imagine when
the Masai women get to hear about it we’ll have crowds of them
here to see the great wonder. They dont believe white people
have babies. They say we always just were and thats all. Well
we’ll show them a thing or two now, but I am not writing a
letter only a note to let you know everything is as well as it
can be and we are a happy crowd here at Rumuruti, and a Minch
has had a hand in it to make the crowd happy. We are something
now. We wer’nt anything before but now we can stand up with
anybody and say you are not the only ones who can have babies
come and look at our little buster. Wish you could all come in
and have a look but that must be later sometime when we come
home. Will write you again in a few days to let you know how
everything is getting on.
Yours, Pa and Ma Stauffacher
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