AnnMarie and Summer in a Photo

I babysat Summer after Melanie went back to school in the fall. Melanie had taken care of her during the summer. This was in 1978 through 1979. I really enjoyed her but then I got pregnant with David and had to quit. I kept it up for a time until I got larger and was having so much trouble with my back and hip. I was sad to see her go and felt sorry that I could not care for her. Her mother was the county extension agent. There was just Summer at the time. Summer had a rough time adjusting to a new babysitter and I really did feel terrible about not being able to keep up. I started for the newspaper after that and would have had a difficult time watching her at any rate. 

Melanie wrote: Brenda and Dale Bradford were the parents. Summer and Colin were the children at that time.

Myrna wrote: Melanie, you did babysit them both after that at times, did you not? I don't really remember Colin.


Melanie wrote: Yes, by about two years. You watched Summer, then you became pregnant just after she had Colin. You felt horrible, because your back was bothering you so much, that you couldn't keep watching her children, because they wanted to be held all the time and you couldn't do it.
Mel


Myrna wrote: I don't know that I watched Colin. I think I only watched Summer. Now that I think about it, I think Colin was born around the same time as David. I do remember that I hated to stop watching Summer but I just could not lift her. I really did love her. I could get down easier than I could lift up and I would change her diapers while she laid on the floor. I had to boost her up onto the sofa so she could nap. Then I would sit by her and sing to her. I really did think I was being unfair to her because I could not hold her as she liked to be held. Her mom had Annette Lovell watch her for a month but she did not think that Annette was clean enough. That surprised me. I didn't ever think I managed to be particularly tidy though I did try and so did you older kids. She told me that she found an older lady in her ward who watched Summer and just doted on her. So that was good.