Shirley packed all of little Ruby's clothes, diapers, bottles, and toys into a small suitcase then she washed her up and put her in her cutest clothes. Today is the day that Shirley was going to take her to an orphanage about six blocks away. It might only be a temporary placement, but Shirley had to go back to work in order to pay her rent and she could not take Ruby with her. She had met Mrs. Carpenter at church and had come to trust her with the truth of Ruby's birth. Mrs. Carpenter owned an orphanage and said that she would be glad to take care of Ruby while Shirley was working, and then, if she decided to give up Ruby for adoption, she could help her by finding good parents for the baby.
When Shirley finished packing, she asked her landlady to take pictures of her and Ruby so that she would always have a picture of her baby, then, balancing the baby and the suitcase in her arms, she set off for the six-block walk to Mrs. Carpenter's orphanage. It was a miserably hot and humid day and every step filled her with dread so that she walked very slowly. She talked to Ruby as she walked and assured her that soon she would come and take her back home. Once she had a place of her own, and if she could find another woman willing to take care of the baby while she worked.
Mrs. Carpenter welcomed Shirley and took little Ruby and placed her in a crib of her own. Then she suggested to Shirley that she leave immediately in order to help little Ruby start to adjust to a new home. She assured Shirley that she could visit any time. Shirley left with a heavy heart and could hardly walk home for the tears streaming down her face, but she felt strongly that this was the only way she could make the money necessary to eventually be able to care for Ruby again. She would work hard so that the day would come more quickly.
________
Ruby was only six weeks old, but even babies are aware of pain and Ruby felt a huge hole where her heart had been. She new that something was different. The warm comfort of her mother's arms was gone. Ruby cried for hours, but the policy of the home was that babies were not to be held unless absolutely necessary, and it seemed that the only time that was possible was when she received her bath. When it was time for her to have a bottle, a stuffed duck with a strap attached was placed next to her head and the bottle was held by the strap. There were so many babies in the home that there was not enough help to be able to feed the babies while being held in human arms, so the bottle was propped up by the duck and Ruby was derided as a "lazy" girl who would not hold the bottle on her own.
Six months passed and Ruby grew and developed. Every week-end Shirley would come for a visit, but the visits were bitter-sweet because they eventually ended and both mother and daughter felt stark pain when they had to be separated again.
When Ruby was eight months old she began to be potty trained and was set for long periods on a chamber pot sitting in a crib. She hated the potty training and could not understand what was expected of her but one thing she understood very well, and that was that if she cried no one would come to rescue her, instead she would be forced to sit even longer on the chamber pot.
Ruby became aware of her surroundings and as she lay in her crib during nap time she looked around her and all she could see was a room full of bars. She could see the sunlight shining through the closed blinds and every once in a while a plane would fly above the home and make a soothing, rumbling sound that she came to love. Often the sound of the plane would put her to sleep.
Most days when the weather was good all of the babies would be driven to Balboa Park, near 6th and Laurel Street, and allowed to lay in the sunshine and play. Those were the best moments for Ruby because she got to be outside in the fresh air, look at all of the trees, and occasionally she would be held as they removed her from the car and set her down on a blanket.
These were days of change for the status of the babies waiting to be adopted. California had only recently passed the "Bastard Laws" which stated that babies could not be adopted for the purpose of putting them to work and established the right of adoptive children to be able to inherit from their adoptive parents; indeed it stated that adopted children MUST be provided for in the adoptive parent's will and could not be discriminated against because of the accident of their birth.
In May of 1944, Shirley heard from her husband who was stationed in Hawaii in the Army. He had the wonderful news that Shirley was now to be allowed to join her husband in Hawaii, and he had made arrangements for her to travel there in September. What was now to happen to little Ruby? Shirley had yet to mention the baby to her husband and now it was too late to begin. What could she possibly tell him that he would understand? She determined that if she wanted to remain married that she would have to put Ruby and her recent experiences into the back of her mind and put the baby up for adoption. She wanted to make sure that Ruby was raised properly so she went to her church and told the pastor and the other ladies that she would have to put Ruby up for adoption and could they help her to find a good home for her. One of the ladies knew of a couple who were members of the church, but were now stationed in Iowa at a prisoner-of-war hospital, and who had spoken of their desire to have a little girl. She called them and told them about little Ruby and the couple said that they would come back to San Diego and see the little girl that Shirley was putting up for adoption. They arrived in San Diego a week later. Their names were Ralph and Lucile and Ralph was in the Army just like Shirley's husband.
When Ralph and Lucile arrived in San Diego they went first to the orphanage to see little Ruby. All of the babies had been dressed up and then propped in chairs so that they could take a good look at all of the babies and be able to choose the one they wanted to adopt. Ralph surveyed the room and then he pointed to little Ruby and turned to Lucile and said, "Spizarenctum (Ralph's pet name for Lucile, it was the name of a patent medicine that was touted to cure all ailments), that's the one for us!"
The Pearsons (Ralph and Lucile) decided in that moment to adopt Ruby and soon the paperwork cleared the courts and they were ready to take her back home to Iowa. Shirley came to the church that first Sunday after they had made their choice, and pulled Ralph aside. She confided in him that she loved her baby very much but that her circumstances made it impossible for her to keep Ruby. She explained to Ralph that her husband was stationed in Hawaii and that she was going to join him there but was not allowed to bring a baby (a slight untruth). Ralph was impressed by her sincerity and reassured her that they would take good care of Ruby and that she would be very loved.
The Pearson's changed little Ruby's name to Davalene, after a cousin by the same name, and within another week they were headed back to Iowa on a greyhound bus.
Tomorrow we follow as baby Davalene grows up and begins a search for her birth mother.
When Shirley finished packing, she asked her landlady to take pictures of her and Ruby so that she would always have a picture of her baby, then, balancing the baby and the suitcase in her arms, she set off for the six-block walk to Mrs. Carpenter's orphanage. It was a miserably hot and humid day and every step filled her with dread so that she walked very slowly. She talked to Ruby as she walked and assured her that soon she would come and take her back home. Once she had a place of her own, and if she could find another woman willing to take care of the baby while she worked.
Mrs. Carpenter welcomed Shirley and took little Ruby and placed her in a crib of her own. Then she suggested to Shirley that she leave immediately in order to help little Ruby start to adjust to a new home. She assured Shirley that she could visit any time. Shirley left with a heavy heart and could hardly walk home for the tears streaming down her face, but she felt strongly that this was the only way she could make the money necessary to eventually be able to care for Ruby again. She would work hard so that the day would come more quickly.
________
Ruby was only six weeks old, but even babies are aware of pain and Ruby felt a huge hole where her heart had been. She new that something was different. The warm comfort of her mother's arms was gone. Ruby cried for hours, but the policy of the home was that babies were not to be held unless absolutely necessary, and it seemed that the only time that was possible was when she received her bath. When it was time for her to have a bottle, a stuffed duck with a strap attached was placed next to her head and the bottle was held by the strap. There were so many babies in the home that there was not enough help to be able to feed the babies while being held in human arms, so the bottle was propped up by the duck and Ruby was derided as a "lazy" girl who would not hold the bottle on her own.
Six months passed and Ruby grew and developed. Every week-end Shirley would come for a visit, but the visits were bitter-sweet because they eventually ended and both mother and daughter felt stark pain when they had to be separated again.
When Ruby was eight months old she began to be potty trained and was set for long periods on a chamber pot sitting in a crib. She hated the potty training and could not understand what was expected of her but one thing she understood very well, and that was that if she cried no one would come to rescue her, instead she would be forced to sit even longer on the chamber pot.
Ruby became aware of her surroundings and as she lay in her crib during nap time she looked around her and all she could see was a room full of bars. She could see the sunlight shining through the closed blinds and every once in a while a plane would fly above the home and make a soothing, rumbling sound that she came to love. Often the sound of the plane would put her to sleep.
Most days when the weather was good all of the babies would be driven to Balboa Park, near 6th and Laurel Street, and allowed to lay in the sunshine and play. Those were the best moments for Ruby because she got to be outside in the fresh air, look at all of the trees, and occasionally she would be held as they removed her from the car and set her down on a blanket.
These were days of change for the status of the babies waiting to be adopted. California had only recently passed the "Bastard Laws" which stated that babies could not be adopted for the purpose of putting them to work and established the right of adoptive children to be able to inherit from their adoptive parents; indeed it stated that adopted children MUST be provided for in the adoptive parent's will and could not be discriminated against because of the accident of their birth.
In May of 1944, Shirley heard from her husband who was stationed in Hawaii in the Army. He had the wonderful news that Shirley was now to be allowed to join her husband in Hawaii, and he had made arrangements for her to travel there in September. What was now to happen to little Ruby? Shirley had yet to mention the baby to her husband and now it was too late to begin. What could she possibly tell him that he would understand? She determined that if she wanted to remain married that she would have to put Ruby and her recent experiences into the back of her mind and put the baby up for adoption. She wanted to make sure that Ruby was raised properly so she went to her church and told the pastor and the other ladies that she would have to put Ruby up for adoption and could they help her to find a good home for her. One of the ladies knew of a couple who were members of the church, but were now stationed in Iowa at a prisoner-of-war hospital, and who had spoken of their desire to have a little girl. She called them and told them about little Ruby and the couple said that they would come back to San Diego and see the little girl that Shirley was putting up for adoption. They arrived in San Diego a week later. Their names were Ralph and Lucile and Ralph was in the Army just like Shirley's husband.
When Ralph and Lucile arrived in San Diego they went first to the orphanage to see little Ruby. All of the babies had been dressed up and then propped in chairs so that they could take a good look at all of the babies and be able to choose the one they wanted to adopt. Ralph surveyed the room and then he pointed to little Ruby and turned to Lucile and said, "Spizarenctum (Ralph's pet name for Lucile, it was the name of a patent medicine that was touted to cure all ailments), that's the one for us!"
The Pearsons (Ralph and Lucile) decided in that moment to adopt Ruby and soon the paperwork cleared the courts and they were ready to take her back home to Iowa. Shirley came to the church that first Sunday after they had made their choice, and pulled Ralph aside. She confided in him that she loved her baby very much but that her circumstances made it impossible for her to keep Ruby. She explained to Ralph that her husband was stationed in Hawaii and that she was going to join him there but was not allowed to bring a baby (a slight untruth). Ralph was impressed by her sincerity and reassured her that they would take good care of Ruby and that she would be very loved.
The Pearson's changed little Ruby's name to Davalene, after a cousin by the same name, and within another week they were headed back to Iowa on a greyhound bus.
Tomorrow we follow as baby Davalene grows up and begins a search for her birth mother.
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