Any Day Now!

It is so hard to believe that Laila could be here any day now! Tomorrow is her due date!!! I've felt all along that she would be late, so we'll see what happens! For now we are just waiting and praying she will arrive happy and healthy. I've been feeling pretty good...just normal 9th month of pregnancy symptoms I guess. Last week at the doctor I was 2 cm and 50% effaced so I was happy for some progress. We go back tomorrow to see the doctor so maybe we'll find out if I progressed any more. I'm not sure that he can tell us too much though. For now it is just a waiting game....she'll be here when she's ready and on the day that the Lord has set aside as her birth day! I'm not sure if I will be writing again before she gets here, so please pray for a safe delivery for me and our baby. Hopefully many of you will be getting calls soon! We'll be writing and posting pictures of her as soon as we can!

The pictures below were taken of me today at full term! My how my belly has grown!

Laila's Nursery

Here is a little video clip and some pictures of Laila's nursery, as well as the bassinet in our bedroom that my aunt let me borrow which will be her first bed! We honestly could not have made her room so cute without the help of family! Thank heaven for grandparents!!! :) There will be finishing touches made and some more things hung on the wall after her arrival, but for now her room is set and ready for her to see! All that is missing now is Laila and we can't wait for her to be here!

Congratulations Phil and Jill!

Nate's cousin and his wife, Phillip and Jill, welcomed their beautiful baby boy into the world on May 2nd! Carson Stephen Schuck was born 7 lbs 7 oz and 22 inches! The holidays will be so much fun this year with two new babies! I guess this will make Carson and Laila 2nd cousins. The cool thing is that Phil and Nate were born days apart and Carson and Laila will be born only weeks apart!

Baby Belly at 35 weeks

And the belly keeps growing!!!! :)

Can't believe we only have a little over a month to go! I start my 9th month on Thursday!

Pictures of Laila in the womb!

This past weekend we got to see a little glimpse of Laila!!! My mom gave us the wonderful opportunity to do the 3D/4D ultrasound pictures. It was such a neat experience. Now we have clearer pictures of her and a 30 minute video of her sleeping and moving around in my belly. She was very comfortable in the position she was in and didn't want to pose for us too much, but they were still able to get a few good ones! Some of them are a little hard to make out if you don't know what you are looking at, but it kind of gives you an idea of what she is going to look like. I admit it is a little strange, but still very cool! Technology really is so amazing! Nate and our family say she looks like me, but we really won't know for sure until she gets here! It will be so fun to show these to her one day!

We can't say thank you enough!

Earlier this month we had our baby showers for Laila in Orlando. It was so good to see so many of our close friends and family. Thank you to those of you that were able to come to celebrate Laila or send your congratulations. We received so many great gifts to help us prepare for her arrival. We honestly can't say thank you enough for everything! We feel very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! Nate and I are very excited to start putting together the nursery in the next few weeks. We'll try to post pictures as it starts coming along. Here a few pictures for you to enjoy from our showers! Thanks again to all the wonderful hostesses! Everything was perfect....it was a very special time for me and a weekend I'll never forget! :) I especially loved all the sweet cards, words of encouragement, advice, and prayers that many of you shared with me! These will be things I will treasure forever. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Love,

Joy, Nate & Laila

Maternity Pictures

It's hard to believe I'm half way through my 8th month now! Laila's birthday will be here before we know it! Everything has been going good so far. I feel very blessed that my pregnancy has been pretty smooth up to this point. Of course I'm more uncomfortable the bigger I get and I am really looking forward to losing the extra weight, but I feel like I shouldn't complain too much because I know it could be a lot worse! :) I'm hoping to be able to work up until my due date, so hopefully things will continue to go smoothly this next month. Please continue to keep us in your prayers during this time. It's so exciting seeing and feeling her move around in my tummy. She's kicking me and wiggling around a little now as I am writing!!!

Last month, Nate's sister Bekah took some maternity pictures for us. She is an awesome photographer located in the Orlando area. I've put up a few for you to see. Yes, I know I'm big, but this is me trying to be transparent and document my pregnancy as best I can! These pictures will always be a reminder to us of a very special time in our lives - preparing for the birth of our first child!

Schuck Architecture & Design

It’s Official! Schuck Architecture & Design can now be found online!

I am so excited to announce that our website has finally been launched! www.schuckdesign.com has allowed us to showcase our passion for design to all who wish to learn more about our services and expertise. We strive to provide the highest quality architectural design for those looking to build a new custom home, renovate or add onto an existing home or develop a townhome or condominium subdivision. Please log on and check out all the information available about our firm and pass along our web address to anyone you know that may be interested in our services. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you and share in the excitement of designing a new home!

God Bless!

Nate Schuck
President - Design Principal
Schuck Architecture & Design
www.schuckdesign.com

Isaac is here!

Our good friends John and Erin Moss had their little baby boy this weekend! Isaac Andrew Moss was born on March 7 at 4:55 PM. He is healthy and weighs 6 lb. 12 oz.! Nate and I can't wait to meet him next weekend!

"Joy"ous Times!!!

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant on my 28th birthday!!! :) It has been a good day! Thank you so much to all of you that called, texted, or sent cards to wish me a Happy Birthday! Besides making me breakfast, lunch, taking me to dinner, and getting me gorgeous flowers, my wonderful husband bought me Carvel ice-cream cake, which I am very excited about...it has been my favorite since I was a little girl! Yummy! He also bought me a beautiful keepsake box that we will fill with trinkets marking precious moments we will be making with Laila as she grows (like her first tooth or the first outfit we will bring her home in)! I can't wait for her birthday so we can start putting things in it in the years to come!

I guess it has been about a month since I've written on our blog, so here is a little update. I am in my 3rd trimester and 7th month now, and I am feeling pretty good. We have been busy picking out things for Laila's nursery and registering (which is so overwhelming because there are SO many choices)!! I can't wait to start getting things ready for her over these last few months before she arrives!

I hope you are all doing wonderful! You are all in our thoughts often! Take care!

In His Joy,

Joy