This is worth seeing....

I tried to emauil this out to our friends and family but it didn't work. It was too big of a file. So CHECK IT OUT HERE!!!!!
We were told that Derek is very afraid of dogs and we seen that when we brought him home to Tinka. Neitherone really cared much for the other. Well after 1 week of living under the same roof and abiding by the same rules look what happened.....

Livin' A Toddler's Life.....
Wow....I forgot all about what a toddler can put you through. This little guy is one active character. He is constantly going and going. Hates naps. Hates bedtime even more. He is so much fun to play with and very funny at times. He is pretty easy going when it comes to hopping into the car and taking off. Just don't sit in traffic any length of time since he soon let's you know how much he hates that. He is starting to say some words for us. He says...Hello, Bye-Bye, Thank You, Tinka (our dog), Momma, Ba (daddy), Kitty, Puppy, Yummy. He is getting a vocab!!!! He has attached tremendously to the girls. They play for hours. Yesterday we went to Jess's basketball game and Alyssa's field hockey game and he had a blast. It is kinda cold here so that is something new for him. Donned with a hoodie and jeans he had cold patties and ears at the game. He likes to clap and cheer when the girls do something good. Pretty cute!!!! He waves bye bye to everyone and loves to blow kisses.
He still screams at the top of his lungs when it is bedtime. Bathtime is fun but I end up quite wet. Last night was the first night he slept in his crib all night long. It felt good not to hold him all night. That makes my arms tired. Usually bedtime is Norm's turn. e does really well with listening to the screaming. Has much more patience than I.
Monday we went to the doctor for his check up and he got a good report. In the 50% range on American charts for his age and size. WOOHOO!!!! He had to get 5 shots which he took quite well. I'm sure when we go back in 4 weeks his memory of the experience will grant us a different reaction. he was very brave though. He didn't really like the doctor checking him out though.
Yesterday we took him to the Bloomsburg Fair to see the animals. He loved the BIG horses and the chickens. He liked the noises they made. Now he makes his arms like wings and says "bok-bok". CUTE!!!!!!
We are having trouble getting the dog to take an interest in him. He likes the dog and will put his hand out and click his tongue to gt her to come to him but Tink just doesn't care for him. We are a little unsure what we will do to break that ice. He wants to get down and run but Tink isn't used to that commotion and desn't like when he does it. She may have to find a new home even though I don't want to see her go. Any suggestions???
Well he is starting to get restless for Jessie so I better intervene and try to entertain him a little. I'll type more when I find time!!!!!

We made it home last night between 11 & midnight. We are so tired. Derek has regressed to when we first got him. He seems to only be content with Norm. He just cries when I take him. Like deja vu. I hate it!!! It is so hard for me. I guess I will probably drop a few more pounds as it makes me sick to my stomach to have him like this. I just can't console him. He seems to be enjoying the girls though which I am very happy about.
His Aunt Cheryl and cousin Joanna came to play a little this morning and he had a ball with them. Norm and Mae took him for a little ride to town. He is doing better than we expected with the carseat. Cries a little at first and then calms down quickly.
I am going to keep this short because I really need to get some sleep. I am so tired. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow or Sunday.

FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED....

Our travel guru ,Todd, came through for us and got our flights booked to leave Hanoi tonight at 7:10. We are heading home!!!!
We will land in Harrisburg at 9:15 pm on Thursday night. Gonna be a long 2 days of flying with a toddler.
Cathay was fantastic about booking our seats in a way that we can have extra space for Derek to roam a little. He will be so restless. We are prayingfor lots of sleep. We are keeping him as active as possible at this point so that he sleeps on the plane rides. We will fly from Hanoi into Hong Kong then into Los Angeles and stay overnight there. Catch a morning flight from LA to Boston then to Harrisburg.

Watch for our return home!!!

WE'RE COMING HOME!!!!!!!!

We had our interview today at 2:30 for Derek's visa and after paying $400 and signing 2 documents we were issued a call tag to pick up his visa at 4:00 TODAY!!!! Loan will pick everyone's visa's up and bring them to the hotel and we will be all going out for a celebratory dinner. We are waiting to hear back from Todd about getting on the Wednesday night flight back home. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE BRINGING OUR SON HOME FINALLY!!!!!!

Once we check out of here tomorrow night we will be dormant from the blog for a few days until we settle in at home but as soon as we get on track we will blog again.

Pray for our safe and cry-free travels!!!!!!

So we are back from our trip to the US Embassy. A mass of paperwork sorting but we made it through yet another step. YEEEHAW!!!!!! Tomorrow at 2:15 we will have Derek's visa interview and on Wednesday morning we should have it in our hands!!!!! WOW....he'll legally be ours and able to come HOME!!!!!!! This is a great feeling. He is adjusted so well to both of us now. It was a struggle for a few days but the outcome has been fantastic. He is a beautiful little boy so full of life, laughs, and fun. Don't get me wrong he is still a screamer when he wakes up but we are hoping that will ease with time.

So I emailed Todd our travel guru already to give him a heads up that we are ready to return to the states and we are waiting to hear back from him as to how the flights will fall into place with the visa. Pray for a quick return without any problems and that Derek will tolerate all of the flight time without much crying.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!!!!!!!

This morning we went to the SOS clinic for Derek's medical check up. He wasn't the happiest about it but he got a great report. He is 24 pounds and 34 inches tall. He cried for most of it. He is a strong little boy and I sweated trying to hold him down for the doctor to check him out. He recovered quickly though. This afternoon we are heading to the Embassy to file our paperwork and application for Derek's visa to come home. WOOHOO!!!!! We requested the interview appointment which will hopefully be tomorrow morning. If that is the case then we should be able to pick up his visa in the afternoon and call Todd to arrange our return HOME!!!!!! We are really hoping to be flying out of Hanoi on Thursday. WOW!!!!! So watch for details of our return here!

TOO CUTE.......

God has been very busy answering prayers from around the world for us today. The past few days have been a struggle for us with Derek as he really needs time to adjust and attach to us. Today we have a phenomenal breakthrough that only Prayers to God could produce. Derek has attached himself quite well to Norm which has been exhausting to him and I both. I feel helpless and insufficient. Today Derek made great strides in letting me hold him, play with him, carry him, feed him, and put him to sleep tonight. Thanks so much for your prayers even at 10,000 miles away from home God is answering them!!!!!!
Hopefully I will have time to post some great pics tomorrow.
Stay tuned....

G&R Pictures....

TODDLER LIFE IS TOUGH.....

I guess I had forgotten after 12 years just how tough toddlers can be. This has been so hard on Derek. He is very attached to Norm and we are trying to transition him into bonding with me as well but it has been quite a challenge. He is very strong willed and temperamental. The days are long and tiring hence not much action on the blog. We wake up anywhere between 4:30 and 6:30 and he refuses his formula so he hasn't had that since Tuesday morning. We get ourselves ready and head to breakfast around 8:30 or 9 to dine with whoever from the gang can make it. He loves scrambled eggs and fruit. We have been able to feed him congee and some baby food as well. Potty is a whole different story. We are having zero success on that. We try to spend a lot of our time in the afternoon at the pool since he seems to kinda like it there (except today). He is super cranky today as he has been eating like a trooper but hasn't had a BM since he is here. So today we gave him some good old Fletcher's and plenty of apple juice. He just laid down on Norm's chest on the bed and they are both sleeping soundly. A little early though (5:30) so I hope bedtime isn't going to be a major challenge. We found the easiest way to put him to sleep is to walk out by the pool where you can hear the waves from the sea and feel the cool breeze. Knocks him out about everytime. Hard on our backs though. He got a shower with Daddy today since he peed all over him. We are praying so hard that each day will get better.
On a side note....I had to have the hotel staff come twice now to remove geckos from our room. I hate the little critters. I'm waiting to see if tonight will be night number 3. They tell me the gecko is my friend. I prefer no lizards for friends.
I am going to try to upload a little slideshow in my next post for you all to check out!!!!
Please continue praying, We applied for Derek's passport today (big expense) and we are hoping to have them back by Friday. We will be checking out of the beautiful Sandy Beach Resort on Sunday and flying to Hanoi tocheck in at the Somerset Grand for the remainder of our stay. Please wish us well in travels as Derek doesn't like to sit. We acclimated him to walking and holding our hands tonight after days of back breaking pain. He did about 2 hours of walking for us. Not bad!!!! Guess tha't why he conked out quickly.

Here's THE Post You Have All Been Waiting For.....

It's 9:26 p.m. here in Danang Vietnam and Derek is FINALLY tucked safely into OUR bed. He is sleeping so soundly. It took him quite some time to calm down from the whole day but he fell asleep comforted and cradled in his daddy's arms. He seems to have a stronger attachment to his daddy than his mommy. Don't get me wrong I'm okay with that. I love to see Norm so happy!!!! Today is Father's Day for him.
We thank everyone for your continued prayers and we ask that you now pray for Derek's grief and mourning of the loss of his nannies to pass quickly. We pray that he will fell comfort and contentment with us now.
He is so beautiful!!!!! We can't wait to show him off!!!!!
Hung will apply now for his passport and we will head to Hanoi on Monday to have his medical exam and hopefully his visa interview on Tuesday and if God will be so gracious to us to be able to head for PA by the end of the week. I miss the girls so badly!!!!
I will leave you with a little video......

Brighter Days Are Happening....

We made a huge breakthrough with Derek today. He was much more receptive of our visit and played for long periods of time with us. He giggled so much!!!! We had a really fun day. I needed it after yesterday's visit. We met the OD today. She is great!!!!! She loves the children and they love her just as much! Ray went with us today and we were able to treat him to a great supper afterwards. It was really good to be with him over the past few days. He has a definate admiration for the families and the children.Hung has been great as well. He is right there to help us adjust and give pointers how to handle the crying. Hung's friend Quang did a few rounds of trips to the orphanage with us to translate as well. Very wonderful man with a great love for the children and their needs.
Today after a few hours of playing Derek reached up to me to pick him up. Once I had him in my arms he realized he made an oops. He cried as usual then. But it was for a very brief moment a truly heartwarming and wonderful feeling. I LOVE HIM!!!!!
This was the last day we will see him until the G&R on Monday afternoon at 3. Please continue to pray for us. Pray that God will wrap his comfort around Derek and that he will allow us to hold him and comfort his needs and fears.He is such a beautiful little boy so full of life and energy and loads of laughs.
Tonight I packed his diaper bag and a bag to be taken to the orphanage by Jim & Teresa that has his G&R clothing in it. He will look so cute!!!! We will have a dinner with the nannies after the ceremony and be able to share our gifts with them. We are excited about that.
Well I've got to get some sleep. I'll try to post a few more pics tomorrow!!!

A peek at our first meeting with Derek!!!!!

Here's A Taste Of The Good Life.....

It is a struggle but hopefully each time we are with Derek it will get easier. He is content having us sit near him as long as we don't touch him. In this video he was actually allowing himself to succumb to sleep after the struggle of crying and kicking for what seemed like hours to me. This is a very hard reaction for me to handle. I have cried many, many tears over this process.

Can You Say G&R???????

Well the good news is that WE FINALLY CAN!!!!!!! Our G&R is set for Monday at 3:00. We will be going to the orphanage tomorrow morning again and then hopefully Saturday the kids will come to the hotel for a little pool party. Hopefully a good icebreaker.
Monday Derek will be OURS!!!!!!
We will stay in DaNang til Thursday then head to Hanoi to finish up all of the paperwork. We expect to be there for about 10 days.
This deserves a BIG WOOHOO!!!!!!
Many CONGRATS to the Michelle & Jeff, Lauren & Matt, & Teresa & Jim!!!!! WE MADE IT GUYS!!!!!!
Continue to pray as there is still much transition for Derek following the G&R.
THANKS to ALL for your prayers, thoughts, and well wishes!!!!!

Another Video.....

How about a little video????.....

Since we are having so much trouble getting connected to our email we have created new email accounts. If you would like to have or new emails please leave a comment plus your email address in the comments section at the end of this post.
Thanks!
Norm & Teresa

Look Who We Met.....

Is he not the cutest!!!!!!! Derek is such a happy little boy except when we tried to hold him. He is extremely fun and loves to play with toys. He LOVES books!!!!! Very intelligent. He can figure things out quickly and he is very curious.