DEREK'S NEW WHEELS

Sunday was a fun day for Norm & I as we set out on a shopping trip. We decided it was time to buy Derek his first set of wheels. We ended up coming home with 12 wheels. Check out the pictures below...


Being that Norm is a huge Mustang lover we found it quite appropriate to get Derek a Mustang as his first "ride". Great little car and boy will he be a cutie in it. Truth is...Norm has one too and I loved when he used to come pick me up for a date or just a ride around town in it. We are hoping that Derek will be home for the local parade in September so he can ride in the parade with us in Norm's convertible. Gotta get him started early!!!!


So while we were at Toys R Us we found the little 4 wheeler on sale too. This is adorable. The girls can ride Norm's while Derek rides his. They'll have a ball with that.


And...of course he needed the lawnmower too. Hey it was on sale!!!!

I love a great sale and I love shopping for Derek!!! Alyssa & Jessica are getting to fussy for me to buy things for that suit them so it is nice to have a little one to buy for that won't curl his nose up about it. Don't get me wrong...I still try to buy for the girls but I usually strike out and everything gets returned. I have learned to drag them along with me.

Still no news on the progress of the adoption but as you can see we are getting ready to bring him home!!!!

Travel Talk Post

Yesterday we had our "Travel Talk", which basically consisted of going over our travel guide and having Ray answer our questions and to just thoroughly explain all topics of concern. Part way through Ray decided I guess that it got the best of him that we were being so good about not pressuring him for a travel date that he asked the question..."Doesn't anyone want to know when is travel?" Of course before we were to hang up that was the ONE question Norm was going to ask. Ray told us that it is just an estimate but he believes we should travel the end of June. We are so ready to go. That's only 4 weeks!!!! This is getting good. We still are waiting for the commitment form as this is the last step of the approval before getting our G&R date. Ray said some of the hold up may be because VN just had election...like us...on May 20th and sometimes they celebrate things longer than we do so hopefully now that the election is over we will get that form.
It was interesting to hear about the orphanage and we are going to be able to go there on the 2nd day to meet Derek. We will actually have to leave him there though that night and then the next day we will have our G&R and he is OURS from there on out. So we can't wait to get there and at least cuddle him for a little while.
So the news seemed good and hopefully we will continue to get progress and our date will be here shortly!!!!

Yesterday we received a phone call from our CM stating that it is official that we will have 1 more form to complete before receiving our G&R date. There is no word yet when we will get the form, how much legalization must be done with the form before submitting, nor how long it will take after returning the form to get our "date". So we are sitting ducks at this point yet.
We are still scheduled to have our travel talk on Thursday so we have a few questions to clarify but other than that I am curious what all we are going to get to talk about.
We'll let you know as we get moe info. Pray for good to come this week!!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!!...
No...no new adoption news.

Today my SIL stopped in and pulled a piece of paper from her hand and oh what excitement. She had her ultrasound pictures. She is 8 weeks pregnant and is due December 22nd. What a Christmas present that will be. We are hoping for a boy for a playmate for Derek and since she has 2 girls a boy in the mix would be nice. As my MIL said...we need to even out the bunch. Right now it is 6 girls and 2 boys, includes Derek. So boys would be good.
Our CM returns to the office tomorrow so hopefully she will have some sort of news for us about the new form that we need to complete. We want to get it rolling so we can just bring Derek home and settle in. It is still looking like a late June to late July travel though.
I am preparing for my yard sale next weekend so I have been cleaning out closets and drawers. It's amazing the things that the girls have accumulated. The money I make will go toward our trip to VN. So I hope to do good!!!!
Keep praying and hopefully soon we will get word about travel. Remember next Thursday is our Travel Talk so I will be curious to see what we get from that.

NOT SO GREAT DAYS

We found out yesterday that our anticipated date to go bring Derek home has been extended significantly. Now it is being said as late June to late July. I am devastated. Of all day to find out too it was on Mother's Day. We initially upon referral were told to expect to travel late May to mid June at the latest aned this has been reiterated over and over since then until yesterday...BAM!!! Big explosion!!!!
We found out that Ray has received new information and a change of procedure has taken place. Surprise..surprise!!! I am about at the end of my wit's with all of this. We now have yet another form to complete before we can be given a G&R date for Derek's adoption. At this point we have no idea how close we are to getting that form nor how long after filling out the form it will take until they issue a date. Therefore I am not really sure why we have to be in a hurry to have this Travel Talk since we may not go until July. I'll forget what we discussed until then. I guess I should record it for safety sake.
In case you cannot detect it...I am a little bitter about all of this. I just have had enough of this roller coaster and I can't figure out how to stop the ride so I can get off.
I continue to pray but I must be doing that wrong too because it sure isn't being answered.

Here we are at the end of yet another quiet week. Fortunately we got our travel talk date now all we need to know is when we are going to travel.
I haven't been handling this very well over the past 2 weeks especially. I have been having one continuous stress headache that doesn't seem to want to leave my body. I can't understand what it thinks is so great about staying here with me. I am hoping once we get our G&R date that this will go away.
Mother's Day is approaching quickly and I was hoping to have the G&R date as a M.D. gift but by the looks of things it isn't happening. I feel a quiet day coming on today too. Let's continue to pray for some news next week.

We received an email late this afternoon asking for Norm & I to be available on May 24th at 11:00 to do a conference call about our Travel Talk!!! Woohoo!!! This is a step in a GREAT direction! We are now hoping that we will get our G&R date prior to that conference call. We know it is getting so close. If only we could make the phone ring!!! Good news seems to be jumping in our laps the past few days so keep praying...it is working!!!!!
Thanks,
Teresa

Yesterday morning was a wonderful one!!! I got out of bed shortly after Norm left for work and decided that maybe I should check my email even though I was sure there would bnot be any update yet. Well much to my surprise I had an email from our CM titled: "Updated picture for Lahr". Well you can only imagine how excited I was, but I knew not to open it until I called Norm. I fumbled with the keys on my phone, as I was very excited at the moment, and called him to come over to the house to see what was inside the email with me. He came over quite quickly I must add. We opened the email and attached was an absolutely beautiful picture of Derek. We couln't stop looking at it. Norm's first reaction was a tearful..."that's our boy!" It is so wonderful to be experiencing this with him. He is so compassioante about the process and so anxious to bring him home. We just can't wait to hold him in our arms for the first time and forever. I quickly printed off numerous copies of the picture and began distributing them to family. I emailed it off to everyone right away. We quickly began getting email and telephone responses. We were very pleased to see that he isholding his head up while propped on his arms lying on his belly very well. This is a great developmental sign for us and puts ease into our minds and hearts that he is doing well. He had no hat on so we got to see that he has pretty much hair!! WOOHOO!!!!
Yesterday one of my clients who has a daughter and a son brought me 3 large garbage bags FULL of clothes for Derek. I had a ball going through them and they are going to be so cute on him. She has supplied me with many things we needed. Thanks Denise!!!!
Today I have a million things I'd like to accomplish. We are moving our computer as it was in Derek's room and we needed that corner for a rocking chair so we moved it downstairs and I am not happy with that so we bought a desk on Sunday and we are going to put it inside our hall closet which is very large and then it is out of sight but easily accesible. Just a few wiring fixes and we'll be in business again. I need to put all of these clothes for Derek away and I would like to clean the downstairs today. Quiet in the salon til tonight so I need to take advantage of the time while I can.
Well we are still hoping to get our G&R date this week or next. We are supposed to have our Travel Talk the middle of the month so I hope we know by then.

First of all I better begin this entry with our newest news:
Derek's new stats have come through, still no picture but the update on measurements is great to have. We can now plan our packing a little better according to his size.
Here they are:
Weight: 18 pounds
Height: 27.5"
Head Circum: 18"
Foot Length: 3.9"

I really don't know how these stats stack up according to the average size of a 5 month old. If anyone has an idea can you let me know...please!!!

Next...I looked at how many times this blog has been visited aqnd when I began this I never imagined that it would be looked at 1500 times. WOW!!! Thanks everyone who is foloowing along on our journey and those who are praying for us. We truly appreciate every one of you!!!

Next...This weekend our community had our Relay For Life activities. I am so PROUD and happy to announce to you that we surpassed our goal by mucho money!!!!! For those of you who are unfamiliqar with the area we come from here is a little briefing. This is a small rural community that is mostly farming and there are very few large corporations. Therefore the financial support through businesses isn't the strongest. We all dug in our heels and set out to top our goal of $83,000.00 for this years event. After alot of walking and great amount of socializing, and a ton of fundraising we got to the closing ceremonies today and found out that we not only made our goal but we went above aqnd beyond to the amount of $97,858.42. Not bad for a small community...right?!?!?!?! We are so PROUD!!!! My daughter Jessica collected money for the Penny Walk, which she took first place in last year, and beat her goal. Last year she raised $91.00, this year her goal was to raise ten more dollars and she was blessed with $102.00. She took 2nd place this year. We will beging raising money already for next year now. This is a special event to us as Norm has a sister who is a 12 year cancer survivor, my father, who went to be with the Lord 1 1/2 yrs. ago, was an 8 year survivor, and I myself am a 4 year survivor. So we have been blessed and thankful to all who have supported the American Cancer Society!!!!! Next year Derek will be able to participate as well!!!

So we are anticipating pictures the beginning of the week so stay tuned!!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that we received an email yesterday from DeNese, new CM, and she told us that Ray is expecting Duc to send him new photos of Derek this week. Today was their Independence Day and that has held things up briefly. We are praying that along with the photos will come info for us about our G&R date. We anticipate to be hearing this date sometime within the next week. As of Saturday Derek will be 5 months old and we will have had his referral for 2 months now. It seems like that 2 months went fairly quickly.
Yesterday I spent a few hours working in Derek's room and it is almost finished. I also did a ton of packing. The suitcases are getting heavy. I have one completed at least until we have our Travel Talk and then I will probably have to rearrange it. We are really getting VERY anxious to travel.
I'll let you know if we get those pictures and you'll have to stop in the salon to check them out if you get time. I can't legally post them until the adoption is final but I can maybe post a good description.
Keep watching!!!!!

Yesterday, after waking up with a migraine and being sick all day, we ventured on our bus trip. I knew it was a day that I should have stayed in bed but the seats were paid for and I think norm was looking forward to the day away so I humored him and went. Our trip was to Atlantic City to the casino. The noise and smoke just made things get worse as the day went on. I ended up sitting on the steps having Norm rubbing my neck and shoulders to try to alleviate it. No luck on that or any success on the 14 Advil I managed to down in the day. So I woke up this morning and I still am blessed with it. Been a long time since I felt this lousy. So I am taking the day to relax and watch the Nascar race. Something I have grown to LOVE over the last year. So anyway we had to pass by the Philadelphia Airport which is HUGE and as I watched planes coming and going I cried softly to myself thinking about the day we will board the plane (my first plane ride) and fly to get our precious son. What a wonderful day that will be. And our return home for our family to bond with and love Derek will be even better.
Hopefully we will get the new updated picture by the end of this week and we can see how much Derek has grown. That will be a bittersweet moment. It will be great to see him thriving and growing but sad to know what we have already missed. We are anticipating with great hope and faith that we will have a G&R ceremony date in the next week to 2 weeks. That will set up our travel time and that in itself is going to relieve a spot of stress for me.
The other news we got yesterday is that Norm's sister, mae is expecting their 3rd baby around Christmas or New Year. Someone for Derek to play with. They will be one year apart.

First let me start this day by saying:
HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!!!
It is hard to believe 15 beautiful years have gone by. I look at my daughter and see her growing up...literally (6 foot 1 inch)...but not only in size but in maturity also. She has always been kind, considerate, pleasant and most of all full of love for God and others in her life. She will always be a treasure of mine.
Now as we journey toward our NEW treasure I am making a plea to all who are reading and following our blog:
First of all THANK YOU to all of you who are following our journey, as you know it has been a very emotional one. I'm sure that isn't over by any means.
Second I am asking everyone out there to put their prayers into motion for us. I want everyone o PRAY that Norm will be holding Derek in his arms for Father's Day!!!!
I know prayer works because i wouldn't be where I am right now if not and if you wanted a list of things that have proven Power of Prayer to me I can make one for you. So I know it can work if we all come together and do it. Please for me!!!!

We haven't gotten any news about Derek for a couple weeks and as the phone call day approaches each passing day hold much emotion. We are excited at the beginning of the day and each time the phone rings I answer it with question and excitement that this may be "The Call" and at the end of the day and there has been no calls...we look forward to facing tomorrow!! We know the day is close and that it may only be a few more weeks and we'll be flying the friendly skies to get Derek home. We were hoping for an updated picture this week but that hasn't presented itself yet and I'm wondering if any will before we get to travel. I am just concerned by the measurements they gave us in comparison to the age they gave us as to whether they are in sync with each other. We aren't even sure what sizes to pack for Derek.
Well as the emotions continue to run rampant, we ask you to think of us often and remember to continue praying for us.
Thank You!!
Teresa

Okay, so today happens to be one of my "not so good" days. I try to overlook the fact that I am tired of WAITING and I tell myself and others that I am calm and that it is soon. Well deep, deep down my heart is aching so badly to go get Derek. I want to hold him so tight and kiss his cheeks. He is so beautiful and I can't wait to bring him home for everyone to meet. Wait til I can post his pictures...you will agree with how sweet he is. This has been one LOOOOOONG jouney and as it gets closer to the end I am getting more and more cranky with the wait.
I spoke with our new CM today, DeNese, and she seems very informative and sweet. I'm sure the relationship will grow as the time moves on. As my friend Michelle said in an email today soon we won't need our CM's we will have our babies. DeNese reassured the indication made to us earlier about our G&R being by the middle of June. If this really holds out we may be traveling in about 6 weeks or less hopefully!!! So maybe if we are really lucky we will get that call about the date for Mother's Day and we can be over there for Father's Day. I want Norm to have Derek in his arms on Father's Day so badly. The time is drawing near and the suspense is eating at me. I hate surprises as some of yu know and this is definatley one I am chomping at the bit about!!! She also said that there is still the possibility that we may not travel with Michelle & Jeff. If that happens I am going to be devastated. We are looking so forward to this time together with our babies. God has been good so far in keeping us together so as I told her I have faith THAT He will continue that for us. So as we now just sit each day and wait for the phone to ring with our date we look back over the whole process and progress we have made so far. WOW!!! We have accomplished alot. Keep praying with us for the phone to ring SOON!!!!

SAD DAY...HAPPY DAY!!!!!

I had to title this post because it reflects my feeling today. Today is the day that our very helpful and more than adequate case manager goes on maternity leave. We are as of Monday turned over to our new CM DeNese. Diane has assured me thatshe too will be wonderful and is very informative & helpful. Its just that feeling of having a "blankie" and you lost it at a store and your tummy churns everytime you think about it. I am nervous. With Diane I didn't ever feel afraid to call her or email her...she always comforted me. I'm sure DeNese and I will build a relationship too but I am going to miss Diane so much!!!
The happy side is that the reason Diane is leaving for now is because her baby is due in a couple weeks. This is so exciting and I can't wait to meet them in person. We are hoping to have Derek back home by the 23rd of June so that we can go to the agency picnic to show him off. Diane should be there too so I want to meet her so badly.
There has been no news about Derek or the dossier this week. Hopefully by the middle of May we will have our G&R date. I am so tired of waiting. Norm looked at me last night and once again said..."When are we going to finally get to go for my baby boy". He is so ready!!!

Yesterday was yet another day of shopping. Norm & I both worked in the morning and then loaded up the girls with the portable DVD player and their Ipods and off to Hershey Outlets we went. We found someawesome deals there. I have been searching with no luck for sundresses to take on our trip. Finally yesterday I went to the right place. I found numerous ones at The Dress Barn so I bought 2. They are the type of material that doesn't need ironed and they will pack really well. One more thing to check off of our list. The girls got some great deals at Aeropastale and I found a few tops for myself there too!!! Even Norm got a shirt. Then it was off to The Childrens Place...one of my favorite shops...and we found great stuff for Derek. Alyssa found the most items and the best prices. We had fun. Even Alyssa said when we got home that she had a good time...unusual for a soon to be 15 year old, especially mine. So I feel like I am making some headway on the packing which I better soon do.
Last night we went to a 25th wedding anniversary party for friends of ours. That was a great time. We got to be with some friends of ours that we unfortunately don't get together with often enough. We laughed about old times and made a few new memories to look back on next time we get together. Congrats to Chris & Tina for 25 years of marriage!!!!
I'm not sure what today hold for us yet. We have alot of things we'd like to accomplish today but it is rainy and that makes us lazy. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we are heading to Philly to the PA Hair Show. I love going there. Norm always goes with me. He is VERY supportive of my career. He truly is the best soulmate for me. I love that he wants to know what I do and to learn about my career. I'm not nearly as interested in his mechanic career though. I care but I don't get that into it. I hate the dirt. YUCK!!! All I think about is how dirty Derek is going to be after a day of tagging behind "DADDY" in the garage. Which remindsme...we got hime the cutest one piece shorts romper that says "Future CEO". I thought it was quite appropriate.
We probably won't hear much more on the adoption front until we get the call with our G&R date. So keep watching and I'll keep posting. Next week we will be getting our new case manager so I am a little on edge about that right now. I'm sure it will be fine. Just yet another adjustment to make in the process. Hopefully only about 3-4 more weeks and our paperwork will be back to the DIA and he will issue us our G&R date and we can begin our travel arrangements. We are looking so forward to getting to VN for Derek and also to CA to meet Michelle & Jeff. She has a few things in mind for us to do and see so we can't wait. I warned her it will be "rednecks" in the city when we get there. LOL!!!!

Wer received a phone call from Diane today with good news....She gave us a travel update!!! Here is the run down:

The DIA sent your dossier copies to the Department of Justice in DA Nang as
of last week. The DOJ has ordered the Da Nang orphanage to assemble a child
dossier. The orphanage director is currently working on collecting all
necessary paperwork for the dossier which should take about 7-10 days.


By the end of April the DOJ will have both the copy of your dossier and the
child dossier. They will then instruct the local security police to perform
an investigation on the child information. This is just a formality since
the police have already investigated the abandonment.


Then the DOJ will seek the endorsement of the Da Nang�s Peoples� Committee
before making a recommendation and final report back to the DIA in Hanoi.
Upon receiving the report from the DOJ the DIA will make the necessary
authorization or �final approval� for the DOJ to invite the families to go
to Vietnam to attend the G&R Ceremony.


We still do not know when you will be traveling, but we are still thinking
that it will probably be in June.

So please continue to pray with us that the paperwork continues to move quickly and that we may still have a chance to travel before they are anticipating.

I am so excited. I have been anxiously awaiting for the 1000th reader to view our blog. It is great to see so many people taking advantage of reading blogs. I have found many favorites and many very informative ones myself. I hope to all that haave read this blog so far that you have gained some sort of knowledge from it. We will continue to keep it updated for your enjoyment!!
Thanks Again Readers!!!
Teresa & Norm

Hope everyone had as great of an Easter as we did. We ate good, had wonderful family time and I must say Norm & I slept good last night for once. We have no news about Derek today. The one thing that has me on pins and needles at this point is that our case manager (Diane), whom might I add is wonderful, is going to be reassigning our case to another CM due to her maternity leave. We only have 2 weeks left with her (but who's counting, right!) and then we get a new one. I guess I probably don't need to tell you how nervous we are about this change. We have found a friend and a comfort in Diane that is unexplainable. She has been the oneto calm me when I get out of hand with worry. I'm sure our next CM will be wonderful too but Diane knows us and our case so well that I just want our dossier to complete its rounds and get a G&R date before she takes her leave. That would mean only 2 weeks and I doubt it will happen that quickly. I'm still going to wish for it though.
I have once again today decided to tackle some of the packing. What dilemna's. I don't know where to start really. I'm not sure what I should put in our carry ons and what to put in the regular luggage. This makes me crazy. Today I am sorting out the important items for our carry on and putting them in quart ziplock bags as required. Geez...we need to pack alot of stuff!!! I overpack just going to the beach for a week imagine what it looks like here packing for a foreigncountry for 3-4 weeks. Last night Michelle & I hashed around (over email) a few hotel choices and I think we might have it narrowed down. We are using the Sandy Beach Resort in DaNang and probably the Lucky 2 or Paradise in Hanoi. We want to stay someplace respectable and accomodating for the right price.
I haven't been feeling well for the last few days and I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. Friday I got hit with a nasty headache and dizziness and I can't seem to get rid of either. Hopefully only an inner ear infection which will go away with a little medication. I am going to take along Derek's medical info we received and try to get the doctor to look his blood test results over quickly. Not that I have any concerns but I am curious if they are okay.
When we hear more I'll post ithere!!! Keep watching!!!

Happy 4 month Birthday Derek!!!! We wish we were there to hold you and kiss you for your birthday but I promise we will make up for it as soon as we can. All that's left of the wait is in the hands of the officials there in Vietnam. As soon as that call comes we will be booking the flight, finishing packing, and pacing the floors til travel day. We can't wait to hold you.
Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Many of my blogger friends are in the process of working on their baby's nurseries and continue to ask about how Derek's is coming along. Well I have been putting off taking pictures because as you will see in these we have a little bit of everything all ove the place in there right now. It is our packing station for the time being. I try to add a few things to the suitcases each week. It's all part of the "hurry up and wait" process. We have not gotten crib bedding yet as that is something i thought we might get for a shower. As it stands, my dear SIL's were wanting to throw one before travel but because it may be sooner than we expected originally time is too short. They will have one after our return. They have however asked that we make a list of the must haves to come home to and they will make sure it is all in place for our return with Derek. How great is that. They are a great bunch of girls. One would be as lucky as me to have them in their lives. So I have put the bedding on the list among a few other items that came to mind. Actually it is a little overwhelming seeing as I haven't done this for 11 years and I forget alot of what to expect. Well reality will strike once Derek is in our arms and anything I forgot on the list I will be sure to email home about. So here are a few pictures. Keep in mind that this is our sitting room just off of our master bedroom so it will be a perfect place for him.
This is his incomplete crib so far. This is when you walk into the room. This is my creativity in curtains...I didn't feel like hemming once i cut these off so I just slit the bottoms to make them look like grass. I impressed myself. The huge 60" shelf is hiding the many holes that were holding up the girlie things I originally had on the wall. Check out the clothing tree in the corner, I bought it at a craft show. Too cute to pass up.
Here is the pile of luggage. I cannot wait to be done packing!!!!!
I know this isn't jungle looking but I thought it was so cute and soothing for above his crib. When he gets a little bigger I'll change it to jungle animals. And on the wall that the crib end is, I have his dresser but no decorations yet. Waiting for a rocking chair for in there too!!!

So this is a peek at the nursery. Hope you like it as much as we do!!!!

No new news on our paperwork...we don't expect to hear alot until the day they call with our G&R date now. Keep watching for updates though!!!