By Dan Hust
HONESDALE, PA AND HARRIS, NY — January 7, 2003 – The first area babies of the new year arrived amidst stormy weather last week, but mothers and children were blissfully unaware of the heavy snow flying outside as they got to know each other.
Emily Margaret Gorton was the first to ring in 2003, being born on January 1 at 1:10 p.m. at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pa.
She was also the only baby at the facility as of Friday, but that was of no concern to mom Margaret and dad Charles Gorton of Uniondale, Pa.
“I’m feeling good,” said Margaret, 30, who goes by “Peggy,” on Thursday. “Everybody’s very nice, . . . [but] what mother isn’t ready to go home?”
At home in Susquehanna County, Pa. (just west of Wayne County), Emily joins 6-year-old sister Sarah and has already been visited by maternal grandparents Mary and John Reeder and paternal grandparents Ronald and Joanne Gorton.
Peggy Gorton said she picked Wayne Memorial Hospital because it’s about the same distance to Scranton from her home. And she likes the facility, with certified nurse midwife Patricia Konzman of Women’s Healthcare of Northeastern Pennsylvania delivering Peggy’s 8-pound, 4-ounce daughter.
An hour to the east on New Year’s Day, Olga Perilla of Monticello was still waiting to give birth to her baby, but it wouldn’t be until the next day at 8:26 p.m. that she saw the face of daughter Nicole Castro Perilla.
Born to Perilla and Carlos Castro at Catskill Regional Medical Center’s Seelig Division in Harris, Nicole was delivered by Dr. Moise Mamouzette and officially became the first baby of 2003 in Sullivan County. She was a healthy 6 pounds, 11 1/4 ounces.
Perilla could not be reached for comment, but the hospital indicated both mother and daughter were doing fine.