Ruth's Grandbaby, Lynn Meredith, in Dec., 1966

Lynn Meredith Pellettiere enjoying the little yellow tub, sitting on a counter in the upper level bath of our first house in Mt. Prospect.  She's 7 months old and smiling at Daddy, the camera man, while Mom gives her a bath.  Ruth's diary entries follow, starting with the 3rd day of their drive from FL to IL.  She is 60 and John 67.

December 13, 1966 - "Up and out by 6:45 A.M.  Good day again.  Best yet when we hit Chicago we got sun - only traces of snow in parts of Indiana & Illinois on ground.  Arrived at Diane's at 2:30 & surprised her at early hour.  Roger also here.  Beth & Philip came later & talked to Ken after supper.  Phoned Mom & got Jim so told him we'd see them Thurs.  Lynn is studying us!"

December 14, 1966 - "We took Diane grocery shopping & J. paid bill.  Lynn peevish - lack of sleep I guess.  We went out a 2nd time to the big Niles shopping area & Diane bought herself dress material & pattern for shift.  Tired tonite.  Baby missed good naps so had to go to bed early as she was unhappy.  Diane made Sukiyaki for the 3 of us as Dan flew to Memphis today."

December 15, 1966 - "Diane had a bad night and got up this A.M. to vomit so I took care baby and food.  Called Mom to say we'd not be there today, of course.  Tonite I gave Diane tea and toast, but she lost it.  She must have intestinal flu, but has no doctor yet, except new gynecologist she has first date with on Sat."

Roger and Philip Kellogg are our 3- and 6 -year old nephews.  They are the children of Diane's brother, Ken, and his wife, Beth.  Grandpa John Kellogg had the flu in Florida, starting on Dec. 7, which may be
where Diane got it.  She was going to the OB-Gyne because she was expecting another child in July.  Ruth's mother and brother, Lottie (80) and Jimmie (55) Meredith, lived about a mile away from the Pellettieres, also in Mt. Prospect.  They had moved out of the west side Austin area of Chicago where they had had a 2-flat on Iowa St. since 1922.

1966 - Ruth, Diane and Lottie with the Fourth Generation, Lynn Meredith

Ruth Kellogg's diary entry and the picture of her with daughter Diane Pellettiere and mother Lottie Meredith are not in Pieces of a Life. This picture was taken in Mount Prospect IL in Aug., 1966 after Diane and Dan, both 30, moved back from New York City.  One of Dan's clown paintings is on the wall above Lottie.

The scab on Diane's leg came from a fall she took running into Randhurst to buy more paint for the walls she was painting.  Though Diane was carrying Lynn in her arms at the time, the baby was unharmed.

Thursday, May 12, 1966
   "No word yet (3 PM) from N.Y.  Am taking pills to ward off a cold and not doing much -- just pot-roasting beef for supper and knitting & watching TV.  
    Dan phoned at about 10:20 PM.  Diane had a little girl, about 6 lbs. -- name Lynn Meredith.  All O.K.  She went in at 9 AM.  Up at 2 AM and birth about 9:45 PM.  I phoned Beth & Ken the news."

Ruth uses Central time rather than Eastern for each event.  For instance, Lynn (6 lbs. 7 oz.) was born at 10:38 PM at Beth Israel Hospital in New York...The Kelloggs had two other grandchildren by then, Philip Alan (5) and Roger Winslow (2), but this was the first girl.  There would be two more, Cynthia Jo and Katherine Diane.

Ruth (60) flew to NYC to help out from May 16-25.  During that time, Dan flew to Chicago and looked at houses over a weekend, driven round by Diane's brother, Ken.  Dan and Diane had discussed what they wanted in a house before he left, so Dan worked off of that list - and bought a house on May 22 at 1101 Greenfield Rd., Mount Prospect.  They occupied it in August and were happy there until they outgrew it and moved in 1971.

Ruth and John were packing to leave for Florida on any day when they weren't babysitting for us (or Ken). They were now able to occupy their condo with the renter having moved to NYC.  They left on Monday, August 29, started unpacking boxes in FL, but then flew back to Chicago on Sept. 4 to do more packing and also see the Ken's and Diane's families as well as Lottie and Jim, Ruth's brother.  The Greyhound Moving Van came on Sept. 9 and Ruth and John left on Sept. 12, spending the next few weeks unpacking, making small changes in their condo.

It was an enormous change for both Ruth and John.  They both cried on Sunday, Aug. 28 when their Gamma Nu Sunday School class gave them a parting Revere Bowl.  They had been at First Baptist since 1941 when they moved to Oak Park.  One blessing that made it easier was the many church friends who either moved to Clearwater or vacationed there.