monkey, bunny, and spunky

lately, our sweet casey has to have all three of his buddies with him at all times. for almost a year, he's been attached to his green monkey, who goes everywhere with him. he's even allowed one "lovey" at school each day, so monkey tags along. monkey is deflated, dirty, and shaggy, but it has occurred to me recently that he is a big part of our family. i always make sure monkey is in tow before we head out anywhere.

bunny (brown rabbit) and spunky (blue dog), gifts from aunt lace and aunt mimi, respectively, have always hung out in the crib as extra babies to snuggle with at night. until about a month ago. now it's "mon-ee," "bunnee," "un-ee." you have to pay real close attention to distinguish the names, but casey asks for each at all times. it's very sweet, it really is, but sometimes, i think, "all of them? are you sure?" just this morning all rode to school, along with his fleece froggie blanket, and i couldn't even see casey in his car seat! he was covered by his buddies and blanket. but oh-so precious. in his carseat, he'll get bunny right in front of him and say, "'ello, bunny. 'ello bunny. 'ello bunny." i cannot help but giggle and turn around and tell him just how adorable he is. love the buddies.

frogs and snails and puppy dog tails...

that's what little boys are made of!
we are having another sweet boy! pictures are from my sonogram yesterday, at 20.5 weeks. he weighs about 14 oz right now, fully formed. what a beautiful miracle. he showed off a bit for us, so we would be sure. i cannot wait to see casey welcome his baby brother. i pray they will be the best of friends, close their entire lives long. thank you, father.

sweetest profile.

an arm on the left, foot on the right.

happy halloween!

i decided to take casey on his first trick-or-treat adventure this year. every evening i walk our dog, roxy, and push the stroller and casey for about 2 miles. i have gone this route since we moved into the neighborhood over four years ago. families along the way knew me before, watched my belly grow in pregnancy, and now have watched casey grow and grow. many stop us to talk to him and me regularly.

so for his first trick-or-treating adventure, i decided we'd go to a few of the friendly homes within the first couple of blocks in our daily route. he had a BLAST! he was in a furry monkey costume (with the cutest belly), and it did not bother him at all. he grabbed his sock monkey basket, said "bye, bye," and headed out the door. anytime he gets to walk around outside freely is the greatest time ever. but it was so much fun to walk around with him, hold his hand as we headed up sidewalks, and hear him say "hi!" to each kid that passed by. nani joined us, as daddy stayed behind to hand out candy. casey is such a sweetie. enjoy the pics!

the family grows...

kenny is a big brother!
joseph andrew collins koehler was born on tuesday, october 18, at 8:36 in the morning, weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces and was 18 inches long. it was love at first picture! proud mommy erin (trev's sister) is doing well, and their family of FOUR is just precious. thank you, Lord!

casey at school

ms. leslie, casey's teacher at St. David's Episcopal School, recently posted some new pics to the parent pages on their website. it is so fulfilling to see this little guy "in action." how i wish i could be a fly on the wall! love this boy!

celebrating a friend's birthday! casey far right

 bubbles in motor movement!

 finger printing mason jars for the fall fling.

 "following the leader" casey in back, picking nose :)

it's a baby!

i still don't know what all to say about this, other than God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. i remember a day when i thought i would never carry a child, and now i have a beautiful 18-month-old boy and a sweet miracle in my belly! when casey turned 1, i got back off birth control expecting another journey like the one we traveled to get our sweet casey. God had His own plans, and four months later, i took a positive pregnancy test. do what?!!! i laughed, i cried, and i dropped to my knees in total thanksgiving.

i am now just over 12 weeks (sweet sono pic at 10 weeks). i have to admit, these last seven or eight weeks have brought some fears. but i am supposed to fear not! "for the Lord my God will be with me wherever i go," joshua 1:9. i am due on april 23, so casey will be just over 2, 25 months hopefully. truth is, i love that my childREN will be so close in age, will be able to grow and learn together, and support each other their whole lives long. another child. amazing. thank you, our father in heaven.

talk about showing much sooner with a second! (12 weeks)

checking in...

goodness, i don't know why i always forget about this blog.

casey ended up having his surgery last wednesday, the 14th. dr. moe's office called monday morning to reschedule, so i spent the rest of that day running around like a mad woman trying to reschedule everything at work. i guess it helped ward off the nerves for a bit.

the surgery went well - only 20 minutes. we were with casey for 2 hours in pre-op and he did so well, considering he could have nothing to eat or drink. we played and read and even tried to color. when they took him from me, i lost it. it's so hard to watch your baby go back for any procedure. dr. moe came out exactly 20 minutes later and said all was well, everything went smoothly, and that i could see casey once he started to stir from the anesthesia. two hours later, i finally got to see my baby. the first sight was not pretty, similar to after his tubes. the nurse said they usually feel like they're stuck in a dream and can't get out of it, so they cry and cry. my poor little. :( it was hard. but they let me get on the bed with him and he calmed down and fell back asleep. we stayed in recovery for three hours, at least. his oxygen intake level kept dropping and it was driving the nurses crazy, but he was, of course, so congested. finally he came to and was fairly happy, so they let us go home. it was a rough afternoon, but he is such a trooper! the next day, you would've never guessed this kid had just had surgery! thank you, God our father, for protecting our boy.

yesterday, casey had his 18-month check-up at his pediatrician's office. he is a healthy, bouncy boy, that is for sure! he has grown 3 inches in the last 3 months - crazy!

trevor and i also celebrated 9 years yesterday. it's hard to believe it's been that "long." but i love to think about what all those 9 years have given us. and now it's a family. i love my husband so, and i love the blessings that God has bestowed. i hope all i do glorifies His name in all my thanksgivings.