"It was a crazy idea."

Saturday, July 4, 1992

     Happy Independence Day!

     After three nights of sleeping straight through the night, Ez. was up & down again last night. I'd thought she might do that Thu. night cause Guy was back but she didn't. We're wondering if it has anything to do with going to the pool yesterday aft.

     We'd planned on going Thu. night for family night but Guy was too tired when he got home so he said we could go Fri. aft. We went to the commissary in the morning. We waited til after she took a nap (about 2 hrs.) and stayed about 45 min. We had bought her one of those inner tube type things with the seat in it. She wasn't sure about the whole thing. The water was pretty chilly and the wind was blowing. Guy took her to the other end of the pool & back and her nose was really running & her eyes watering. He took her out of the float & just held her & went down & back again. She also didn't seem to like all the noise of the kids splashing and hollering. She sat on the edge with a towel around her & I was standing in the water by her while Guy swam around. They finally called 'adult swim' & all the kids had to get out of the pool for 15 minutes except kids 2 & under with their parents. Guy took her out again & she seemed to like it a little better.

     Afterward I found out that Guy had helped save a little black boy from drowning. He asked didn't I hear his mother screaming & I said I heard lots of people screaming all the time.

     Anyway, we took turns with Ez. overnight but I think Guy did it grudgingly. We finally went ahead & got up for breakfast around 6:00. She was finally tired enough to go back to bed around 7:00 & so did we. It was a little after 9:00 when she woke up again. She didn't take a nap til about 1:00 & it was barely 2 hrs. Guy tried to take a nap when she did but said he couldn't get to sleep cause his chest felt congested. He says it still does but he hasn't taken anything.

     This morning I called Judy to see if she & Susan had ever sent that package & they hadn't. I asked if she could come stay with me while Guy's gone in August. She said that would be wonderful but she didn't know how she could do it, both money-wise and taking care of her Avon. I don't think it'll happen. It was a crazy idea.

     After that I went out on the patio & re potted my plants. I'm short one pot but the ones I wanted to put in it are rooting in water right now.

     Then I took my shower & we ate lunch & I ran errands. I got a newspaper, went to the bread store, & went to Piece Goods. I saw a sign on the way home from the commissary for their semi-annual clearance sale. I got some fabric to make a skirt & Ez. a sundress to match, white with little sailboats. I already have a shirt that's white on white stripes & sailboats. Hope I get them done before summer's over.

     I was debating whether to stop & rent a movie and did–2. Predator 2 & Memphis Belle. Guy watched Predator 2 while I took a nap & we watched M.B. after Ez. went to sleep. She woke up twice while we were watching it. Guy said it was probably from fireworks. Guy's going to take the movies back on his way to work in the morning.

     We grilled steaks and potatoes for supper. It was great. I worked on my monthly letters some but didn't finish. Last night we finally sat down & sorted out who to send what of Ez's 1 year pictures. I guess I'll have to go to the post office Monday.

     We're still giving Ez. Pediacare. I think I'll call Mon. if she's not any better.

July 3, 1992

"She slept for nearly 12 hours!"

Wednesday, July 1, 1992

     I didn't hear Ez. at all last night and not until 8:00 this morning. She slept for nearly 12 hours! I went to sleep around 11:30 so that was a little better than usual for me. Her naps were only an hour long though. Her nose seemed dried up when she got up so I didn't give her any Pediacare. But it was starting to run again by nap time so I gave her some for the rest of the day. I also gave her Tylenol at bedtime.

     Guy called while ago. They're back at the base. They have to go out for the day Monday. He's still got Friday off.

July 1992
"she likes to go around with these stacking stars in her mouth sometimes"

"I thought the drive would put Ez. to sleep but it didn't."

Tuesday, June 30, 1992

     Things have been sort of up & down since I last wrote. Ez. was doing better over the weekend then she woke up from her Sun. aft. nap with a runny nose. She's been waking up every night but hasn't been up all night like last week. She was also coughing & sneezing & her eyes were watering some. I gave her Pedicare Sun. night & Mon. morning & called the nurse. She said I could bring her in. We saw Dr. May. She really fought it when he had to look in her ears (he had to clean them out first). He said her ears & lungs were clear but there was a lot of drainage so he took a throat culture, & had them take blood. (They always do that on her big toe & give her a sticker.) He said it was a viral infection again & antibiotics wouldn't help. He said I could keep giving her the Pediacare. I also gave her Tylenol at bedtime. He said it could be from the teething. I tried to look at that molar tonight & it looks like the other side is trying to come through but I couldn't feel it yet.

     Anyway, she's slept til 8:30–9:00 today & yesterday and I had to wake her up Sun. morning. Guy had duty Sat. & was late getting home Sun. morn. She took a nap yesterday from 11:00–1:30! And for about an hour in the aft. Today she slept about 1 1/2 hours (12–1:30 & none this aft. She went right to sleep tonight but it was almost 8:15 before I put her down. I was waiting to get her pajamas out of the dryer, then was trying to get the boogers out of her nose. She's getting so strong it's hard to do things like that. She woke up 3-4 times last night—the first 2 times she was back to sleep by the time I got in there. The other two times I had to rock her. I finally figured out that she was chilly so I turned the fan off. She didn't wake up any more after that.

     One time I asked Guy if he could handle it & he said 'not really' so I had to get up. He has to stay on the ship tonight to get the equipment up cause they're leaving the yards tomorrow. They're supposed to get back to the base at 4:00 but he's got duty. In an uncommon act of niceness, the CO said they could have Friday off since the 4th of July is on Sat. Hopefully she won't change her mind. If they can't make arrangements, I may have to pick him up Thu. aft. so he can go back to the yards to get his truck.

     This'll be the first time he's been away for more than one night. Maybe it's better to break us in gradually. They leave on the 13th for 2 weeks, then back a week, then leave July 31, for the now 5 week trip to Panama. Besides towing that sub there, they have to tow something back from there to Florida. That added a week. They don't know if they'll get mail at Panama or not but Guy said to write.

     Guy just called. He & some others drove their vehicles to the base & were waiting for the van to take them back to the yards. They don't have any air conditioning in berthing so he said he probably won't get much sleep when he finally gets to be which he said probably won't be til midnight. Hopefully I can get to sleep at a decent hour.

     Sunday we had a fellowship after the morning service because the new preacher's family was there. They haven't moved here yet. Guy didn't get to hear much of his sermon cause he had to take Ez. out. He finally got her to sleep but she woke up about 5 minutes after he came back in.

     I passed out all the orders from my toy party except two. Gwen Farley & Jeri Adams weren't there. I also still have Cathy Rudolph's. She's supposed to call me this week about getting it.

     Elizabeth discovered her Giant Pegboard today. She did pretty good with it once I showed her how. She put the pegs in the board pretty good but not as well putting the pegs in each other. She's opened the box upside down so she hadn't seen how the pegs fit in the holes cause they all fell out. She played with it for quite awhile. She wanted to get it out just before time to come up to bed and put up a fuss when I made her put it away. She'd also put up a good fuss when we came in from being out back awhile. We sat on the patio & I blew bubbles. She likes that & we hadn't done that in awhile. Chief doesn't like the bubbles but I'm not sure why. She's always more fussy after supper. That's when Guy plays with her while I do dishes. We're going to have to figure out a different routine while he's gone to keep her from being fussy every night.

     We went to the credit union this aft. I went to the drive thru. Then we went by the post office to drop the bill payments in the outside box. It was hot outside (The high was 89 degrees) I thought the drive would put Ez. to sleep but it didn't.

     She tried to climb down the stairs today but after getting down two steps she decided to go back up.

"I was surprised to say the least."

Thursday, June 25, 1992

     The last two nights have been horrible. Ez. woke up at 11:45 Tues. night with a fever of 102.8 [degrees]. I gave her Tylenol & was up with her most of the night. She'd only sleep for about 10–30 minutes at a time. Til early morning she finally slept a couple of hours. I don't remember much about it now but I was exhausted by the time Guy got home. When I called the dr. the nurse said if she didn't have any other symptoms to just watch her & call back if she got worse. The fever was finally back to normal by lunchtime today so I didn't give her any more Tylenol. I didn't call the nurse again. But at bedtime her temp. was back up to 100.9. If she's up again tonight I'm calling tomorrow. Only problem is we have an appt. tomorrow morning to sign our wills & we really can't cancel unless it's an emergency. Gale Hardison is supposed to come over here & keep Ez. I just hope she's on time.

     Anyway, right after supper I came to bed last night & Ez. took a nap. I think it was a little after 6:00. She woke up at 7:00 & Guy gave her a bath. I heard him running the water but went back to sleep. I woke up when she was crying when he put her to bed. I'm not sure what time it was. I did my medicine then got ready to stay up with her. She went to sleep at 10:45 & I went back to bed. She woke up at 2:13 & it was so hard to get up. I thought Guy was fixing to but he just turned over. I'd asked him earlier if I could get him up if I needed to & he said yes. I got him up around 3:00 & at 4:00 he said he couldn't stay up any more. So I got up again. She finally went to sleep about 10 til 5:00. I was waiting to hear Guy's alarms & til after he started the shower to lay her down but it seemed like it was taking him a long time so I went ahead & put her down. He started the shower just as I got back to our room & I was afraid it would wake her up but it didn't. I went right back to sleep. I think I heard her around 7:?? but was waiting to see if she was really awake and the next time I heard her it was 8:33! I was surprised to say the least. She had an extremely messy diaper. She wouldn't take a morning nap & she barely slept an hour this aft. I hope she sleeps better tonight cause I don't know if any of us can take another night of this. I hate to let her just cry when she's sick but sometimes she just fights it so hard when I hold her & try to rock her. Part of the time she was wanting to climb down from my lap, I guess to play, but I wouldn't let her. I just let her sit in my lap, facing different directions til she finally would lay down. I just have a feeling she's got something. She hasn't taken good naps since the last time she had that viral infection three weeks ago. There's got to be some explanation for all this, even if it's just her tooth. The last of her first molars is still only halfway through. I tried putting some Anbesol on it last night but she wouldn't let me.

     Oh, I did tell the nurse that her stools had been soft that night & next morning & she said if she had diarrhea to put her on clear liquids only for 24 hrs. But her next diaper was normal so I just fed her as usual. She didn't poop any today since the one when she woke up.

     I was dizzy off & on all yesterday aft. & night tile I got up this morning. Guy said it was probably from lack of sleep.

     The orders for my Discovery Toys party came today. I got them all ready to sort out deliver at church Sun. I'm not giving Ez. all of hers at once. I gave her the stacking/nesting cups today. She played with them awhile a couple of times. She's not able to put them all together yet.

     I think I'll get ready for bed & hopefully get some sleep before she wakes up.

"Only about 15 people came."

Tuesday, June 23, 1992

     Ez. woke up at 6:34. She slept for about 1 1/2 hrs. this morning and 1 hr. 45 min. this aft. I got a little bit of sleep when she napped. Didn't get a shower today though. I don't know why she didn't seem to want much to eat at supper—not even Cheerios. She's been fine since I let her down. We'll see how the rest of the evening goes.

     Last night I went to the shower at Gayle's for Tim Thomas' fiancé; Deborah Jackson. She got two other sets of peach towels. She got one set of sheets & some misc. kitchen stuff. Only about 15 people came.

"Crazy people."

Monday, June 22, 1992

     I'll try to write some about Sat. while Ez's trying to not take her aft. nap. I don't remember getting up with her overnight but she woke up at 6:13 this morning. I gave her a pacifier & laid her back down & she slept for a few more minutes. We got downstairs a little after 7:20. She slept for 1 1/2 hours this morning but she had to cry herself to sleep for about 10 minutes, not as long as last night.

     Back to Sat. We paid $25 to rent an electric cart. It was well worth it. I felt rather conspicuous at first but once I got the hang of it I did ok.

     Guy rode several things without me. He even rode Drachenfire twice! After the first time he said it felt like his brain was down in his feet & he needed to ride it again to shake it back into place. It had about six loops & some of them also twisted around. I sat where I could see pretty good and managed to spot him both times. One of the lady officers from the ship and her friend rode it about 6 times! Crazy people.

     We hardly ever ran into people from the ship and it didn't seem like a whole lot showed up for the meal. There's a picnic area behind the Octoberfest Hall that's only for reserved groups. We had tickets to get back there. They had it reserved from 2:00—3:00. There was fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans (too sweet), rolls, and I think Black Forest cake. It looked too chocolaty for me.

     Ez. only slept about 10-15 minutes. I changed her & took her temperature. It's ok. I let her cry awhile & after rocking & singing but she just wouldn't go to sleep. She's watching Sesame Street now but it's almost over. I did manage to get supper in the oven.

Summer 1992

"It was awful!!!"

Sunday, June 21, 1992

     Yesterday was pretty nice. The weather was beautiful. We got to Busch Gardens around 10:30. We just about packed the whole farm for Ez. to spend the day at the Forsythe's. She got a concerned look on her face when she realized we were going to leave without her. But Sue said she didn't cry when we left. Later we found out that the only time she cried all day was when Sue was holding B.J. (her grandson (baby)). She only took one short nap all day though. She was happy to see us when we got back. She went to sleep without too much trouble. She woke up once but only needed her pacifier.

     I had a pretty good time yesterday. It was different though cause I was always looking thinking about Ez. Every time I saw a cute little blonde girl I'd wonder how she was doing & worry that she was spending the day crying. Also I was tired because Ez. was up for about 2 hours last night. No matter what time I (or we) go to bed, whether it's early or late, she wakes up not long after that. I don't remember now how long it was but I think I got maybe 3–4 hours of sleep. Guy hadn't done much better. I don't know why he always has so much more work to do on duty nights.

     Anyway, the first thing we rode was Questor. You sit & watch a screen & the whole "theater" moves around & it feels like you're moving through the pictures. G I asked Guy if he wanted me to ride the newest roller coaster, Drachenfire. He said no cause he wasn't sure what it was like. He said I'd probably like the Big Bad Wolf. It was awful!!! I've never been jerked around so much in my life. I kept my eyes closed & held on to the handles as tight as I could. I was shaking when we got off. Guy said he thought if the ride had lasted much longer I would've been crying. I told him I was fighting it as it was. He kept saying I was ok. I had a headache. Luckily I'd taken some Panadol with me. I made Guy buy me a cap that said "I Survived the Big Bad Wolf". We also rode the Roman Rapids. That wasn't too bad cause we took our rain ponchos that we got at Busch Gardens in Tampa. A couple of people asked us where we got them. It kept everything dry except our feet. I had to wring my socks out.

     Bedtime!

Sunday, June 21, 1992
Father's Day

"I've got too much to do to write more now."

Friday, June 19, 1992

     Of course I didn't go to sleep early last night. Guy stayed downstairs to watch TV til after 10:00. I read the newspaper & watched TV but didn't go to sleep til after Guy came to bed. Ez. woke up once around 2:00 for about 15 min. I rocked her back to sleep. She slept til 7:31 this morning. She only slept about an hour this morning and about 45 minutes this aft. She slept without the fan last night. I turned it on tonight but I'm not sure if I'll leave it on or not.

     Guy came home soon after she went to sleep this a.m. which was strange because it was a duty day. He was supposed to go in Mon. for a lie detector test but they sent him today. It was scheduled for 9-12 but he was done & here about 10:40. He ate lunch with us & left at noon. Ez. & I went to the mall after lunch, just to Sears. I needed to get a shower present for Tim Thomas' fiancee's shower Mon. night. I got bathroom towels & rags. I also got me some Keds and Ez. 2 shorts & 2 tops.

     We stopped at Farm Fresh for some apple juice & came home. She was getting grumpy cause I'd forgotten to take her cup of juice with us; she's getting tired. It was around 3:00 when we got home. She didn't go to sleep til after 3:30. I was busy trying to get things together for tomorrow & didn't get her to bed til 8:40. She cried for a few minutes but was asleep by the time I finished my medicine. So far so good. I hear thunder—hope it doesn't wake her up or upset Chief so that he wakes her up.

     We're going to Busch Gardens tomorrow and Sue Forsythe is keeping Ez. The ship got a special deal—1/2 price tickets plus a lunch. We'd talked about going with her later in the summer but don't think she's ready for that yet. I wanted to ask Barb to keep her but she never returned my phone call. I've got too much to do to write more now.