At Last

by Tien-Hui Cheng, age 11, from US

Chapter 1

Before when I was the only child, I thought I was very lucky. Over the past few years, my parents or my godparents would take me from place to place on vacation. After the age of seven, I started to want to have a playmate or brother or sister. My family and I didn't think we were going to have another baby, so I was a little discouraged.

My mom was getting these really bad headaches and pains in March 1994. Because of that, she went to visit a physician. That night, I found a surprise. My mom told me she was pregnant. I was delighted and shocked at the same time. There was no sense in me of how to react.

During my mother's pregnancy, she was sick, vomiting, and feeling very awful. We were worried that my brother or sister would have developmental disabilities as a result of my mother's health, while pregnant.

On November 29, 1994, my sister was born by Cesarean section at 12:39 p.m. in St. Mary's Hospital. She was six pounds and four ounces and was nineteen and a half inches long. Her eyes sparkled like jewels when she opened them. She also had a little hair on her head, but was covered with a purple, winter hat.

After school, my godmother picked me up and took me to St. Mary's Hospital to see my little sister. She is very cute. The first time I held her, I realized that she was really light. I wanted her to open her eyes, but of course I couldn't force her. My sister came home on December 4, 1994.

My parents wanted my uncle and aunt to name my sister because they didn't have any children of their own. They named her Tien-Yi Cheng. It means God's Image. Tien-Yi's nickname then became Tien-Tien.