buddy walk.

raise your hand if you know what the buddy walk is.  i'm betting the only people raising their hand know someone with Down syndrome.
the buddy walk, in indiana, takes place in indianapolis every year.  all the proceeds benefit Down syndrome indiana.  this is the statewide organization that does outreach to people who have Down syndrome, families who have little one's, and people who find themselves getting the news prenatally.
although the national Down syndrome adoption network (the organization that connected shilo's birth mother to us) isn't part of the indiana chapter, it is because of each state's chapter that woman with prenatal diagnoses are able to get more accurate and up to date information that what is often told to them at diagnoses.  they also are able to connect to other families who are already walking the path of raising a little with Ds.
the other thing they are able to do, is encourage parents who say, we don't want to have an abortion, but we really are certain that we are unable to raise a child with special needs.  and voila, they are able to be connected (because all of the chapters across the u.s. can connect with each other) the the ndsan, and talk through the options and choices that are available for placing a little one with a family prepared to raise a little one with Ds.

so as you can probably imagine, we are raising money for Down syndrome indiana, and participating in the walk.  we actually went last year, with some families we had met and been talking to about Down syndrome, and how it had affected their lives.  but this year we get to go with our awesome little in tow.  and she'll be surrounded by so many other people with that third copy of the twenty first chromosome, just like she has.
i set my goal low because i wasn't certain what to set it as honestly, and quickly surpassed the goal (and increased it as a result) and would love for people to give more.  again, none of this money is for us.  it all goes directly to Ds indiana.  feel free to share this blog post, the link to shilo's page, or add her giving button to your blog (if i can figure out how to add it to mine).

without further ado:  shilo's buddy walk giving page (she is part of a team called, 'buddy's beauties' with ten other girlies that also have Ds.  you should check out their pages as well.  lots of those families are the ones that have answered questions, visited, and encouraged through our ups and downs with shilo.)

i'm excited to see how much we bring in for a great organization!  if you are near indianapolis on october 13th, you should come to white river state park, and walk along the canal with us (and a billion other people).  you could meet my two cute kids and, as abigail likes to say, you could watch shilo, 'making nuts.'  (abigail's version when shilo gets wild and crazy with a toy.  i would saying she's going nuts, abigail would say she's making nuts.)