2 announcements and a request!

Well, I didn't get to do a post yesterday so I will combine the one I planned for last night with tonight's post. As I said before I have some announcements that are rather exciting!
First, Casey and Connor will be in a new children's book about Down syndrome. The concept of the book is to show how typical children and adults with DS truly are. It is a book of pictures showcasing the many hobbies and interests that our kids have. Casey and Connor will be in the book along with several other children and adults including our good friend Toby.

I have never written about Toby before so I feel like you all deserve to know about him. He is 24 years old and absolutely outstanding. My family skydives. It has been a family hobby for more than half of my life. My big brothers are professional skydivers (sweet, right??) and my mom is a coach and used to teach first jump courses at the drop zone where they jumped. I never got the bug like the rest of them but I do have a respectable 7 jumps under my belt. A few years ago Toby came to make his first skydive. Having witnessed several hundred first jumps I was not all that impressed with 99.9% of the people that came to jump. Toby was different because he had this personality that grabbed your attention, a smile that melts your heart and he was just so JOYOUS about jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Toby also has Down syndrome.

I had no idea at the time that someone with Down syndrome was capable of jumping from a plane. I had seen a quadriplegic jump but never someone with DS. WOW! Toby did amazingly well and I saw more than one person shed a tear as we all gathered around to watch the video of his jump. Now, several years later, Toby also has 7 jumps and will pass me up next year in July.

Not only is Toby incredible but his family is as well. We all fell in love with them- all of them. I am a firm believer that God brings people into your life at the perfect time and this was no exception. Meeting Toby and seeing what he was capable of blew me away. When my boys were born Toby was one of the first people that popped into my head and it made the diagnosis just a bit easier.

As I mentioned earlier Toby will also be in the book with Casey and Connor and I think he will make more people see how much kids like mine can really do. It's such a blessing to know him and to share this cool experience with him.

So that was the first news.

The second news is another great opportunity for us to share the miracle men with the world. C&C will be going to Akron Children's hospital to participate in medical student lectures about Down syndrome. This is cool because we have the opportunity to speak with future doctors about what our lives are really like and we have their ears to share what we need them to know. So, I need your help, friends. I want to know what one piece of information or one piece of advice you would like the physicians of tomorrow to know about Down syndrome. Please comment on the blog or email me at meghan_wilkinson10808@yahoo.com I will compile a list and copy it to give to the students at the next sessions. I will also post the answers here so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a moment to respond. This is a huge chance for us to make our voices heard.

Alright, that's it for tonight. My littlest miracle is waking up to eat and then hopefully she will sleep for a solid 6-8 hours so I have the energy to chase those little monkeys around tomorrow! Thanks to my new followers!! We are up to 92 now! Only 8 more to hit my first goal. Also, please make sure you visit and like Casey and Connor at www.facebook.com/CaseyandConnor. They are over 450 fans!

Goodnight!