Tomorrow morning Wil has his CT and MRI. This should answer a few more questions for us about our next steps. We will also be sending copies of the scans to a doctor at Shriner's Children's Hospital in Philidelphia. This doctor was recommended to us by a friend from the Down syndrome community, Renee, who has a daughter, Kennedy, about to undergo spinal fusion for AOI and AAI. Dr. Betz has a great deal of experience in spinal fusion and has agreed to review Wil's scans. We are so grateful to him for that. And to Renee for pointing us toward him. If you have some time please say a prayer, or two, or three for Kennedy. If you take some time to read her story you will quickly see that she has been through a lot in her four years.

We will likely not get any definitive answers tomorrow but when we do I will let you know.

One week ago we headed to the mountains so that James could torture, I mean, challenge himself physically. The weekend was all about his races and we - Luke, Wil, Timothy and me - were his support team. Getting him to his races and cheering him across the finish line. The first race was the Rock2Rock, a challenging run up, over, and down a mountain. The race begins and ends at a beautiful camp for boys called Camp Rockmont. A camp we hope our boys will attend one day.

It was a grueling race, just as James remembered, but he finished in good time improving on is time last year by several minutes. He placed 38th out of the 130 or so that ran. And this is the best picture I got of him crossing the line - a certain 20 month old kept pulling on my shirt tail.

Wil and Timothy enjoyed cheering as the runners crossed the finish line. Luke on the other hand was completely uninterested because the runners wouldn't stop to talk to him, so he found someone that would. Pretending to be a bull with horseshoes is much more interesting than watching a bunch of people run.

James talked a fellow pastor from our fair city into driving up for the race. He was smiling at the end even though he predicted he would be limping for two days following. He also enjoys torturing, I mean challenging, himself athletically. I am glad James has friends like this as I have no interest in breaking a sweat.

After the race we joined our friends, who graciously allowed us to invade their home for a little homemade spaghetti, good conversation and a good nights sleep (Thanks Renda and Doug). James, however, had to delay his meal because I left the stroller in the parking lot of the camp. Yup, just drove off and left it behind the van where I had intended to fold it up and put it away - with James's wallet and a few other less valuable items in it. We really like to complicate our lives and find ways to do so no matter where we are. Thankfully the stroller and wallet were right where I left them.

The next morning we were off to the bike race. A metric century covering 67.9 miles of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The race started and finished at Carrier Park in Asheville.

There is James in red as they head out to the two lane road that starts the course. And as I watched them ride away I wondered if I would see James again. Just kidding, kind of. I was a little worried that his muscles would fail him after the run the evening before. And then there is the fact that he had never ridden 67 miles, or any miles for that matter, at this elevation. But he did great and came rolling back into the park around 4 hours eight minutes later.

The boys were happy to see him. Not for the same reason I was, they just wanted his food. You gotta love the "me" world of toddlers. Dad is famished from a long, grueling bike ride and they want to eat his food. And you gotta love a dad who shares it with them. They did work hard in supporting him throughout both his races. And Luke? Again, no interest. He stayed back with our friends where he had a captive audience and learned to flip coins.

So it was a whirlwind 24 hours but James got a great bike race under his belt before the big one coming up in a few weeks. And hopefully exposing the boys to the rigors and fun of training and competing will instill a love of the outdoors and athletics in them. And hopefully one day Luke will understand that these races are not all about winning. When asked about his quick trip to the mountains he replies, "Weeeell, dad lost both his races!"

Not long ago pregnant women over 35 were considered "at risk" of having a baby with Trisomy 21, Down syndrome, and encouraged to receive an amniocentesis or cvs to "rule it out." An amniocentesis, as well as chorionic villus sampling (cvs), are somewhat risky because they take amniotic fluid or tissue samples from the baby which can increase the risk of miscarriage. Many women opt out of these tests because they are not willing to take that risk.

Over the last 15 years screening tests have been developed that look at different markers in the mothers blood that, combined with age, give a "risk" ratio of having a baby with Ds. If the risk is high then the mother is encouraged to receive the diagnostic tests. These have traditionally been done around 18 weeks. More recently another marker, a plasma protein, was found to give indication of Down syndrome in the first trimester. Additionally all women are now presented with and encouraged to receive these screening tests. These blood tests are not diagnostic, they are just screenings, but many doctors are not explaining this and women are terminating pregnancies out of fear they will have a baby with Down syndrome. Doctors also are not providing an accurate picture of a child with Down syndrome. These two combined have really skyrocketed the abortion rate for those that receive a positive on these tests. The latest statistics make me heartsick. Of those that receive a positive on the above tests, 95% are aborted. Ninety Five percent!

And now there is a new test on the horizon. With this test on the market the future for kids like Wil is bleak. It is a diagnostic test that is non-invasive and apparently very accurate, at least preliminary results are indicating this. And it can be taken as soon as a positive pregnancy test is received. So women will be able to find out if they are pregnant with a child that has Ds before they even have their first bouts of morning sickness, first ultrasound, a growing tummy, or any time to bond and feel the baby they are carrying, before anyone even knows they are pregnant. This will be appealing to many many women who would have normally opted out of other diagnostic testing that was too invasive.

I simply do not understand what is fueling this drive to eliminate an entire people group. What is so scary about having kids like Wil in this world? Why are people with this kind of compassion a threat? Take a moment to read about the impact that Shellie Eyre had on her classmates. I'd say we need more people like this, not less.

It grieves me to know where we are headed. It grieves me to know that so many parents-to-be are grossly misled when receiving a positive pre-natal screening or diagnosis at a time when they are confused and scared. It grieves me to know that so many people in powerful positions believe that my son, and so many precious individuals like him, are such a burden to society that they should not even be born.

This time last year our family attended our first Dreamnight at the zoo. It is a really nice night designed to create a fun, safe environment for kids with special needs and their family. Everything is free, including dinner, and there is something going on around every corner. From a steal drum band to hoola hoop lessons to a dance floor. And of course there are the animals. Last year was nice but we left early because Luke started feeling bad which turned into round 15 of stomach virus for our family. This year everyone was well and, apart from the 100 degree heat, it was great fun for all the boys.
Like last year there was much fanfare at the entrance including bubbles and a tunnel of welcoming, smiling, and cheering volunteers that made the night possible.

You can't see it here but we were standing in front of big fans blowing mist. The young man and girl to the right are two sweet teenagers, also with Down syndrome, that were having a blast together. We ran into them at least three times during the evening and they were always laughing and cutting up.

Watching the bubbles. woooooooo.

Timothy enjoyed the merry-go-round although he was a bit skeptical.

And the big hit of the night? Dancing. Wil is not loosing his balance here. He is dancing. And he is dancing with confidence. Here he is slapping the ground and returning to stand as everyone follows the lead of the DJ. He had a great time. And his balance is really improving!!

Luke was happy to sit next to his buddy, P, during the ceremony. P has been his best pal all year. They share bathroom humor (unfortunately) tall tales (like werewolves visiting them at night), girlfriends (that's right they are becoming smitten with the girls), and a love of Pirates. It was very nice of the teachers to allow them to sit next to one another. Because during class? They have been "split up" for some time now. Evidently, P is just as chatty as Luke and the two of them together made the teachers head spin.

And now Luke has turned to give us a smile after his teacher had to give him and P the ole' "cut it out" pat on the shoulder. Note his teacher's arm over the pew. It pretty much stayed there the whole time.

Receiving of the Diploma. We now have a kindergartner.

Luke and J. J is evidently talking marriage. Luke, however, tells me that J is "too silly to be in love with." O (no pics of her), however, is much more the marrying kind and Luke reports that he loves her. When asked what he loves about her he says, "I like the way she looks." Turns out it is the green hair ribbon she adorns that really pulls him in.

Luke is so ready for his next phase. Me? Not so much.