After a bath and breakfast I put on my prettiest negligee, pink ribbons on my two braids, and was sitting up when Lion came. He kissed me and said, "You are looking very sweet and pretty this morning; what is your answer?" I said "We are going to Joplin!” Then I began to cry. He sat on the bed, gave me a hug, and asked "Why the tears?" I said, "I am so proud of you and this is a big decision to make but now I am sure I can get strong and learn to take good care of our baby. We must decide on a name." We had talked over various names and agreed that if the child was a boy his name would be William with a different middle name, and if a girl, Mary. I had decided on Mary Levering during the wakeful night. My father's mother was Mary Levering of Baltimore. This would please father. Two of my sisters had daughters named Mary but this would be the first one named after his mother. Father had not been to see me but came on Christmas Day. I think he disapproved of our having a child in a hospital and he was worried about me and the forced birth. He asked how we could be sure that she was ours when several babies were in the same nursery. (This was the first grandchild born in a hospital.) The nurse dressed the baby in one of her smocked dresses and brushed her hair up into a curl, so she was fresh and pretty to meet her grandfather. I was sitting up in a chair with a pretty baby blanket on my lap to receive the little bundle. Father raised her an to look at the tiny hand. He commented on the perfectly formed fingers and pointed fingernails. I had noticed these during the first week. Each tiny finger had as perfect a nail as if it had been manicured. As he left he handed me an envelope containing a larger check than usual as his Christmas gift, saying, "This is for you and Mary Levering." The name pleased him. Edith and Claude Kennerly came to see me bringing a tiny decorated Christmas tree for the baby. Lion took Claude aside to tell him not to talk about our going to Joplin which we had decided to do, but it was a hard decision for me to make.

Christmas (1914) was a happy one and many members of my family came to see me, some with gifts. We were so preoccupied with oar thoughts of Lion’s marvelous job we could not think of much else. We had told my parents about it, asking them to keep our secret until Lion could talk it over with Mercantile Trust officers, lawyers, etc. Father knew most of these men and was pleased and relieved that Lion would be better able to give me the care I needed. He wanted me and the babe to stay with them until Lion could get a good start and I was strong enough to make the move and adjust to a new situation.

During the fourth week all my worries cleared up. I learned to fix the formula. The baby's skin was clear and pink and she nursed better. One day a large box came with some lovely roses tied to it with pink ribbon. It contained an exquisite pale pink knitted baby blanket made of heavy wool in a basket pattern. The card said, "With love and best wishes from Emma Davis.” When I called her up to tell her about the joy and surprise she had given me she said, "I love to knit and always have a baby blanket on hand." She told me she had been on a long visit in the east and had just heard about our baby. She asked me to let her know when I planned to leave the hospital and she would send her chauffeur to take us to 5447 Cabanne. When the fourth ended, my sister Nina Werner came in the morning to help me get everything together - a scale, bottle warmer, boxes of gifts, etc. I called Emma and her chauffeur was there about 11 o'clock. Emma and Lita (the maids) could hardly wait to see the baby. The room that had been my studio was a bedroom again. It had the same comfortable bed I used while in school. A low bench at the foot of the bed held the bassinet made out of a strong clothes basket about a yard long and twenty inches wide with a handle at each end. It was covered with pink sateen inside and out overlaid with white dotted swiss ruffles. A large feather pillow with a water proof cover, a rubber sheet, and thick quilted pad filled the basket halfway up. After both Emma and Lita had held Mary Levering and admired her pretty clothes, I gave her a bottle of warmed formula and prepared her for a nap in her cozy bassinet. She slept while Nina and I had lunch with mother. The little northwest room was good for a nursery because of the door that led to my big bedroom. What had been the parlor was turned into a bedroom for mother and father. An opening was cut through the wall between parlor and bathroom. A door to the bathroom opened into this first-floor bedroom. They enjoyed this convenience the rest of their lives.

After Nina left I went up to find the baby sleeping peacefully and I lay down for a nap. Lion had spent most of the day at Mercantile Trust being introduced to various people who knew about the estates in Joplin he would have to look after. Jack Frost was the chief executive in the Joplin office. He was engaged to Margaret Pratt, the beautiful daughter of a New York millionaire, and they were to be married in the spring of 1915. He told Lion that Miss Pratt would come to Joplin on her way home from the Pratt's California ranch.

When Lion came home and found Mary Levering and me both freshly dressed and rested, he picked up the baby and was astonished over her weight. He weighed her and was delighted to fine our 7 lb. 6 oz. baby who had lost weight with the jaundice attack now was a bit over eight pounds. She had begun to look at her hands and her eyes seemed to focus more than they did. We told this good news to my parents when we went down to dinner. Lion told father about some of the men he had met who were interested in Joplin estates and knew my father. They wanted Lion to go to Joplin and live with Mr. Peck who lived next to the Campbell house which would be made ready for us. He had to leave the middle of January so we did not have much time to see our friends. We were enjoying the good home cooking. I gained weight and walked as much as possible. Dr. Royston had given me strict rules about baby care which would result in “hardening" the baby - the practice at that time. Only one hour a day could the baby be coddled or played with. Mother could not get used to this and wanted to pick her up every time she fussed instead of changing her or giving her a drink of water. I put the baby in the middle of mother's bed each day about four o'clock and told mother this was the hour for playing with her grandchild. There was no heat in the nursery. On bright clear days I dressed the baby warmly, putting on a close-fitting wool hood and covering her warmly in the bassinet. Then she was carried to the side porch. A large umbrella was fastened to the basket to shield her from light or wind. She often slept an hour or two this way.