Welcome to Amelia AiChun's NEW website!

Our contract was up on our "chinastork" site, and since the stork landed, delivered, and has long since flown the coop, I decided to move our blog to a free site. Welcome to eblogger, home of The Chunster's new website! Thank you for following us over here and for your continued interest in our family.


Our six-month anniversary of becoming a family is rapidly approaching. I am amazed when I look back and realize all that has happened in such a short amount of time. When I received Amelia's referral paperwork on June 1, 2006, it described her as a quiet child, reserved and cautious. I had not one photograph of a smiling or laughing little girl. That's the child I met in China, and yet, six months later, it's hard to believe that my Amelia is the same AiChun of the referral papers. Even having met her when she was that scared, timid, preferred-not-to-be-touched child, it's hard for me to remember her that way.

My daughter is now outgoing, affectionate, lively, determined, spirited - and yes, pushy! She smiles and laughs easily. She asks for and gives hugs and kisses freely. She is the proverbial "sunshine on a cloudy day." Don't get me wrong - get out of the way when The Chunster is mad! She is a spicy Sichuan girl all the way! But early in the mornings, when she says to me, "Mama, I Baby Amelia" and crawls in my lap so that I will rock her like a tiny baby - well, nothing is sweeter than that.

There is a story in the Bible where Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a pearl of great price. A man seeking the most precious pearl sells all he has to obtain it. I sort of feel like Amelia is a pearl of great price. While I didn't sell all my possessions, there is sacrifice to becoming a parent, especially a single parent through international adoption. The logistics of parenting alone, the costs, the physical demands, etc. - and yet, in Amelia, I have a pearl of great price. I am so thankful to God that He chose ME - of all the people on the face of the earth - he chose this humble servant to be her mother. Thank you, Lord, and may Your Face shine always on my sweet pearl.

Happy Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day! Last year at this time, I had completed my dossier and was waiting to see if I would receive a referral from my agency's newest waiting child list. In the year that followed, I received Amelia's referral, completed my adoption, and have been home nearly six months with my precious, wonderful daughter.

Happy Mother's Day, too, to my own mother, Debra. If I can be even half the mother to Amelia that my own mother has been to me, I will be a magificent mother. I have the best mother in the whole world, and I love my mother with my whole heart.

I think having such a special bond with my own mother, and now, with my own daughter, makes me more aware of two more very special women that I want to acknowledge on mother's day. You see, I cannot talk about "my" story without acknowledging its intersection with the story of these two, other important women.

As Amelia's joyful mother, I am sadly aware that there is another mother who made an unthinkable choice - the choice to leave her (my) beautiful newborn baby in a public place to be found and cared for by others. I wonder about this mother. Was she young and alone? Was she married and under family pressure to produce a son to care for her in-laws? Was she scared? Was she sad? What did she think as she held her darling daughter for the first five days of her life? Does she think of her still, years later? I pray that the God who knows all and sees all will heal her heart. Nothing would make me happier than to meet my daughter's birthmother in Heaven one day.

I also know now that my baby was lovingly cared for by a foster family for the first two years of her life. I vividly remember when my family served as a foster family to a young girl. I remember the pain of watching her drive away, even though I knew she was going to live with her mother. The pain I saw on my child's foster mother's face as she handed my daughter to me mirrored my own pain when I saw my family's foster child taken away, never to be seen again. This mother, her body racked with sobs, handed my daughter to me and barely had the physical strength to walk away. This second mother was filled with an intermingled, deep love and deep sorrow. I will forever remember this second mother of my daughter.

I wish I had the words to tell both of these mothers in some way all that is in my heart for them and for the child that is collectively "ours." The first mother birthed my daughter and cared for her for the first 5 days. She gave my daughter her beautiful skin and stunning smile. Hers is the face I search for in every crowd in China. The second mother comforted my daughter. She rocked her, gave her bottles and loved her the next two years. She laughed and played with her and taught her how to use chopsticks. And yes, she even showed her my photos when that day came. Then I came - the last mother. The forever mother. The mother who will teach her to read, ride a bike, say please and thank you, and pay for college. I am the mother who will bear the brunt of the pain of a teenager learning who she is and deciding who she is to become. I am the mother who will sit on the front pew when she marries the love of her life. I am the mother who will rock my baby's babies so my baby can get that precious extra hour of sleep. I am the most blessed of all the mothers who have been a part of my daughter's life.

Michi comes to visit!

We had so much fun hosting Michi and his family this weekend. Michi's mom and dad submitted their paperwork to China on the same day through the same adoption agency as I did for Amelia. We waited together and talked on the phone often. We really thought we would travel at the same time. As things turned out, Michi's family made it to China before I did. When Michi's dad got stationed in Texas, we figured it was the perfect time to finally meet in person. Amelia and Michi got along famously, and Jay and Lisa and I had a great time talking about our marvelous, miraculous children.

Top Ten Things I Love About The Chunster

1. The way she says "AI CHUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!" when you say her name - especially if you leave off the AiChun part.

2. The little snore she makes when she sleeps. You would think she is an 80 year old man. So cute.

3. The way she tells me she needs a bow before we leave the house. Like I would forget hair accessories!

4. The way she LOVES the letter B. She loves to say it, write it, recognize it on paper. She will take an O or T in a pinch, but she really likes Bs.

5. The way she puckers up her lips and waits for me to say "cockadoodledoo!" anytime we see a picture of a rooster.

6. The way she gets so excited and screams "shu ma!!!" and signs the word "panda" when she sees a picture of a panda.

7. The way she says "Jesus".

8. The way she loves to sing "This Little Light of Mine" over and over (and over) again.

9. The way she runs into my arms when I pick her up from daycare - like the greatest joy in her life is seeing me walk through the door.

10. The way, when she thinks I am asleep, and she is supposed to be asleep, she will arrange my covers, brush my hair off my forehead and put a gentle kiss on my brow...just the way I do to her.

What a joy!
Amy

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung in our part of the world! The weather has been warm, the birds have been singing, the rabbits have been out eating our plants...the world has been a happy place. Amelia AiChun's world has been filled with evening walks, trips to the park, watching friends play baseball, and planting flowers. She seems to be enjoying springtime!

Enjoy,
Amy & The Chunster

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Amelia celebrated her first American Chinese New Year recently with two fun parties. The first party was with our close friends at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We love going there because the people that work there are from Chengdu, and they love Amelia. When we go in, they run to her and say "AiChun!!!". We handed out traditional red envelopes to Amelia's friends (with a dollar inside!) and let our friends sample some little candies we bought at our local Asian market. We had a grand time!

Our second party was with our local group of families that have adopted internationally. Our group has children adopted from many countries, but typically, only the families with children from the Asian countries celebrate the special New Year. We had the party at Lilly (from Vietnam) and Kunal's (from India) house. Everyone brought a dish from their child's country. Amelia and I took fried lotus root. Yes, I fried them myself!!! We played with our friends and even got to play outside since the weather was nice.

Our group has several "big" kids, who are sweet and funny. We also have lots of toddler-aged children. In fact, there are at least 4 other 2 year old girls from China in our group. They weren't all at the party, but if we ever get them all together, won't it be fun?

Amelia's newest tricks: (1) she hides things behind her back and says "where'd it go?" and then laughs like a loon when she pulls it out from behind her back;
(2) She says "I love you" - to Elmo, but not to her Mama; (3) she tells to "wah hair" with "shapoopoo"; and (4) she likes "choo choo" trains, and she thinks everything that makes lots of noise (firetrucks, etc.) are choo choos.

Yes, we are having FUN!

Amy & Amelia AiChun

Fabulous February is here

January has come and gone! Where does the time go? I can't believe it has been 3 months since our plane landed in West Texas and Amelia and I began our new lives together here in the United States. She continues to amaze me. She is now recognizing letters ("o" and "t") and knows a few numbers. She is learning to master pronouns ("me" and "you"). If she can't say the words, she has no trouble getting her meaning across by pointing and showing you exactly what she wants. She tells everyone where to go and how to get there! Some might say she is "bossy," but I like to use the term "determined." She definitely knows her own mind, which will serve her well as she grows older.

I do see a hurt and fear that surfaces from time to time and reminds me that, though she is incredibly resilient, she has experienced a major trauma in her tiny little life. Thank goodness we serve a Lord who heals broken hearts and mends tender spirits! Amelia is happy and healthy and grows more confident and comfortable in her new life every day.

I am delighted to report that The Chunster finally seems to be adjusting to daycare. What a huge relief! She still cries a little bit, but it's more of that typical 2-year-old not wanting to be left than the wails of a frightened child whose whole world has been turned upside down. Thank you to all who have prayed for Amelia during this difficult time of adjustment.

I have been missing my beloved China lately. Some days, I think about China and yearn to be there again. Life there seems simpler and more quaint. Of course, every time I have been to China, it is like a vacation, since I am not working and am getting to truly soak in the experience of life there. I am sure it would be different if a person lived and worked there every day. Even so, I miss the kindness and gentility of the people, the delicious food, the fabulous prices, and all the walking and pedicabs. I just love China so much!

I hope and pray that Amelia will come to love China, too. I wish I could take her to live there for a month or two every summer Wouldn't that be grand? I seriously need to win the lottery! HA! I hope she is always proud and happy to have been born there. Yes, the country has problems, but then again, so does the U.S.!

I have finally(!) managed to upload some of the photos that Amelia's foster family provided of Amelia as a baby and Amelia seeing my photo for the first time. What a precious treasure these sweet people gave Amelia to be able to have a glimpse into her early life. There are additional photos in the "NanChong, China" photo album.

Love,
Amy & Amelia AiChun