Offline Until Further Notice

Craziness.....that is our lives right now. Sheer craziness. On Sunday morning our little family will be hitting the road to move across the country. Please bear with us as we move and get settled into our new home. There will be plenty of pictures coming from Christmas and from our moving adventure! Check back after the first of the year for more from the Cooley's.

Santa Baby

Precious

Seventeen Things About Me

Well folks, yesterday I turned 17 weeks old. Mom is a little slow at getting my pictures put on this blog, but please forgive her. I require a lot of her time and attention! Here are 17 fun things about me:

1. My favorite person is my daddy.
2. I like to suck both my thumbs at the same time.
3. In the past few weeks I have started playing with my toys.
4. My new favorite toys are my feet.
5. I like to kick and splash in the bathtub and then laugh.
6. I wear a size 2 shoe (yes, this is a little large for a baby my age).
7. I don't like tummy time very much so I just roll from my tummy to my back.
8. I am working really hard on rolling from my back to my tummy. Although I don't know why,
because I don't like laying on my tummy.
9. I like to watch NCIS.
10. The ceiling fan is my best friend.
11. I only cry when I am hungry.
12. I smile after I spit-up.
13. I wear at least 7 bibs a day.
14. I like to sleep with my hands behind my head.
15. I like to sleep in the car.
16. I am a celebrity at my daddy's work.
17. I love to blow bubbles and drool.

Sweet 16

Eleanor went to the beach for the first time.

We're Back

Here is a slide show of photos from the past two weeks. More to come as our adventure continues.

Technical Difficulties

We are experiencing technical difficulties....be back soon!

Airplane

Eleanor did great on her first airplane ride. She fell asleep before the plane ever took off and woke up after we landed. She has really been so easy to travel with.

Suitcases and Rasberries

Going on vacation

Blowing Rasberries

Welome to the World Sarah!

Sarah Allyson Poe arrived safely today and was welcomed by her mommy and daddy, Meredith and Paul, with loving arms. She is beautiful!

Lucky 13

13 weeks old!

The day we came home from the hospital (2 days old).
My has she grown!

Dedicated

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up."

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Yesterday was a special day for our family. Daniel and I stood before our church body with Eleanor Grace and dedicated Eleanor to the Lord. We committed to raise our daughter in a home where God's name would be spoken of often and His commands repeated again and again. The verses above are the verses we chose for our daughter but also for ourselves. It is our prayer that Eleanor would learn to love the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, and strength because of the example we set for her.

Daniel reading the verses we had chosen for Eleanor

Our family

First Friends

Once a week, Eleanor and I meet up with some other mommies and babies at the mall and go for a stroll. It is a sweet time of fellowship and something I will definitely miss when we move at the end of December. Here are some pictures from this week's playdate.

This is how we roll!

This is Eleanor's very first friend, Liliana. Liliana's mommy and I worked together.

Our new friend Julia.

One sleepy little one!

Better by the Dozen

Happy Reformation Day

Red Rover Let Ella Roll Over!

Then and Now

Eleanor at 4 days old in her bouncy seat

Eleanor at 10 weeks and 6 days in her bouncy seat

11

Pumpkins

Eleanor looks like such a big girl sitting in the glider in her pumpkin pj's.

Thank you NaNa and PaPa for the great Fall pj's!

Double Digits

10 weeks...WOW! The past 10 weeks have been absolutely incredible! Words could not adequately describe all that I have felt and experienced in just a short period of time. On August 12th our lives were forever changed by the arrival of a tiny 6lb 10oz beautiful baby named Eleanor Grace. What a blessing! I am daily humbled by the fact that God chose Daniel and I to be Eleanor's parents. In our own strength and on our own we are so inadequate, but God chose us anyway. I hope I never take that reality for granted. In only a blink of an eye 10 weeks will have turned to 1 year and then to 1o years. It is my prayer that Daniel and I will live in the moment, cherish each day and not wish this time away. I am not saying I won't stop wishing for E to sleep through the night or to successfully nap in her crib during the day, but until that day comes I will enjoy the middle of the night feeding when she sleepily greets me with a huge smile as I change her diaper and nurse her back to sleep or the hours spent rocking her during the day as she coos and smiles in sweet slumber.

Happy Fall Y'all

Lil' Pumpkin

Family Fun

Sweet Little Lady Bug

Where Has The Time Gone

Ella is now 9 weeks old! I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by. This past week she had her two month well child check-up. She now weighs 10lbs 7oz (48%) and is 23 1/2 inches (95%) long . She is long and lean! Daniel and I both expected her to be over 12 lbs due to her very healthy appetite, but she surprised us. She took her shots like a champ and cried for only about 60 seconds. Not too long but long enough for mom to start crying! When it was all over I picked her up and she gave me that sweet smile that just melts my heart. She is becoming more and more vocal and loves to "talk" to her daddy. Without further ado, here are the pictures from this week.

Week 8

Ella is 8 weeks old! This week was really busy for Ella. She continues to light up the room with her sweet smile and successfully rolled over from her tummy to her back 5 consecutive times. We also took a family trip to the State Fair of Texas on Wednesday. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a Fletcher's Corny Dog and a Funnel Cake while Ella slept the morning away!

Ella's onesie reads "This is my little black dress."
Every girl needs a little black dress

Baby Ballerina

Ella's first pair of ballet slippers

I've Got Sunshine

Ella is such a happy baby.
She smiles ...

and smiles...

and smiles...

and smiles some more!

She even smiles in her sleep
She definitely provides a little sunshine on a cloudy day!

Weeks 5, 6, and 7

Some how the weeks keep slipping by without me even realizing it.

Photo Friday

Good Game

Yesterday, Daniel, Ella and I had lunch together at Panera. As we were leaving a sweet older lady came in with a companion. They both stopped and looked at Ella. Then as we proceeded to walk out the door, that sweet old lady patted me on the rear. Definitely a "good game" I will never forget!

My Girl

Na-Na and Papa Have Arrived

My mom and step-dad finally arrived yesterday afternoon after an adventure filled road trip. Thanks to Gustav they could not find a hotel to stay in anywhere in Louisiana. On a whim, after calling a number of places in Lafayette, they pulled into a hotel with partial electricity and found a single room available. So, after driving 15 plus hours they were able to get some rest. Yesterday was less of an adventure and they made it to Dallas in good time. However, they arrived only to find that Hurricane Ike was no longer a threat to FL but would now be headed to TX! Go figure!

Mom has been a huge help already! Today she helped me fold 5 loads of laundry. Yes, 5 huge loads of laundry. I don't have any trouble getting the laundry washed and dried, but folding is a whole other issue. While I napped (a rarity in my day), Na-Na folded laundry and spent time with Ella.

On another note, Ella saw the doctor today. She has some mild reflux, more excessive spit-up then reflux, but anyway, it involved lots of spit-up and lots of laundry! We were amazed to find out that she now weighs 8lbs 12oz despite the amount of spit-up she produces on a daily basis. The doctor has prescribed Zantac and we will see if this helps reduce the number of clothing changes (both mine and hers) that occur each day.

Ella is 4 weeks

Firsts

Ella has experienced a number of firsts over the past few days. She had her first bottle from daddy, she went out to dinner for the first time on Saturday evening and she attended church and Life Group for the first time yesterday.


Na -Na and Papa are on their way from FL to come visit! YEAH!

New Photos

Today I Am....

Heinz 57

Ok, so this post has nothing to do with ketchup but everything to do with catching up. Today, Ella is 3 weeks old (there will be a Today I Am... photo a little later as well as some other photos taken over the past week). Here is a run down on our life the past week:

* Ella had her two week appointment with the pediatrician last Thursday. She weighed in at a whopping 7lbs 4oz. This was such a shock because she had dropped down to 5lbs 11oz and eating really competes with her sleep. I was lucky if she would eat for more than 5 minutes at a time. She has also grown 2 inches. She is now 21 inches long! Until this past weekend I was having to set the alarm at night to wake Ella up to eat. She is now waking up on her own every 3 hours to eat. She is doing GREAT! Ella really made an impression on the doctor. While she was being weighed she decided she would go to the bathroom all over the scale. It brought about a good laugh for all!

* Ella went to visit her GiGi at work following her doctor's appointment. She slept the entire time.

* All of the hurricanes and tropical storms are causing havoc with my mom and stepdad's travel plans to come and see their newest granddaughter. They were supposed to be leaving FL this Thursday, but due to Gustav, Hannah, Ike and the newest storm out there, their travel plans are now on hold.

* Ella made her first trip to the bookstore over the weekend and came home with two new books. Daniel and I started reading to her each day while I was pregnant and have tried to continue to do so.

All else is well in Cooley world! No big plans for this week....just waiting on Na-Na and Papa to show up!

EDD and Some Great Photos!

Well, today was Ella's estimated delivery date! It is hard to believe that she has been in our arms for the past 15 days. It has been absolutely amazing! Everyone always says, "enjoy every minute because they grow up so quickly," and even though it has only been two weeks I can fully see that. Ella changes every single day and sometimes I just want to stop time so that I can enjoy her sweet little face just a while longer. Tomorrow we will see the pediatrician for her 2 week appointment. I can't wait to find out how much she has grown. She is definitely getting longer and has put on some weight as well. My tiny little one is not going to be tiny for much longer!

Also wanted to send you to our friend Jessica's blog to see some photos. Check them out here. You can go directly to the specific posts by looking on the left side of her blog. They are entitled: Meet Ella Grace, More of the Cooley's and Meet the Cooley's. If you are ever in need of a photographer, Jessica is extremely talented and LOVES what she does!

Ella! You're Too Old!

I Need a Hobby

Does taking pictures of my child count as a hobby? With the Olympics now over, I really need a hobby. I have read a couple of books over the past two weeks and have spent an inordinate amount of time on the internet, but seriously, I need a hobby. The problem is I am not crafty, I am way too frugal and I don't think my sweet little girl is ready to start playing organized sports for me to coach. I am enjoying being a SAHM, but I definitely need a hobby!

Cooley Trio

Makes My Heart Soar

Walking into a room and seeing my husband with our daughter makes my heart soar!

1 Week Already