BORN: October 2, 1962 - Tuesday - ? p.m.
Leominster, Massachusetts USA
6 lbs. 2 1/2 oz. - 19 1/2 inches long.
Induced labor - Peter decided he didn't want to
be born on Monday, so when they induced labor he put up his hand,
over his head, and stopped labor for 24 hours.
(Thank you, Peter...) Well, at least I got a good rest - slept
through the whole thing.

Had the usual six weeks of morning sickness, beginning about the sixth week of pregnancy. No anemia, so picked out a boy's name. Peter for the Biblical Peter; John for Joe's brother John and also John in the Bible. Normal pregnancy; induced labor and head first birth.

Peter was very thin, he had long arms and legs, and a lot of almost black hair. He looked like a little Eskimo baby. Doctor said that maybe labor was induced too early for him, as he looked "early". It took him awhile before he began to gain weight and I was afraid to let the doctor see him, until he began to gain again...afraid they would put him into the hospital. He was eating good, but not gaining.

His nickname was "Flower" - I guess it came from the gentle spirit of the skunk in the Walt Disney movie called "Bambi". The skunk was called, "Flower". Peter always had a gentle spirit about him, when it came to...first of all his baby sister (who was born a few years later). If Peter was ever "missing", we could find him right at her bassinet. He would stand there for hours, every day, just looking down at her. He was fascinated by babies, especially when they looked like him, I think. (She had dark hair, like Peter.)

He always loved the creatures in the wild. He spent a lot of time in our little woods behind our house and then graduated into larger woods. He was often found up in a tree calling to the birds. When he was much older, we called him Grey Owl - because he is much like Gray Owl (the Canadian Native, or rather, white man who looked like and lived like a Native).

Peter had a hard time learning how to sit up and then, to walk. His head was large, at birth, and he was checked for "water on the brain" for the first year or so. Every time he tried to sit up, his head would pull him back down. Then, when he tried to walk, he had the same problem. We got a "walker" for him and he was so thrilled that he could get around; he would run through the house all day long. I prayed for him, for many years, that his body would catch up with his head (in growth), and eventually it did: he's a very handsome young man.

When Peter was about 5 years old, he had a fever for a few days - I gave him quite a few baby aspirin during that time. He broke out with a funny looking purple rash that was underneath his skin. I took him to the doctor and it was a very rare disease - Ana Phillacta Purpura. I'm sure it wasn't spelled that way, but that's how it sounded. I guess it was very serious - there's the chance of hemorrhaging. But, he was okay in a few more days.

He had a hard time in school; later diagnosed with dyslexia. So, I guess he turned to the outdoors; because there's a level playing field there. I can understand that, because I had a hard time with people, and I turned to the outdoors. There's a lot to be learned there that you can't find in a book. There's a balance there - and no unkindness.

Peter was allergic to bees and was told he had 20 minutes to get a shot. He took a series of desensitivity shots, for one season. Then, we moved to Canada. There was a concern because we lived so far from town, when we lived at the farm. One day he told me not to worry, because he had dreamed of a bee flying at him - it landed on an open Bible that he had, and he closed it on the bee...killing it. He was sure that the Lord would take care of him - after that we didn't worry.

Peter has grown to be quite the thinker. He puts a lot of thought into everything he does. Sometimes it seems like too much...but, he does make good choices. He's still very sensitive and tries to please.