My looks: July 24, 1955

Who, and what, did you look like as a baby? Were there any special characteristics that “ran in the family,” or that set you apart?

As already recorded in the story of my birth: “Norma has very short, yellow hair (the nurse says it has a reddish twinge — any red on your side?). Her eyes are a beautiful blue, of course, until they change; she is very well developed — fat with a healthy, pink complexion. She has the long Wright head, my tiny ears and big nose and mouth (maybe it’s Uncle Preston’s mouth) and her Daddy Bill’s built-in P.A. system…. She has her father’s appetite, I’m afraid… I accumulated [lots of stitches] because of Norma’s very wide shoulders.”

My baby book also records a small red mark near the lob of my left ear and a birthmark at the lower left rib. I have no personal recollection of the red mark, but I did have the birthmark at least into my teens, though at some point it faded away. My eyes stayed blue, sort of; they are sometimes gray or green, reflective of the surroundings. My hair turned light brown, but in my adult years a bit of reddish twinge returned. My Grandpa Mott had a red beard, and my brother Graham has always had reddish hair, so I guess it’s a family trait, probably on the Mott side! I have never thought of my ears being tiny, but I definitely have the generous nose! And, yes, the PA system. I did, apparently, love to eat as a baby, resulting in being a rather chunky baby, but slimmed out pretty quickly, so there! Thanks to someone for slim genes! I really don’t know what the “wide shoulders” were all about… all my life, since I can remember, I’ve had rather narrow shoulders!

Written: Dec 26, 2007