April 1982

4/1/1982: Michael & Peter got hold of a pair of scissors today and in fighting over them managed to slice Michael’s finger. Fortunately it isn’t too bad. I think both mother & son will survive.
We planted our garden tonight.
4/3/1982: Grandma, Grandpa & Sarah have come to visit for the weekend.
4/5/1982: Fresno called and offered Stephen the job! Hallelujah!
4/8/1982: 6:30 Seder Feast
Cindy arrived for the weekend just as we were leaving for church. A few minutes later and we would have been gone.
4/9/1982: Fresno is anxious to have Stephen. He was going to call and accept the offer today but they called him first. They offered $1,000 moving expenses. That will certainly help out. Of course he accepted the job.
4/10/1982: 10:00 Easter egg hunt
4/11/1982: Peter had a bloody nose today. He must have hit it coming down the stairs. It was a mess and of course he had his good clothes on. He wasn’t very cooperative about keeping his head back with a wet washcloth over his nose but we finally managed to get it to stop.
4/15/1982: WMS 9:00
4/17/1982: 9 – 11 Softball old timers
4/18/1982: We all took a walk to the ice cream shop today. The boys walked about halfway there and about halfway back. Peter ate every last bite of his cone but Michael didn’t eat much of his at all. Of course Daddy couldn’t let it go to waste! They were awfully tired when they got back and took about an hour’s nap.
4/20/1982: Michael climbed up the slide and went down all by himself today. Peter still tries to crawl up on his knees and sticks his feet out on the last rung instead of on the top.
4/22/1982: The boys are learning how to help dress themselves. They like to pull their shirts over their heads and Michael tries to put his own pants on.
4/29/1982: Wilma 1:00
4/30/1982: Stephen brought flowers today. Yellow and white daisies now brighten the kitchen.

March 1982

3/3/1982: Michael threw a tantrum last night at 1:00 in the morning. He cried for an hour straight. When I went in to give them their bottles this morning Michael was in Peter’s crib.
Iowa State chose another person.
3/5/1982: Finelli 8:00 Linda
Stephen wins two Boggle games.
3/7/1982: We moved the boys’ beds apart after Michael ended up on top of Peter. So last night when he got upset, he just climbed out of bed and came into our room. None of us got too much sleep after that. We were all so tired this morning that just Daddy went to church.
3/8/1982: Finelli 8:00 Steve
Peter’s bottom front tooth finally came through. We had begun to wonder if it ever would.
3/14/1982: Stephen left for Fresno today. I hate it when he has to travel. I’m not holding my breath about the job either, but we have to try every possibility.
3/17/1982: Hooray! Stephen gets home today. It has been a long week without him.
3/19/1982: Michael gets a cold. This time a month between colds – not bad.
3/20/1982: We went car shopping and decided to fix the Pinto instead. The cold germs are spreading as Peter gets it.
3/22/1982: We all slept through the entire night last night. That is quite an accomplishment. Barely a night goes by when Michael doesn’t climb out of his crib and end up in Peter’s or right next to the door. And if he’s quiet all night I usually have to visit the bathroom.
3/26/1982: This may not seem like a major accomplishment but the boys are learning how to blow their noses when I tell them to instead of me just wiping.

February 1982

2/1/1982: Rent
2/2/1982: Michael has figured out how to open our bedroom door.
2/4/1982: The boys have climbed another rung on the development ladder. They now can scale the door gates. They use the sit and spin toy as a stool.
2/5/1982: Linda reorganized the kitchen so the boys can be in it
2/7/1982: Jon's Birthday
Stephen leaves for a job interview at Iowa State
2/9/1982: Stephen returns home to find the whole family sick with bad colds.
2/11/1982: Michael and Peter using Mommy as a stool climbed into their beds. Stephen gets the "24 hour" bug. Also Michael can climb between the beds.
2/12/1982: Dobson 7 p.m.
2/13/1982: Peter eats lettuce
2/14/1982: With the side of his bed down Michael climbs out, thus quickly bringing an end to nap time.
2/15/1982: Michael surprises Mommy at the bathroom door. He now can climb out of bed with the sides up.
2/16/1982: Peter learns how to climb between their beds and climb out with the side down.
2/18/1982: WMS
2/19/1982: Volleyball 6:30
Cindy arrived just in time to play volleyball with us
2/20/1982: Sarah Birthday
2/21/1982: The boys like to put their heads through the openings of various clothes
2/22/1982: At meal time Peter has been having temper tantrums. Peter has been beating up Michael when he doesn't get his way.
2/24/1982: The boys have become "flashers." They like to expose their belly buttons
Peter was doing laps today. He would run from the kitchen to dining room to living room and back into the kitchen. He though it was great fun. Maybe he was training to be a marathon runner.
2/26/1982: Michael uses the sit and spin as a stool to turn the lights on and off
2/27/1982: Michael ate lettuce

January 1982

1/6/1982: 7:00 Eye Doctor
1/8/1982: Michael gets the 24 hour bug
1/9/1982: Cold wave hits -11 F
1/10/1982: The boys figured out how to climb up on the big round table using the over-turned rocking chair as a ladder. Once up they had fun with the thermometer turning it up to about 90. When discovered, their bottoms were warmed to about 90 too!
1/11/1982: Freno 11:15
1/13/1982: The boys went out and played in the snow for the first time today. Daddy put plastic bags and his socks over their feet since they don't have boots. He said they had a lot of fun and didn't want to come back inside!
1/14/1982: Pay Insurance
1/16/1982: Another cold wave -16 F
1/17/1982: Peter gets another cold
The high for the day was -5 F
1/18/1982: Today was real "warm" 19 F
Peter loves to hide behind Mommy when Daddy is trying to change his diapers.
1/19/1982: Freno 11:15
Peter weighs 28#
Michael " 24# 6 oz
Peter 33"
Michael 32"
1/20/1982: The boys like to spin around.
1/21/1982: The boys have their teeth brushed for the first time. They don't like the taste of toothpaste
1/23/1982: Aunt Cindy came to visit
1/25/1982: Peter got the flu today. It's surprising that it took over 2 weeks from the time Michael had it till Peter got it. Usually they have everything together.
1/27/1982: Mom's Birthday
1/28/1982: 8:30 AM McCreary
1/30/1982: It finally happened. One of the boys got stuck with a diaper pin. Peter was the unlucky victim and Daddy was the culprit. Still, our record is pretty good - 18 months without a stick.

October - December 1981

10/5/1981: Michael's eighth tooth came through today.
10/17/1981: I got a curly perm today. It didn't seem to phase Michael at all but Peter wouldn't have anything to do with me all day. He kept real close to his Daddy.
10/20/1981: 2:45 Freno
10/29/1981: 7:15 Friday
10/30/1981: The boys went trick-or-treating tonight. They really looked cute in their clown outfits. Of course their daddy got most of their candy
10/31/1981: Michael was so angry tonight that he flipped himself out of his crib. What can we do with him if he's not even safe in his crib?

11/23/1981: Stephen passed his defense today with flying colors. Just a few minor rewrites and he will be done. And to think he was so worried about it
11/25/1981: Cindy arrived today to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us.

12/2/1981: Stephen turned everything in today. He is now officially "Dr. Ott." He even beat the deadline by 2 days.
12/11/1981: Graduation was today. It was just a formality but it sure gave us a lot of pleasure. Anyway, he now has document in hand. Nothing can take his Ph.D. away from him
12/24/1981: We went to Michigan to spend Christmas with Stephen's folks.

July - September 1981

7/26/1981: The boys had their birthday party today. It was a success even though Mommy forgot to put eggs in the chocolate cake!
7/27/1981: The boys are 1 yr old today. I can't believe how much they've learned in one short year!

9/20/1981: We got back to Columbus today. It is so good to be home. Boy does our apt seem small though. It will be good to move
9/25/1981: We all have the flu. I thought it was the hot dogs we had for dinner last night but Stephen didn't have them and he's sick too.
Cindy has come to help us move
9/27/1981: We moved to our new apt. today. What a hassle. Cindy was no help at all - she got the flu this morning!

June 1981

6/3/1981: Stephen gave his 8th pint of blood today. He is now a member of the gallon club.
6/4/1981: Michael is learning how to climb. He pulled the cushion off the love seat and crawled up. He really enjoyed playing with all the trash under the cushions. From there he was also able to reach everything on the top of the love seat. Now where do I keep things?
6/5/1981: Prayer Breakfast
Michael stood up on his own today. He was standing in his crib when he let go. He grinned from ear to ear!
6/6/1981: Softball 11:00 O.T.
Stephen got his first hit of the softball season. Unfortunately it didn't help much. The team still has not won a game.
6/8/1981: Mountview finally won a softball game! They beat St. Marks 10-6. They've got a streak going!
6/10/1981: Stephen left for an interview at CSU this morning. He was fairly nervous about it but I'm sure he'll do fine. I just hope I can survive until he gets home Friday.
6/12/1981: Peter started clapping his hands today. He certainly is thrilled about it. He gets the biggest smile on his face every time he claps.
Stephen got home this afternoon!
6/20/1981: Merry's wedding was today. It was beautiful. It was all I could do to keep from crying.
6/21/1981: Michael has learned how to put the rings back on the rock-a-stack. Each day the boys develop just a little bit more
6/24/1981: We started the first leg of our trip to Colorado today. I am very pleased with how well the boys are traveling. As a treat, Dad and I took them swimming in the hotel pool tonight
6/25/1981: Peter's fourth tooth came through today. It has been just below the surface for a couple of months now.
6/26/1981: We finally made it to Mom and Dad's. I don't think the boys or I ever want to get into a car again. The boys were really wonderful for the entire trip.
6/28/1981: The boys are eating like little pigs. I don't know where they put it all! If they keep eating like this they're soon going to be too big for me to carry.
6/29/1981: Michael tried to climb over the gate today. I think he might have succeeded if Cindy hadn't been there to hold him back