March 18, 2012; 3 Weeks 6 Days Pregnant

Due Date: November 26, 2012

First Ultrasound Picture: April 5, 2012

Mommy's First Bump Picture: 4 Weeks Pregnant

Your Brother "Hugging" the Baby

Welcome to the World, Baby Wheeler!

Mommy is so sorry that it took so long for me to start a blog for you. Between finishing work at Orchard Place and trying to take care of your big brother, I've been very busy! But today, I felt you move from the outside for the very first time! And I realized that I can't delay this blog any longer.

Daddy and Beau are currently asleep on the coach, so I can't write for long. I just wanted to get a start on the blog for Baby Wheeler #2. When Mommy has more time, I will come back and write a longer blog post about the first 18 weeks of the pregnancy. For now baby Wheeler, I just want to say that we love you. You are so wanted. And Daddy, Beau, and I can't wait to meet you in November.

Love,

Mommy

Milestone
Felt You Move from the Outside for the First Time
June 27, 2012
18 weeks 2 days

Day 2

Day 2 (January 2, 1011)

Beau being fussy in his Daddy's arms. Teething, perhaps?

Day 1 (Jan 1)

Day 1 (January 1, 2011)

Beau playing in his jumperoo. Happy New Year!

Week 33 - 36: Settling In

Despicable Me

Toy Story 3

Dinner for Schmucks

35 Weeks 6 Days: Nana Ketcham's 48th Birthday!

First Blog Picture of Beau's Nursery: 36 Weeks 5 Days

Beau's changing table. These pictures were taken our last "official" date night before Beau's arrival... The day we saw Dinner for Schmucks in Des Moines.

A final view of Beau's nursery.

I'm so sorry, Beau. Your mother is totally slacking at creating "memories" for you via her blog posts! I fell so far behind again, that I started avoiding the idea of catching up like the plague! Well, better late than never, right? I will do my rest to remember and recount the important details from the last 3 weeks... But first.... I DID manage to watch 3 movies over the past 4 weeks! I will give you a quick overview!

Week 33: Despicable Me (18)

So, apparently Ty and I were unconsciously attempting to prepare ourselves for life with a child. Why? Because we saw 2 kid movies in a row during Weeks 33 and 34. And I swore that this "movie a week" project would only involve adult films! ( ; Anyway, Despicable Me was a animated flick starring Steve Carrell from our favorite TV show: The Office. The movie was actually quite cute! Hopefully children around the globe will now be able to add the word "despicable" to their vocabularies! ( ; Ty and I enjoyed the movie greatly, and we look forward to watching it with Beau someday. (Saturday, July 10th, Jordan Creek Mall)

Week 34: Toy Story 3 (19)

Again, kid movies are really not my typical choice for date nights. However, Toy Story 3 was playing in Osceola, it got great reviews, and Ty wanted to see it... Therefore, I sucked it up and tagged along to a matinee showing. Basically, Andy goes away to college, and the toys are accidentally donated to a daycare filled with mean, creepy toys and crazy, rough little children. Again, they go on great adventures trying to escape, etc, etc. Again, the movie was OK. Cute moments and all.... but Leonard Dicaprio in Inception would have been SO much better to look at! ( ; Cute kid movie, just not for me! (Saturday, July 17th, Osceola's Lyric Theatre).

Week 36: Dinner for Schmucks (20)

So apparently Steve Carrell is giving Robert Pattinson a run for his money... We've now seen 3 movies from each actor... And Dinner for Schmucks was a great addition to our "movie a week" adventure! Basically, the main character needs to find an "idiot" to bring to a big company supper in order to impress his boss and snag a big promotion at work. Steve Carrell is that idiot. And, boy, does Steve Carrell know how to play a "schmuck". The character is both endearing and clueless. Totally lovable and redeemable! His physical humor is so enjoyable to watch, and his little one-liners can be so funny and memorable. Definitely recommend the movie to others...

Oh, and Ty and I kinda considered this night our final "official" date night before Beau arrives. We ate at Macaroni Grill then watched the movie at Jordan Creek. Interesting side note: I actually finished my entire meal at Macaroni Grill (chicken spinach cannelloni) and I even made room for desert! (Friday, July 30th, Jordan Creek)

Pregnancy Wise:

Thankfully, Weeks 33 to 36 have been pretty quiet in terms of the pregnancy. Everything has appeared normal at my doctor's appointments. Baby's heart sounds great; his size looks right on target. My weight gain is normal; my labs are coming back normal. I haven't even struggled with any swelling yet!

At my 36 week appointment, I had my first internal exam... Ooh, I was rather nervous about that.... However, it wasn't that bad! Awkward? Yes. Uncomfortable? Definitely. But, nothing to get all worked up about! And the exciting part? I am almost 1 cm dilated! The doctor said that I am still "thick and high" (Translation: not effaced at all & the baby's head has not yet dropped into position). However, progress is progress, right? I didn't expect to show any signs of progressing forward this early in the game. So... Ty and I are pretty pumped! Finally, I also had my Group B Strep test, but I won't learn those results until next week.

I'm definitely continuing to feel more and more "heavy with child". Sleep continues to get more difficult... mostly due to my discomfort, constant bathroom trips, and Ty hogging the bed! ( ;

Ty and I have started to settle into a routine here in Osceola. I send most of my days sleeping in, watching junk TV, cleaning, messing around on the Internet, waiting for Ty to get home from work, eating supper together, going on walks, watching The Office, then hitting the sack! Ty and I have really tried to stick to taking nightly walks. That's gotta help with keeping me healthy and making good progress with labor and delivery, right? Well, either way, we really enjoy our walks around Osceola. The walks always remind me of why we moved to a small town in the first place.

Speaking of small towns, Beau and I spent most of Week 35 at Grandma and Grandpa Ketchams house! We spent lots of time grilling out and watching the "explosion of color" on the back patio. We got to watch Uncle Aaron in a children's theatre play, listen to Andrew and Jimmy play at the library, and we even did water aerobics with Grandma Susan! It was a really fun couple of days... Poor Grandma Susan cried when we drove away. As she (probably correctly) pointed out, it was the last time she would see Beau and I before he was an "outside baby". Kinda weird, huh?

Oh, and during Week 35, Beau got to meet all the old high-school gang! Sara & Scott, Alisha & Justin, Ann & Egon, Jessica & Josh, Robbi & Kevin, and Cassie.... we all met up in Des Moines. Went shopping at Jordan Creek, went swimming at the hotel, went out to eat, and had a lovely little baby shower for Beau! Played some games... apparently men are quite good at guessing a pregnant woman's waist size! Ty and Egon almost won, but Robbi did eventually take home the prize!

The whole day was just a really great chance to catch up with everyone (Even if slacker auntie Hailee was too busy getting stung by water moccasins to attend!) As Ann aptly stated, it's pretty amazing that we are all finally old enough to have legitimate, planned, highly-wanted and anticipated children.

Again, sorry for the long post. Lots of memories to document. Now... Only 3 Weeks until Beau's due date!

Week 29-32: The Move

So, it happened. Ty and I are officially residents of Clarke County: citizens of Ty's hometown of Osceola, Iowa.

The big move from Omaha to Osceola took place on Saturday, June 19th. I was 31 weeks pregnant with Mr. William Beau. The move went very smoothly. Andrew, Anthony, Aaron, Grandma Susan, and Grandpa Jay were all part of the moving troope. I'm not gonna lie.... I felt kinda spoiled during the move! Due to my ever expanding mid-section, I was forbidden from lugging boxes up and down the stairs. So, I got to hang out upstairs, simply directing traffic and cleaning like mad. (I must admit... at times, this pregnancy-thing has its perks!)

Later the following week, Mom and Anna came over to help paint the nursery and finish unpacking. Ty was just certain that we would create a royal mess painting the nursery, but except for Mom throwing her shorts into the paint bucket, it went off without a hitch! ( ; Mom and Anna then helped me finish putting everything away, for which I am eternally grateful! Let's just say that my mother should be employed as an interventionist for hoarders: the woman works miracles!

Mom and Anna stuck around through Sunday, because Saturday was Beau's Osceola babyshower. Oh my gosh, Emily and the girls put together such a nice shower! The shower was dinosaur-themed, with little dinosaur figurines, dinosaur books, and one very cute stuffed dinosaur decorating the tables. The women of Osceola were very gracious and giving. Beau got lots of great baby-gear. Mom and Grandma Ketcham gave Beau a bassinet, and Carol got us his adorable highchair. Except for a few basic items, I think Beau has received about everything that a newborn could possibly need!

The weekend after the babyshower was busy, too. Carol and Brock both celebrated significant birthday landmarks. Carol turned 50, while Brock turned 25 years old. The entire Wheeler clan met at a state park and celebrated with grilling out, cake, stumbling around in canoes and a paddle boat, & just generally relaxing in the great outdoors. The 4th of July was rainy, but we managed to still enjoy ourselves while poking fun at the assortment of local townsfolk who appeared for the festivities.

Whew, I didn't realize how much has transpired since moving 17 days ago! No wonder I haven't had a chance to update the blog lately! Hopefully, the previous narrative of the last couple of weeks got the blog back up to speed.... But now, I should probably move on to the more traditional blog fare....

Week 32: Eclipse (17)

So, I slacked major in my movie-a-week goal.... but, I think that the move made for a very reasonable excuse! I did, however, manage to see one movie over the last 4 weeks. Eclipse! The third book of the Twilight series. Libby and I met Emily in Des Moines, and we saw the movie together at Jordan Creek. And.... it was amazing! Libby thought it was the best of the Twilight movies. Emily and I just enjoyed it thoroughly! The action was great... Kirsten Stewart and Taylor Lautner's acting seems to be improving... The love triangle tension was great! And, as Libby aptly pointed out, the movie had more humorous moments, as well. I can not wait to drag Ty with me to see it again! I know that Ty just can't wait! (Jordan Creek, Wednesday, 6/30/10)

Pregnancy-wise, Beau and I have had 2 more great check-ups! I'm still measuring right on target. I've gained about 20 to 25 pounds, right where the doctor wants me. All of my labs have come back normal, and Beau's heartbeat sounds good! I had my first regular appointment with my new ob in Des Moines. She's great, and I'm looking forward to getting more comfortable with the new clinic with each progressive appointment. J.R. drove me to the appointment, and we had quite a nice day together! Even IF he started out the cartrip by giving me a list of topics of conversation that were off-limits. Oh, and can I get a holla.... Holla! Ty and I finally have insurance again! We survived the month of June insurance-less. Thank you, William Beau, for cooperating and behaving like a gentleman during the month of June! Daddy and I very much appreciate it!

Beau has been moving around like crazy during the past 4 weeks. I thought that fetal movement was supposed to decrease as the pregnancy got further along; however, Beau has just been going to town recently! The movement continues to feel less like kicks and more like bumps and rolls. I've spent a lot of time lately just watching my stomach roll, almost like a wave, at times. My bellybutton... well, it's gone. ) ; Even the bellybutton "ledge" has disappeared. Oh well, it was bound to happen sometime!

Finally, pregnancy is starting to get a little more difficult. My lower back hurts a lot. I often have difficulty finding a comfortable position while sitting or laying down. Standing feels best; however, I get tired and my feet start to hurt pretty quickly. It's getting more and more difficult to get out of bed.... literally! I kinda have to roll quickly to the side, to gain some momentum, before trying to hoist myself up... Sometimes, I kinda feel like a beached whale or upside-down turtle! And do you know what Ty called me the other day???

Ty and Libby were watching a movie, while I was napping on the couch. Apparently, Ty looked over at my poor, innocent, sleeping pregnant figure (I guess that my arms and legs were kinda splayed with my head hanging back and my big ole' belly sticking out prominently) and he told Libby that I looked like a piece of "bloated roadkill". Bah!! After hearing that comment, there has got to be a piece of jewelry out there with my name on it.

Well, I know this blog was lengthy, but I did have 4 weeks of events to catch up on. I promise that next week's will be more brief. Until next time....

Beau is scheduled to arrive 47 days from today! He should measure about 17 to 18.5 inches long. He should weigh between 4 to 6 pounds. He's about the size of a honeydew fruit! Ty and I are getting closer and closer to meeting our little man!

28 Weeks: Moving Right Along

28 Weeks and 6 Days: Dress that I wore to the shower. Oh, and I got a much-needed haircut!

Just a further-back picture of the dress.

So, one of the gifts from my coworkers was a "Moby wrap". It's basically a huge piece of breathable black cloth that can be wrapped around your body in all sorts of positions in order to cradle the baby to your chest in a sling. Well, Ty instantly made fun of me about this gift, saying that I would never use it because I would never take the time to sit down and figure it out. So... Ty took it upon himself to show me how it was done! Pretty impressive, huh? Oh, and Panda cooperated very well with the demonstration! ( :

Just another cute picture of Ty cradling Panda in a different sling position, while studiously examining the instruction manual.

Ty graciously allowed me to play with the Moby wrap, too, frequently complaining, "Well, this isn't really gonna work on you right now because of your belly!"

A picture of my coworker baby shower gifts. Oh, it's not in the picture, but envision a little infant bathtub in there, too! Ty and I feel so blessed!

Sorry, but no movie review again this week! Between my official baby shower and Ty arriving later in the evening in Osceola, we missed the movie theater again. Ty did, however, somehow manage to watch all three of the Back to the Future movies this weekend. Between my bouts of snoring, I probably managed to watch about one and a half of the movies with him! Wow, Ty seriously loves those movies. I think that he has a secret dream to actually be Marty McFly. Now, if he can only find his Doc Brown...

My 28 week doctor's appointment went great. Everything checked out right on target! Beau's heartbeat sounded great. The doctor giggled and remarked about how much Beau was moving around while she was using the doppler. My belly and Beau's growth measured right where it should be. Labs looked good. Pretty boring appointment; thank goodness boring is good when it comes to doctor's appointments and pregnancy! Oh, and the doctor remarked that she was glad that I am "finally" gaining weight. That kinda surprised me. I thought I had gained enough if not too much!

Had my final birthing class on Thursday. I attended class as a...sniff, sniff.... single mother! ) ; It really was too bad that Ty missed the final class.... it was about caring for a newborn, and the teacher lectured about what newborns really look like after they are born. Well, Ty always goes into a fit of giggles when he sees just-born babies on TV. He laughs because he thinks they always look so pissed off and angry.... I say, just wait until he discovers their cone-shaped heads and squashed-looking noses!

Finally, Saturday was my first "official" baby shower. For whatever reason, I was really nervous! Don't get me wrong: I felt very excited and grateful, but I was super nervous about being the center of attention for such a prolonged period of time. (Yes, JR, you read that correct. I sometimes feel uncomfortable being the center of attention. Surprising, right?) Anyway, I calmed my nerves and had a great time at the shower. About 10 coworkers showed up, a couple more sent gifts with those who did attend. Really, it was very laid-back. We just hung out, ate, giggled, and opened presents. The whole experience was a great reminder of how blessed I have been by fantastic coworkers during my two and a half years at Immanuel.

By the way, Ty's first week as chief financial officer/city-clerk of Osceola appeared to go great! Ty applied to become a notary, and he is now authorized to sign city checks. For some strange reason, however, he appeared to be most proud of signing two cemetary plot deeds.... What a sad, strange, funny little man.... ( ;

By the end of Week 28, there are only 78 days until Baby Beau is due to arrive! Oh, and Beau is now officially "squash"-sized, approximately 15 to 17 inches long and 2.5 to 4 pounds heavy!

Coming Next Week: Audrey's Bachelorette Pad and Ty's Disrepectful Attitude toward the Elderly (Oooh, just wait until you hear this one!)

27 Weeks: Time

The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

27 Weeks and 5 Days

At Aaron's confirmation party, we got to spend some time with the neighbor's 4 month old baby boy, Blake. How does Ty look?

I have a feeling that I can expect to see this confused, disconcerted look on Ty's face many, many times in the upcoming months....

Uncle Anthony with baby Blake. Wow, Anthony just can not wait for Beau to arrive...

The assembled crib! With the beloved bedding set!

After we put together the crib and recliner, I kinda wanted to see all of our big purchases so far (minus the rest of the nursery furniture) together in one place. Looking at this picture kinda makes me feel all warm inside!! ( :

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (16)

So, Ty and I weren't exactly chomping at the bit to see this movie. However, I had 2 free movie tickets from work, so we thought "What the heck!" To my surprise, I did not fall asleep during the movie! Despite my drowsiness, lack of interest in the movie, and the film's two hour length, the movie was action-packed enough that Ty's shoulder did not get covered in drool this time around! (Unlike while watching IronMan II last week). It was just one of your typical summer blockbuster films. Nothing special but entertaining enough. Ty and I did enjoy a final nice night out on the town in Omaha. We ate pizza at La Casa, said goodbye to one of Ty's coworkers, and saw a movie. Overall, it was a very relaxing, enjoyable end to Ty's residence in the city of Omaha. (Twin Creek Cinema, Friday, 05/28/10)

Another big week during the pregnancy: Ty and I met our new ob-gyn and toured the hospital where Beau will be born. The new OB and her practice seemed great! Very personable, sweet, accomodating, and professional. And the nurse on our hospital tour spoke highly of their practice, as well. The tour of Mercy was amazing. The nurse was incredibly thorough and professional, providing lots of information and clearly answering all of our questions (plus some!). The rooms are beautiful, with great amenities. Each room has a jacuzzi tub that I am excited to use for pain relief during the early stages of labor (prior to the epidural of course!). And seeing the nursery was really incredible, too. To imagine seeing baby Beau in there....

Overall, Ty and I feel greatly relieved to have finalized the transition to a new doctor and birthing center. But, wow, touring the hospital for me was a serious reality check. While Ty was all chipper and excited following the tour, I felt surprisingly sober and...well, kinda scared! Seeing the room where Beau will be born and the nursery where he will sleep... it just made everything seem very realistic, tangible and imminent! As I write this blog post, I still get nervous thinking about the tour! I don't know that I'm quite ready for Mr. William Beau to arrive yet!

I'm eagerly anticipating his arrival, but I'd be lying if I said that I feel ready for him! I'm really glad that we have 12 weeks left before Beau joins our family. First, I'm really enjoying the pregnancy. It's so amazing feeling him move around. Second, I feel like I still have a lot of preparation to do! I feel like there are so many books I need to read before then! And third.....Well, I haven't quite mentally prepared myself for labor and delivery yet.... Gulp! I suppose that's why pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, to give moms and dads over nine months to prepare.... But suddenly, I'm starting to wonder... where did those first six months go????

Finally, Ty officially moved over to Osceola this week... He is now a resident of (and employee of) the city of Osceola, Iowa. Before Ty left, he wondered whether putting together some of the baby furniture would help keep me entertained during his absence. So, he helped me (OK, let's be honest: I helped him) put together our crib and glider. Again, putting together the crib made the future seem very tangible again... (By the way, I was super pleased with how the bedding looked on the crib.) Just seeing everything together made me very anxious to set up Beau's nursery in our house in Osceola.

During the coming week, I have a doctor's appointment, my last birthing class, and my official work babyshower. Wow, Baby Beau really is coming, isn't he?