We skip along now to August.
"Aug 12 - Time has flown by since I last wrote in this. Will try to fill in some of the important things happened. We went up to Maine for a week with Hannie & Norman - left here June 29 - the weather was very good & the kids enjoyed it. The first night was hectic getting settled but after that everything was good. The water was good & the kids loved it. (Mary Ellen needed a little persuasion at first). They both had accidents & got ducked but suffered no ill effects. Mary Ellen loved the 'ding ding house' but I can truthfully say she was the only one who did ...
Norman, Johnny, MEM, Hannie sitting in the boat.
Mum, Johnny, Hannie, MEM, Dad
My folks, Johnny and myself at the beach.
MEM, Mum, Dad holding Johnny
MEM
"John John got a top front tooth (right) June 19 and top left front tooth June 26th and was he miserable getting them. He had the runs, bloodshot eyes & couldn't sleep. Besides that it was wicked hot & he was covered with heat rash. What a time. He got two more top teeth during July in more heat. He started to sit up by himself and creep when he was nine months old - Mary Ellen got her hair cut in July ...
MEM's hair
"Sept 15 - Cut Jon Jon's bangs again tonight for the second time - he looks more like a girl than ever. He's creeping like mad and walking all around holding on to chairs etc. He annoys Mary Ellen to the point of violence - taking all her things and getting in her way etc. She's just got to the stage where she can amuse herself and play for hours with her babies, hanging up her 'dipes' etc and along comes Jon Jon messing everything up.
John, Jim & Norman have been putting up a ceiling for Ma & her new stove came today so everything is in a mass of confusion upstairs. Hannie & Peggie are still around waiting to go to the hospital.
Sept 11 - Daddy's birthday - made a happy birthday cake and as soon as John got up Mary Ellen said 'Daddy happy birthday cake in pantry'. That ended the surprise.
Sept 14 - Mummy's birthday - Daddy, Mimi, & Jon Jon greeted me on my arrival home from church singing happy birthday & holding out presents. Mary Ellen gets a terrific bang out of birthdays and everything from torches on the street to jars of baby food (anything lit or in numbers) is happy birthday to her."
"Sept 19 - Peggie was down & Chris ran all the way home with Mary Ellen's doll carriage ...
...
Sept 22 - Jon Jon cut third lower tooth.
Oct 2 - Rushed Jon Jon to the hospital for operation for strangulated hernia. What a night and what a scare. Hope we never go thru anything like that again. Thank God he's all right.
Oct 3 - Brought Jon Jon home - so glad to have him home again and he was so good altho weak and in a lot of pain.
Oct 4 - Jon Jon so much better - creeping & getting back his color and also his pep.
Oct 5 - Babies christened (Peggie's & Hannie's). Grandpa came to see Jon Jon. Mary Ellen & Jon Jon were both very friendly toward him. He got a big kick out of Mary Ellen giving her Jay Jay a bath and shampoo and also Jon Jon showing him the television and toddling around.
Oct 6 - Jon Jon took his first steps alone.
Oct 7 - Took Jon Jon to doctor - coming along good.
Oct 8 - Took the babies out today for the first time since Jon Jon's operation & Hannie took Joan out in the carriage for the first time. Had to rush her home when she started screaming. Mary Ellen was all excited over the outing & was minding the babies while we were in the stores.
Oct 9 - Mary Ellen created a scene down in Grants today over a doll carriage. She started pushing it around & screamed when I tried to drag her away. Jon Jon created the scene yesterday in Stop & Shop - he wouldn't let go of the basket & when I tried to lift him out, he pulled the front end of the basket up with him & screamed like mad. What children. Mary Ellen holds on to a bar of each of the carriages & swings between them - almost knocks me & Hannie down.
Rita's shower tonight - John had to mind the three babies while Norman took us up to Patsy's. Met Mrs Walsh - everybody once.
Oct 15 - Had a 'happy birthday' for Jon Jon - one year old today. Ma, Hannie, Norman, Joan & Chris came for the ice cream & cake. Mary Ellen loves these happy birthday occasions. Jon Jon stuck his finger into the flame of the one candle but never let out a whimper.
October 30 - Its been cold these past few days - took the babies out today - all bundled up - could hardly move. Mary Ellen is getting so she wants to ride in the carriage all the time and what a job to push them. I can hardly fit them in now with all the clothes they have to wear. Jon Jon is walking (or should I say running) like mad these days, says hi, nice, wow wow, and what sounds like arf arf when he sees a dog. Calls Joanie 'wow wow'. He & Mary Ellen don't get along at all - they love each other but can't play together without fuss & tears."
"Oct 25 - Rita got married today - nice day thank goodness. Jon Jon went over to Grandpa's but Mary Ellen came to the wedding with us. She was afraid of all the crowd & music etc but finally got used to it & enjoyed herself dancing with Chris etc. Everyone came back to the house afterwards and it was wild upstairs for a while ...
Nov 3 - The night before the election & what excitement! The television was wonderful - full of political speeches etc.
Nov 4 - Election Day! Took Mary Ellen with me when I went to vote. A girl scout stayed with her while I went in to cast my ballot for Stevenson. (Eisenhower won). Stayed up as long as I could listening to the returns come in on television. Eisenhower was leading right from the beginning. Finally took a pillow & blanket in on the sofa but fell asleep at 12:30. Jon Jon woke me up crying at 3:30 & I discovered Stevenson had conceded the election. Eisenhower will be our next president. I had missed it all. Why didn't Jon Jon wake up sooner.
Nov 9 - Snow today - dark, dreary & finally rainy. Miserable for the kids to be shut in all day on a Sunday. Mary Ellen is in the play pen amusing herself contentedly. But Jon Jon is roaming around whining & annoying everyone. Both have slight colds. Jon Jon has cough. He's at a wicked stage now - always climbing, falling, etc. He gets stuck in the most awful places - under the rungs of the chairs, under the cribs & up on the shelf of my end table. Always pulling lamps etc & can never be trusted for a minute. Walking very well now. Mary Ellen is very good when he's not around & has a terrific imagination. Can amuse herself for hours if not annoyed by little brother."
John Navin, Jon Jon, Chris Navin, and MEM
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