Waiting on Paityn!

Well, I was hoping the previous post I added would be the last before Paityn's arrival, but it's been 13 days since then and she is still not here yet! We are obviously so ready to meet her and the anticipation is overwhelming at times, but I'm getting through each day knowing she will be here soon and that the Lord has the perfect day set aside for her birth day. Spraining my ankle at 41 weeks pregnant almost sent me over the edge, but there was one sweet thing that came from that story. We were on a family walk around the neighborhood and I rolled my ankle while walking on the uneven brick roads. I was already pretty frustrated at the time with being extremely tired and over being pregnant, so when I hurt my ankle I immediately got emotional and wanted to have a complete break down. Laila made it all better though when she kept saying, "It's okay Mama! Just take a deep breath and relax." (I guess she's heard us say that to her a time or two before!) When we got home, she gave me her stuffed animals to cuddle with, and the next morning, the very first thing she said when she woke up was "How is your boo-boo, Mama?" Her kind heart and caring spirit brings my heart so much joy....I think seeing her react that way made the pain worth it! Although it definitely hurt to walk for a few days, luckily the sprain wasn't too bad. It's starting to feel better now, though it's not completely healed and I'm still trying to be extra careful with it.

Although I would much rather be holding her in my arms right now, I'm trying to find some positive reasons for Paityn's delay. One thing is that it's given me more time to prepare mentally and emotionally for her birth and get a little more organized at home. We have also been able to make some more memorable moments with Laila before we become a family of 4. She has been saying the funniest things lately and always keeps us laughing with her goofy little ways! She talks about Paityn all the time and is so excited to meet her...I think she is going to be an awesome big sister and I can't wait to see them together! Nate also had the opportunity to compete in his first triathlon this past weekend. Unfortunately, it was very early in the morning and I was feeling too miserable to get out of the house, but our friends got some really good pictures for me to see. He did so great and I am so proud of him! Can't wait to be cheering him on at the next one with both of our girls there as well!

Well, back to Paityn! Many of you know that we are planning on having Paityn's birth at the Heart 2 Heart Birth Center. The midwives and every one there have been wonderful and I feel very much at peace about being in their care. I have no idea how the whole thing will end up playing out in the end with her birth experience, but I know I am in good hands and that no matter what happens Paityn and I will be well taken care of. Since I'm past due and 41 weeks now, I had to have an ultrasound today. They said everything looked good and Paityn is doing great! I guess she is just comfy in there and not quite ready to make an appearance :) We've started doing some natural induction techniques, but it seems like they will give me at least a few more days to see if she comes on her own before we take the next steps of induction. I would like to do things as natural as possible, so as long as we are both healthy, I'm trying to be patient and not rush things along too much. We'll see what happens! I know the Lord has a plan for all of this and I am constantly in prayer asking Him to protect her and give me wisdom and guidance each step of the way (just like I'll be doing for the rest of her life!). I would really appreciate your continued prayers as well for a safe delivery and for her health....I truly covet your prayers!

Hope you enjoy the pictures below, and hopefully next time I'm writing on here will be to announce Paityn's arrival!!!

Laila and Mommy make a shirt for Paityn!

Baby belly at 40 weeks

Baby belly at 41 weeks

Slideshow of Nate's first triathlon....so proud of you Daddy!!!

Full of Joy!

Here are pictures from each month of Paityn growing in her Mommy's belly! :) I am so, so, so thankful this has been a healthy pregnancy so far and I would love your continued prayers for her safe delivery. Hopefully we'll be posting pics of her arrival very soon!

Almost ready to pop at 39 weeks!

Month 8

Month 7

Month 6

Month 5

Month 4

Month 3

Month 2

Month 1

Preparing for Paityn!

I just realized I haven't officially announced on our blog yet that we have chosen a name for our new baby girl! Her name will be Paityn Amber Schuck. We chose Paityn mainly because we thought it was a pretty name. One of the meanings we found for her name was "warrior of faith", and we pray that the meaning will hold true in her life and that she will live all of her days for the Lord. We chose Amber as her middle name after Joy's mom, who is a Godly christian women that has been so influential in our lives as a mother, mother-in-law, and a grandmother. We are honored for our daughter to share her name! We know she'll love her Ammy just like Laila does :)

It has been so fun preparing for Paityn's arrival! Nate has been working hard at my "honey-do" lists (thank you sweetheart) and I've been busy nesting to get organized and get the house ready for our soon to be family of 4! The nursery is pretty much staying the same from how we had it with Laila, and Laila has recently moved into her new room with a big girl bed! She loves it and it's been a very easy transition for her. We're so thankful for the hand-me-downs and for family that helped us prepare. Ammy, Great Nana, and Great Aunt DeDe were a huge help in getting Laila's room together. I love looking around the rooms and seeing pieces from different family members and the memories they bring :) Here are some pictures from the girl's new rooms!

Paityn's bassinet in Mommy and Daddy's room

Paityn's nursery

Laila's new big girl room!

In April, my best friend Erin, my sister Holly, and my mom threw a "Sprinkle" for me to celebrate our new little blessing on the way! It was a wonderful time with a small group of friends and my immediate family and I was so thankful to have this time to celebrate Paityn's upcoming arrival and to be showered with sweet gifts to help in preparing for her. I didn't do a great job at getting pictures of everyone that day, but check out the slideshow of pictures below from the "Sprinkle", as well as a few pregnancy pictures that Nate's sister took that same day.

Spring 2011

This Spring has been full of many special memories! From playdates with friends, a field trip to the farm with Laila's class, and celebrating Easter and Mother's Day with family, we have had so much fun! We've been very busy getting ready for the arrival of Paityn in mid May, but it's been nice to have had these moments with Laila before we begin life as a family of 4. We are SO excited to meet Paityn and it's been especially fun to see how excited Laila is to be a big sister :)

Paityn at 33 weeks in the womb!

Ammy treated us to a 3D/4D photo session so we could get a glimpse of our new little baby girl's face! Here is Paityn at 33 weeks in the womb! All of God's grace in one sweet face! :)

Daddy/Daughter Dance

Nate and Laila shared a very special date night together in March at Northland's Daddy/Daughter Dance! Laila was so excited to go to the "ball" and wear her new dress! As they were leaving she even looked over at Nate and said "Come on, Prince Daddy!"....so, so precious! They made so many awesome memories that night and hopefully it is something they'll be able to do together for years and years to come!

January & February 2011

This new year is flying by for us so far! We've been staying busy with work, Laila, and preparing things for our new baby girl on the way! Check out the slideshow below to see some of the fun things we've been up to these past few months!

Catching up on Videos!

I realized that other than on my last post it's been a while since I've posted any videos of Laila. Here are a few cute ones from the past 6 months or so that I thought you'd enjoy :)

Laila relaxing at Cocoa Beach in June!

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Go crazy video from August!

Laila dancing and being silly video from September!

Some cute Florida State videos from October and November....a girl after Mommy's heart :)

Treasure the Moment

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas this year! It was so neat to see Laila having a better understanding of the meaning of Christmas. One of the cutest things ever was hearing her sing Happy Birthday to Jesus! Her grandparents and family definitely spoiled her with gifts...she got tons of princess stuff this year and she is loving it! Nate and I were so thankful to find out we're having another girl so they can share all these girly things together :) Speaking of our new little girl on the way, read on after the following slideshow to find out the best Christmas morning surprise!

We waited to get our sonogram until December 22nd. We asked the doctor to write down the sex of the baby and put it in the envelope we had brought so that we could open it as a surprise for Christmas morning. She taped it up good to make sure there was no peeking til Christmas :) We are overjoyed and so thankful to our Lord that we have another healthy baby girl on the way! Thank you for your prayers so far and please pray with us that the rest of the pregnancy will go well and that our new daughter will continue to grow strong and healthy.

Our Christmas morning surprise!

It's a GIRL!!!

Laila is going to have a little sister!

Profile of our new little girl at 20 weeks in the womb!

20 weeks!

Our tree Christmas morning

Our Christmas stockings this year...Daddy, Mommy, Laila, and baby #2!

Video of our announcement to the family!

Video of Laila singing Happy Birthday to Jesus!

Video of Laila in her princess castle making up stories!

Farewell to 2010!! Hopefully we will get a post up soon in this new year! We are looking forward to 2011, meeting our new daughter, and all the other adventures the Lord has in store for us!

December Fun!

December was definitely a busy month but we made so many wonderful memories!

The first slideshow below is from my cousin Lindsey's wedding! Lindsey and Brett asked Laila to be the flower girl. She was absolutely adorable and the wedding was gorgeous! Congratulations again to Mr. and Mrs. Brett Moore!

This next slideshow is from other random things we did in the month of December....birthday parties, Christmas crafts with friends, and spending time with family!