Since October 2006 – When Peter Came Into Our Lives
Photo Gallery & Story
A Baby We Already Loved
When Peter came into our home, it felt both new and familiar at the same time.
Ann had cared for him since the day he was born in November 2005, and I had already held him in my arms when he was just three months old. Even then, something quiet and special began — a bond that strengthened every time we saw him.
When he finally came to live with us in October 2006, he was eleven months old. At first he cried, frightened by the new surroundings and unsure of what was happening. But within minutes, everything changed. The tears softened, then turned into smiles — and soon our home was filled with laughter.
Taking responsibility for him never felt like a decision. It felt natural, almost inevitable — as if this little boy had always been meant to be part of our family.
Those early years were full of simple happiness: walks in the garden, bedtime stories, and the first proud, wobbly steps of a little boy who knew he was safe, and loved, and home.
Peter, dressed smartly in his navy-blue suit, stood outside the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai holding his visa application papers — a little nervous but hopeful. Minutes later - in the short video clip below - he told me, bursting with joy, that his interviewer had been a former St. Olaf student who wished him good luck. The interview lasted barely three minutes.
Peter in his first fight with his Black Belt!
At just four years old, Peter already had a strong sense of ownership — here insisting, in good English for his age, that Ann’s music pod was actually his!
On his fifth birthday, Peter sat on our motorbike in the middle of Chiang Mai city, smiling proudly at the camera. Even then, his excellent English for his age— and his boundless confidence — hinted at the remarkable young man he would later become.