Windy City ReCap

Daniel and I had a good trip to Illinois. We made sure it was a good mix of both business and pleasure. On the business side, our campus visit went well. We met with a couple of profs, sat in on a class, toured the campus, etc. On the pleasure side, we made the most of our time in Chi-town. We visited with some good friends, ate good food and just enjoyed time with one another.
Here are a few highlights in photos:

The best pizza I have ever eaten!Me and my man!
We watched the Cubs beat the Mets at Wrigley Field
The Art Institute of Chicago - we only made it through part of it - can I just say IMPRESSIVE!
The two specks in the middle on the left is usPhotos on The Bean in Millennium Park
Love

Chi-Town

Well, tomorrow morning Daniel and I are headed to Chicago. This is not a vacation, but more a scouting trip for us to check out our "new home." Yes, Daniel and I are moving to the Chicago area. What a shock for this Florida girl who has been transplanted in Texas for the past 8 years and who thinks anything under 70 degrees is just WRONG! I have never been to Chicago so I am looking forward to exploring the city even if it is cold, windy and rainy in the middle of April!

Daniel has been accepted to a PhD program at Trinity Divinity School and will be starting the program in January. He was originally accepted for the Fall semester, but there was one tiny problem. The first day of classes just happened to coincide with my due date! YIKES! Not exactly the perfect circumstances for a cross country move to a new city. So instead of causing his wife to go into a frenzy, my sweet husband petitioned to defer his start date until January and the program director in his infinite wisdom (knowing that a hormonal pregnant woman is a force to be reckoned with) approved his petition.

So, we are making the trip to check out the campus, meet with faculty and staff, and scout out areas where we may want to live. We are tentatively planning to move at the beginning of November.

Pictures to come next week.

Oh, oh we're halfway there.....

I HEART ELLA GRACE

This is the same shirt I wore in my 15 week pic. What a difference!

Up Close and Personal

Need I Say More

What's In A Name?

Naming a baby is not easy! Although, I have to admit Daniel and I did not have a difficult time coming up with our little girl's name. For months, even before we found out we were pregnant we talked about what we would name our first child, or at least I talked about it and every now and then Daniel would throw in a thought or two. If it was a boy, it would be named after our fathers and Daniel's grandfather. If it was a girl, we would name her Ella. Once we found out we were pregnant we would talk about whether this baby would be Will or Ella. One night as we were getting ready for bed, Daniel asked, "What do you think about the name Eleanor?" I told him I liked it, but that it was a very traditional name. He said, "If the baby is a girl, I think we should name her Eleanor and call her Ella." I then asked him if he knew that Eleanor was my Nana's name. He did not, but that sealed the deal. Our little girl would be named Eleanor Grace. We chose the middle name Grace, because this baby is an unmerited gift from God. That's what's in a name!

Daddy Knows Best

Daniel and I are pleased to announce that in August we will be welcoming

Eleanor "Ella" Grace Cooley
to our family.
We are tickled pink!

This is her sweet little profile.

The Big Day

Tomorrow is the day Daniel and I will find out if our little peanut is a boy or a girl! I cannot wait! So far, based on our blog poll, more people believe this little one is a boy. Check back tomorrow night for the big announcement.