My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!

Greetings from Minneapolis!
We're having a beautiful Fall season here in Mpls! We're enjoying watching the colors change and going for long evening walks, but we're really looking forward to the snow so we can break out the cross country skis and snowshoes! At REI's scratch-n-dent sale a few weeks ago Ben got a great deal on the ski attachments for Trek's Chariot jogger...bring on the snow!
Heather update...I'm still balancing three days of work a week and staying home two days with Trek. Finally after 9 months I've strapped on the running shoes and am slowly jogging again! My goal is to get back into triathlons next summer, but I'm just taking it one stride at a time! I think I would drown right now if I attempted to swim.
Ben update...Okontoe hockey league is underway every Tuesday and he's been playing worship at the Bethany House of Prayer on Thursdays. He's also played piano and keyboard at Bethany Church a couple times...he really misses leading, but enjoying none of the pressure being a guest musician!
Maiah is still sweet (sometimes naughty) Maiah! She's SO excited Mom's jogging again so she can stop with all the digging in the backyard!
Now onto Trek! October 1st he had an EUA (examination under anesthesia) and had to have the implant put in. There was damage to the optic nerve and the pressure was still quite high. Dr. Grajewski explained that she stitched it closed and then after 4-8 weeks, the stitches dissolve and it begins working. Fast forward to this past Monday, November 5th...Trek had another EUA, she said the right eye looks good, pressure is down and the implant is open and is a good size for his eye, but he did have a pretty long loose stitch that she had to re-do because it was most likely rubbing his eye lid every time he blinked. Unfortunately the left eye's pressure was high again, the eye has grown, but no futher damage to the optic nerve. Therefore, rather than putting the implant in, she did a smaller surgery, similar to his very first surgery. She said if anything, it will help prepare the eye for the implant down the road. His next EUA will be in 4-6 weeks and at that time the left eye may need the implant. He struggled a bit this time coming out of sedation, had a 100 degree temperature for awhile and his heart rate remained high so let's just say it was another long day at the hospital! It's always tough bringing him home with patches and shields, but he's such a tough little guy!
I was able to stay home with him all week because per Dr. G's orders, neither eye should be touched...easier said than done! Trek's crawling, climbing, standing unassisted for a few seconds...he's on the move!! He's currently enjoying Mom's homemade sweet potatoes, carrots and beans and loves to suck on Melba Toast!!
We've been so incredibly blessed with love, prayers and support from family, friends and people we won't ever meet. Feel free to click on any of the albums to the side of our main page and it will take you to all of our pictures! Trek's pre-op appointment last week weighed him in at 20.2 lbs and 27 1/2 inches long. We just can't get enough of his cheeks and rolls on his arms and legs! He still struggles being outside in the daylight and honestly it takes its toll sometimes not being able to enjoy the outdoors with him, but God is good and faithful and we know one day Trek will love playing outside...for now nighttime is our friend!
Happy Holidays to all of you!

Urgent prayers still needed

I am writing this with a heavy heart already and with great question as to what God's plan is in all of this. Anyway, I need to make this quick and this is just to give you more info into the medical world that Trek is living in these days. I am so proud of him though, and he is almost to the point now where he now longer cries when we are giving him the multiple drops every day. He is so strong and brave and at times I wish he could pass some of that to his dad.

Anyway we are going back in tomorrow to meet another surgeon who would be doing his second surgery, which could likely happen next week. Please pray, as from what I have read already this surgery has a much smaller success rate and has higher risks, and is also less of a permanent solution. Here are a few links that will help give you some more info. Also please feel free to use the comments section to send us any questions or thoughts as we are checking them daily.

http://www.answers.com/topic/tube-shunt-surgery?cat=health

http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/Tube-shunt-surgery-for-glaucoma

http://www.willsglaucoma.org/supportgroup/20020710.php

http://www.eyemdlink.com/EyeProcedure.asp?EyeProcedureID=45

Quick update on Trek

So sorry we have not called more of you. It can be so much to keep everyone updated with every detail. So here is a quick snap shot of everything since surgery day. He did pretty well with recovery, but we felt like he was still pretty sensitive and so we went back into the doctor that next Tues. He then switched up the drops a bit and said come see him on Friday. Went in on Friday and he got called into surgery and so we went back in to see him on Monday. He said he felt the left eye looked great and was still optomistic about the right, but thought we should move up his first EUA (Exam Under Anesthesia) to check his pressure. So this was scheduled for just this last Tuesday.

What a nightmare this was. We found out the time like early Tuesday morn and they told us no food for 4 hours before he goes under and so we stopped feeding at 12 since he was scheduled for 4:30. Well needless to say when we got there they told us what they meant was breast feeding only for 4 hours and all other food 6. So since he had some cereal we had to wait two more hours and then another 40 min for the doctor. So after being there at 2:30 as you have to be there 2 hours early, and then waiting forever, keep in mind the exam itself is only 15 min or so. So finally he went in for the exam, and before I forget they always have to monitor him for two hours after the exam as well. So needless to say we were there till 9:50 at night. I guess we should get used to these long exams as he will have to have these EUA's once a month at least for the first year or so.

Dr. came back out and confirmed that his left eye looked awesome and that his pressure was at a 14, but then also confirmed what we thought, that his right eye was still at about 27. He said he is not concerned at this point with vision loss and says he thinks it is still better than before surgery and he wanted to do some more things with meds and wait two more weeks before even thinking about another surgery to go in and put in a shunt or tube to help the right eye. So he sent us home and said if he does not improve call him right away, but that we would schedule another EUA for about 2 weeks out, and if we do not see really good improvement that he would also invite the other glaucoma doctor to be there, as he does not do the secondary type of surgery and the adult glaucoma surgeons do.

So in summary we are yet waiting again and continuing to pray for a miracle. Trek is doing awesome and he is the best baby anyone could ask for. Even when starving and waiting he is full of smiles and laughs and then just naps when he is tired. His eyes are doing better and he definitely does not keep them closed anymore. Also just today, we are really praying God is bringing him around, as he has been looking up all day and we even went outside a few times and he at least tried to open his eyes. Still quite a squint, but he did not bury his head immediately. So we are really praying that his right will come around and not need another surgery. Father, we pray that you continue to reduce the pressure in his right eye, and cause a complete healing.

Thanks again to all those who are praying and please continue.

Trek's Tender Eyes

Okay, even though I am a little on the sleep deprived side, I thought I would start documenting and letting everyone know what happened and how our little guy is doing. This may be multiple blogs just to divide things up and so you may need to really scroll down to read all of it. However, this is in reverse order in that the most recent things are actually more towards the bottom. Also, please feel free to comment with questions or send us an e-mail. Alright, so the story begins.

As some of you may or may not know the little Trekster has had an issue with sunlight, bright light and outside in general for some time now. I would say upwards of about 2-3 months. Poor thing would always look straight down and even keep his eyes closed when we were outside. Even when he was in the shade he would not look out to where it was bright as even that bothered him. His eyes would water and he would keep his head down and be a little irritated or frustrated with being out there. Then once you come inside he turns into a completely different little boy. So you may ask did the doctor say anything about this. Well we would always bring this up and say that he seemed to have one eye that watered a lot. So the doctor said it was most likely a plugged tear duct and that it would go away. At his 6 month appt, Heather was persistent and knew there was something really wrong. The doc suggested we see a pediatric ophthalmologist and so this is where the whirlwind really began.


So Friday morning we went in to see Dr. Ballard. The nurse came in and played all kind of games and tricks with Trek that he loved and she checked him as having a clean bill of health. Then the sprays in his eyes and drops started. Let’s just say that our normally very content little boy was no longer content. Even despite the really multiple long waits in the waiting room. Then the doctor came in and wanted to check the pressure in his eyes. So I had to hold my son down ad hold his arms down and his head still while the doctor held his eyes pried open and began sticking things into his eye. What a tough one that was. I have never heard my little guy scream like that ever before. It felt like someone was drilling a hole in my heart. Then Heather was also in the corner only half looking on and really crying pretty well herself. What a tough thing for a mother to see.

The doctor then began to tell us that he thought Trek had Congenital Glaucoma, and he started talking about membranes and corneas and all kinds of other things, and after this traumatic experience of which I was still trying to console my little boy, I was really struggling to even hear every other word of what he was talking about. So he said he would like to suggest we see a doctor at the UofM and he was even going to have us wait in the waiting room to see if he could get a hold of him right away. Now this seemed odd to me that he would not just ask us to contact him and make an appt., but again I was still only half there still thinking about my little boys screams which seemed to say dad why are you doing this to me and why are you letting these people do this. So I asked him to write down a couple things and I thought I would consult the ever so smart and famous Google when I got home.

We then stopped at Milios for a quick bite to eat and ran into my good friend Matt who was having his lunch break as well. This proved to be really great as Matt and his wife Julie were really great to us in the following 24 hrs or so. Upon getting home Trek was obviously very tired out and I was checking in at work as I did not want to go back into work after such a big deal and I wanted to of course get started as soon as possible talking to my friend Google. Heather and I talked and decided that since the Dr. at the UofM, Dr Bothun, had already called looking for us, that we would consult the insurance company to first see if this new Dr. was covered. We then thought we would try and make a 2nd opinion appt. somewhere and then also call Bothun and to have that scheduled in the meantime. I was a little overwhelmed with what I found while reading online and I will come to that very shortly. So I decided to go for a quick ride, as I was thinking about possibly doing a race on Saturday as I had someone ask me to partner up with them for a Time Trial race. Of course I kept my phone close by to answer should my wife need anything. Then while I was riding the phone did ring and it was Heather. Apparently, before we could call Dr. Bothun back, he had already called us. Now this was about 4pm and he says to Heather that he normally heads out about 4 but will stay as late as it takes to get in that day and see him. So I am riding harder than I have in a long time to get home, change, and reduce some sweating and then head to the UofM. Now I am starting to get a little nervous and really starting to seek God, as it must be pretty serious if this guy wants to still see us that day.


So we go in and a resident that was leaving sees us coming into an empty building and helps us get to Dr. Bothun. He also helps to get the questioning process started and he then stays as well through the exam. So again we go through another exam. However, I like this guy much better as he is much quicker and you can tell he has been doing this a lot. However, rather than using his hands, he has this small little clamp like device that holds open the eye by placing a side of it under each lid. So I ask Heather to look away as this would be even harder to probably see. Yep I was right, and so once again Trek is swaddled tight with his arms down and they again put numbing drops in his eyes and start looking at them. After this very quick look, he turns to us and says I am sorry but I have to confirm that he does in fact have glaucoma and then begins to sit down and really explain it to us as the procedure and even draws us a diagram of what he is talking about.
Okay so now I will explain a little bit about it. You can also obviously consult my friend Google as well if you would like more info, remember that some of it is good and some not so much. Oh before that, one thing I forgot. One of the symptoms of this is that the babies eyes can get very big as they stretch due to pressure which again I am about to talk about. So they kept asking us if we thought his eyes were so big. Yeah, think about that question. How do you answer that? I mean compared to what? I think all baby’s eyes are big and when people say wow what big eyes he has you take that as a compliment like, wow your baby is so cute.

Trek's Eyes continued

So what the heck is Congenital Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is basically the inability for the eyes to drain the fluid that your eye makes and needs (note this not tears). So what happens is that pressure builds up in your eyes and this pressure is not drained out correctly. I will try and scan a picture showing this info, but can not promise anything. So what you have is what I compare to a drain tile for your eye, and it goes all the way around your eye and the fluid runs off your eye and then passes out in another drain back into your body. When you look at a picture of your eye you have the round eye and obviously the eyeball in side of that. Then within that is your cornea and your pupil, etc. Also at the back of your eye is the optic nerve, which is very important as this tells your brain what you are seeing. So the reason that this issue is so urgent and serious is that when pressure builds up it will damage that optic nerve, and this would mean vision loss (note that when I say vision loss I do not mean glasses, I mean it is permanent). Also, what will happen when you are an infant is that the eye will stretch. There is a very thin membrane that goes over your cornea and when that stretches to capacity there is small tears that can happen. Again this is permanent and cannot be repaired once it has happened. At this time I will also note that technically congenital glaucoma is not a curable issue. Many times there is the need for multiple surgeries, sometimes meds and revisiting things when you are older as you monitor it very closely throughout your whole life. So here is how they fix it. If you have a weak stomach you may want to skip down to where I get back to Trek. What they do is cut into the white of your eye at the outside of your eye or the furthest away from your nose. They then flip this back and attempt to locate this canal or drainage area, they then take a tool and thread it into this canal going around your eye half way on one side and then half on the other side. This is still however done on only one side of your eye and then typically if this does not clear the flow they will then go in and cut another flap on the other side and do those two halves. Just recently though they have a new approved tool that has the potential for going all the way around the eye and clearing all possible fibers that may be causing blockage. This would then eliminate the need for the 2nd surgery for the other side of the eye. Here is a link to a video of this similar surgery, minus the new tool, please note this is graphic and if you do not have the stomach or are not age appropriate do not click this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsYqDWb_iwE
If neither if these options work they then would go in and put a tube into the eye to help drain the pressure. When you are an infant they do not wait and do the eyes separately, but rather operate on both eyes in the same surgery.

So back to Trek…wow this is getting long, and I apologize to those who may not have wanted the whole story. So when looking at Trek originally he could see there was a haze on both of his corneas as well as some tears in that membrane, of which he could not see much as Trek was obviously not too thrilled for having his eyes pried open. Also he could see that there was some damage already done to his optic nerves. He said do not panic at this however, as there is no way to determine vision loss at this point or what the loss might be. He also said that he has seen some nerves bounce back once the pressure is relieved. So he prescribed 2 different drops and an oral med for Trek to take that would eliminate much of the pressure and buy us some time, but definitely not be a long-term fix. He then talked about scheduling the OR for an exam and surgery as early as Monday or the latest Thurs. or Fri. So now we need to take some time and breathe, maybe. As we are waiting for the meds to be filled, we are just in shock from the last 10 hours or so, and I am anxious to get home and really begin to pray over Trek and consult my friend Google again for alternative options for glaucoma. Then the Dr. calls and says that he could even possibly get him in the next morning first thing to get this done, and he even calls back again a number of times to let us know how long he would be up still that night for us to contact him. Wow, the pressure is building and he is very anxious to get in. He says there is no benefit to waiting and not a huge risk for waiting since he had the meds, but still better to get it done soon. I then tell him that to be very honest that we needed to go home and pray about this. He then says that he is a Lutheran with Baptist flair and that he attends a regular men’s study, and he and his wife worked abroad with mission for a season.


So now the decision process begins. Our friends Matt and Julie offer to bring pizza over and hang out with us as we absorb the difficult news and decision. I am beginning to have a large amount of questions. I am not against doctors, but feel that many times we as Christians do not give God and significant enough time to seek Him and hear His answer. So I am wanting to take the week and have people pray over him and fast and pray for his healing. However, do I risk my son’s loss of vision over praying, and am I just praying because I feel like I have not devoted enough serious prayer to the situation. Then also I have to do what I believe will make my wife happy as well and be sure there is no way the enemy will allow blame for each other to settle in. I am literally going crazy trying to decide, and I then talk to my step dad who helps me to make my decision. He says, “will you have more regret if you wait and something happens to his vision, or if he is not healed and you think it is because you did not devote enough to prayer?” Hands down the first option as if God really wanted to heal then he could do it overnight. I also knew that Heather just wanted him better as soon as possible. So Matt & Julie leave and we hit the phone asking and pleading for prayers for him through the night. A huge thank you to all those who have prayed for him and please continue as he is not out of the woods yet as far as his eyes or development.


So begins possibly the hardest night of my life, and for sure as a father. Such a loss for words yet at the same time so many that you just want to scream. I spent much time in worship and prayer and watching him sleep and praying over him. I have not cried this hard in a long long time as I sat by his crib and prayed to God that if it was anything I had done to forgive me and not allow this to pass to my son. I then prayed that he would not endure anything more from that night on. I sat next to his crib and continued to look at him and pray for him, and tell him I love him so much over and over again. Heather began getting tired and I wanted her to go to bed as the next day was going to be a big one. I continued to sit with him and eventually fell asleep I think for about an hour maybe two that night as I fell asleep next to his crib. I just could not leave him. He is so precious when he is sleeping.

Trek's Eyes conclusion

The big day is here. I use a flashlight to test his eyes in the morning to see if God has moved just yet. He decides that instead he wants to shove the light in his mouth and make his whole face glow. How cute!!! We then pack up and head to the hospital about 10 am to get him registered. We arrive and get the paperwork done which is a bit tough as it was scheduled so late the night before. We then play with him in the waiting room for a long time. Russ and Loni come to sit with us, and they stayed through the whole day. Thank you guys so much it was great to have you there with us. We are then called up and he is changed into hospital standard issue garments. He looks so cute in them and he stays awake and playing with everyone for so long on really no sleep and not much food as his stomach needs to be empty. It is almost as if he knows he has to get all the playing in he can quick. Dr. Bothun then comes and says his and many people begin asking questions and more paperwork. It is nice as the OR is quite empty being it is the weekend so it is quite relaxed by all involved. The Dr. leaves again for a bit and then comes back and says, hey since you are all here would it be a great time to lay hands on Trek and pray for him, and so the Dr. actually leads us in a prayer for him and that God would be with Trek and with him as they go through it together.
The time is then here and they take him back and begin to put him under, at which point the Dr. would begin the full exam, and then come and talk with us. I am now praying with everything inside of me that he will come back out with the best news I have ever had. That 15min. felt like forever, and then my slight faith crisis begins. The Dr. comes to the waiting room to tell us that everything is as he expected, and that there are actually quite a larger number of tears in his membranes which will always be there, and some of them are across some of his main window of view. God what are you doing to me. We then give him the okay to proceed and they do one eye and then report that all went well and they are moving to eye two. The whole process took about 3 hours, and then he took a bit coming out of sedation so they could take his breathing tube out. The Dr. then meets us again in the waiting room and says that everything went really well and that he is waking up. He then says that it went really well in that for the first time ever, or second we can not remember, he was able to get all the way around 360 degrees in both eyes. He then warns us that our little guy would look like a little bug as he had shields on his eyes. I am then wishing the Dr. would walk faster as we are going back to see him. Then another heart hurter as we see our little guy with wires hooked to him and shields over his eyes. I am overwhelmed to see him move and still sad as he lets out a very what sounds like a raspy whimper, as if to say I am scared and where am I. Mom and Dad please let me hear your voices and hold me close, which is what we both do immediately upon arriving.

Okay, so I will speed up the rest of the story. They have to monitor him for 2 more hours as I hold him and my body is aching as I am not in the best position, but would not dream of letting go of my little boy. It was also special to see Heather nurse him…he was a hungry little guy as it had been 8 hours since he’d had milk! So we had a few other very small issues with parking and other things but we were finally home at about 7pm. We get to bed a little bit later and the night is a bit rough as he wakes up multiple times, which we are so not used to. He has spoiled us so much to this point, but the next night he would well make up for this. We then return to see the doc first thing in the morning. All checks out okay and no infection and we get all the care tips we need and instruction for administering drops. Also, instruction for the shields, which we find out, he would not need all day everyday, especially if we are right by him and can watch his hands. We are then blessed to see his eyes again for a little bit later that day. It is so good to see his little face, and even though it has not even been 12 hours I missed him so much.

I am really going to be brief now. Heather and I both decide to commit the time to him and his recovery and we have both been home from work for the past two days and will probably stay the whole week with him. Monday was okay as he kept his eyes closed till about 1pm and then spent some very funny time jumping in his jumper with his shields on which was so great and we even got some smiles and laughs, but the morning was very tough as he did not open his eyes. Then on Tuesday he seemed to really not want to open his eyes at all and was acting not so great with eating and other things. Just to be safe and feel good, we go and visit the Dr. again and he looks at him and all areas. He says his left eye looks great and the right is still coming along, but hopefully no reason to be concerned just yet. He cannot measure pressure just yet as this scheduled for a month out and he needs to have the healing take place first for a good read. However, he does listen to our concerns about his behavior and says let’s change up some of the drops a bit as he is doing well and see how that goes and then he will see him on Friday. He will then determine if there is still a good amount of concern and he has not improved, that he will move up the EUA to next week. (Examine Under Anesthesia) at least we think that is what it means. So back home and he then gives us his eyes for a good few hours this evening and late afternoon. So we are hoping all goes well tomorrow and we start to see him turn the corner for the good.

Okay, I think that is everything I can think of, or at least I am tired of typing this whole thing, and you can imagine how many times I have said all this already. Please again feel free to comment or e-mail with questions and prayers. Please, Please, Please continue to pray for him, as the Dr. will now be monitoring the pressure so closely especially this first year as if you remember from above it is so important to prevent vision loss.

Stay tuned for more updates as he recovers and our little boy comes back to life. Until then with a sigh of some relief and yet still on pins and needles, and on our knees, Heather and I thank all of you for your love and prayers.
God bless!

Up North w/Grandpa & Grandma S

Another long weekend called for Trek's second road trip. It was another good one and mom and dad were both very happy with how he did. We had made plans to spend the long weekend visiting my sister and kids and then spending a good portion of time at my dad's cabin in Mountain, WI. For the last few years we have been taking these holiday weekends to go up and help with the building process. So now with my wife and son this time we went to not roof the cabin or put on siding, but rather relax and enjoy the work from years previous. As you can see from the photo above Trek was fascinated with seeing fire for the first time. He stared at it for a long time trying to figure out what it was. It was really great to take in some Mountain air.
We loved hanging out on the deck that overlooks the whole yard and you can see down to the river that they are on. I had planned on bringing some rented kayaks up with us to enjoy some trips down river, but due to some neck issues that Heather had right before we left as well as other things it did not work out this time, so hopefully next year. It was kind of nice as well as we then were able to take the car and probably save quite a bit on gas. Not sure Maiah enjoyed the back seat as much as we know she enjoys the back of the truck, but she survived. We are still praying for a miraculous intervention with Maiah as it is hard to find people to watch her when we think of going places. She is such a sweety with people and so beautiful as a dog, but for some reason thinks it is time to rumble with every other K9 she meets. So it is always another fun challenge to keep dogs separate. So needless to say my sister Bill (aka Melanie) was also in town with their new dog and then my parents also have a dog. Saturday all the troops of my sister's came up in the bus and we did do some tubing down the river. Thank the Lord I was able to take advantage of sitting in the raft with the twins as the water was, leave you numb for hours, cold!! However we did manage to stick it out and make the 30 minute float. So much fun to command the raft as Josh aggressively paddled the whole time while Jared just wanted to sit quietly and observe nature. So close to a representation of their different personalities. Spent some more time together and the troops headed back home. We then made our trip to the local ice cream shop and Trek was so wiped he fell asleep on the 5 min trip there and did not wake up even when we stopped and slammed the doors a number of times. Ezra also stayed behind to hang out with us one more day. He was such a great addition to the remainder of our stay.
Sunday came and we all had a lazy morning, and dad and I shot the bow a bit at the target. After about 10 tries I finally started hitting the target. I think the sights were off for me though as well, and dad told me the wrong pin to sight in. I think he was worried about me making him look bad with my Robin Hood skills. Okay not really but dad is a pretty good shot. Would be fun to actually hunt that way some time. We then packed up and took a hike to Bagley rapids which is further down river. Would have been great to kayak to there, but again next year maybe. We then waited for Great Grandma to come and visit and Trek spent some quality time drooling on his favorite great grandma. Heather and I then decided that perhaps it would be best to head back to Mpls directly from up north and so we made the trip that night rather than staying over Sunday night. it was a late drive but nice as Trek slept soundly and there was no traffic. So we rolled in about midnight and had all day Monday to unwind, unpack (which man we have a lot more stuff now with the little guy), and get ready for another work week.
We gave Trek a bath when we were up there and it was the first time he really noticed he was in water and started splashing and playing in the water. So cute to see him splashing and laughing. We have a video I will have to post of this as well. He loved sitting in Grandma's sink and having everyone literally sit and stare at him and make all kinds of noises as we watched him play. It is always amazing to me how you can get full grown adults to act or what they say, all to make a baby smile or laugh. So Fun!!!!!! On Sunday he then actually had another impromptu bath as he had a bit of a blow out as he was playing on the floor. He had tipped over and we asked poor Ezra to sit him back up. When he went to push his back up all we heard was eeewwww!!! Sorry Ezra!!! He got himself a handful of green slimy poop courtesy of Trek. So back into the sink right away for some more playing time and the easiest way to clean up after those big blow outs.

Well okay stay tuned for more adventures as we come into mine and Heather's favorite season. We are hoping for many hikes, bike rides, and camping trips. Hmm, I wonder if Trek is old enough to carry his own backpack yet. Okay maybe not, I guess I will still carry his stuff in.

Our little yellow jersey winner

Summer is closing too fast

Okay, so we want to be sure and keep this blog as up to date as possible. So I thought I would jump on and give you all an update as well. I know Heather wishes that she could post something or at least a picture everyday.

Please remember that when you click on the albums to the left you then have access to all our web albums which are being updated even more regularly than the blog text.

So Trek is an amazing little boy who is so well behaved and so fun. He is sitting up on his own and grabbing anything within his reach, and he has just started getting his first teeth. So mom and dad have to be careful how many fingers they let in his mouth since he chomps down on all things that get close.

I have finished off my racing season this last saturday with a 3rd place finish in the MN State Road Race. 51 miles and I held on for a good finish. Had to stop up a bit in my sprint for the line due to some other riders and so possibly could have done better, but still a good end to the year. So much better than the race the few weeks before where I had my first crash in a long time. You can see the lovely war wounds of that race in the bike racing album. Trek and Heather were at the race as well and it is great to have them there for handing up water bottles and the cheering support. As you can see above Trek was supporting in his own yellow jersey, and then thought dad's medal or I should say the ribbon was fun to chew on as he shows it off for the camera.

Well just a quick post and I hope to soon find some time to again compile all the best moments of our little boy laughing and making noise on a video that we will post to the blog as well. Take care all and feel free to comment to our postings and contact us anytime. We love to talk to people now through video chatting on the computer and would love for you to join as well. Ask if you have questions.

Till next post!!!!

The Schinke Update....

We are having a wonderful summer and are so blessed with an amazing boy!
As a family we've been going for walks and bike rides, bbq-ing with friends, hosting family visitors, lovin' on Trek, and of course watching the Tour de France!
Ben has been racing a lot and having a successful cycling season. He won his first race and some sprints, has been working hard at Lominger, and is an incredible father and husband!
Heather went back to work part-time in May at TranCentral, stays home with Trek on Wednesdays and Fridays (she LOVES those days!) and just continues to be in awe of little Trek!
Trek has been a busy boy...no teeth yet BUT he's found his toes, can sit by himself, loves jumping in his johnny jump up, reaches for everything and if he gets it--yep, it's in his mouth immediately! He also has a smile that melts our hearts!
Thanks to everyone who has been able to come meet Trek and hang out...we really appreciate it!

To see more photos of what we've been up to, click on the photo albums to the left!
Also, once you click on an album, you can see all of our pictures from that site...enjoy!

Blessings to you all! Ben, Heather & Trek (a lick from Maiah!)