One Month

One Month! I’ve been a mom for ONE MONTH! That just seems crazy! Grace and I are learning how to do this mother-daughter thing one day at a time and with lots of help from Tim. He is amazing with her, and in the beginning came home almost every day at lunch to help out. Grace and I are figuring out a routine and don’t need him as much during the day. But, he goes straight for her after volleyball each night and lets me rest before he is off to bed! Grace and I also are venturing out a bit more, too. We’ve done lunch at White’s and have visited Grandmas Margaret and Patty. Grandpa Tim is on our list, too, but he is a bit farther away so we are working up to that trip!
Grace got hooked on the bottle early on because she was not gaining weight, and with the help of our lactation consultant, Nurse Cindy, we are trying to get her off of it, but other than that, she is wonderful! She sleeps about 6-7 hours each night and is pretty predictable throughout the day for feedings. She loves her baths, her nursery, and riding the in the van. She watches the Colts play on Sundays with Tim and did very well at her first volleyball game. We also finally made it to church last Sunday! We love getting to know her and realize she’ll be all grown up before we know it! She is changing daily!
The last thing I asked before they released us from the hospital was if they were really going to let us take this baby home?! And they did! I can’t believe how time has flown, and we could have never had made it this far without all the help from family and friends. Thank you to all for everything from thoughts a prayers, to meals and help at home. Enjoy the pictures… I love taking them! ~shelby

Bath time is great! I love the warm watter and my warm towel from Aunt Toby!

I did well at my first SHS volleyball game... the team, not so much!

Go Colts! Dad is happier when they play well!

Grace and Weeb - One month birthday

My church outfit. (Mommy loaned me her shoes!)

Plenty of visitors! (part 1)

Its been non-stop action, but we managed to download some pictures from the first day after birth. Here's Aunt Monica. The coolest aunt who helped mom and dad by doing all of the little things that made our stay in the hospital a whole lot easier! Thanks Monica!


Here's the gang from White's-it just wouldn't be an event without'em!

Here is Grandpa Cooper- he probably logged the most Grace visits in the hospital, stopping by before and after work!

Here's Grandma Cooper, who waited by the baby warmer to be "first-in-line"

Here's Grandma Drake- who was so excited it was a girl she couldn't help but smile!

The grandmas did a great job of showing the baby attention and love.

We all learned a new sign that day- "share" :)

- Tim

Introducing Grace Margaret Drake

We officially became the 3 Drakes on Tuesday, Sept. 5th at 11:44 a.m. After 30 hour+ of labor, Shelby pushed like a champ for 1 1/2 hours to bring our 8 lb 4 oz, 21" wonder into the world.


She resembles Shelby more than me. Actually, she resembles her aunt Monica's baby pictures the most! HHmmm... Lord help us! :) While she looks a lot like her mom, I would like to point out one trait that I KNOW she gets from me- the enjoyment of pooping! Before being delivered she pooped in the amniotic fluid, which neither of her parents realized could be done! And if you look at the picture below taken only a few minutes after birth, she has been pooping ever since! That's my girl!

-Tim

School is back on!

The school year has started and life is a blur of volleyballs, habanera peppers, Lamaz, ... and laughs. But before school started, we celebrated a couple of weddings and had some great times:

My milkshake is better than yours...

Play it again, Sam

Look out- only two more weeks until ...PARENTHOOD! - Tim

Busy July

We had a great time in B.C. again! Let's face facts, the Coopers know how to have fun and above all-EAT! I'll let Shelby tell more about it, but I have to put out an A.P.B. on a couple of juveniles on their way to cause some trouble. Here's their picture:

[The day after B.C.]
Well, we did it! (My mom, her friends, and I, that is.) This picture was taken in the Indy airport. Mom is in the foreground and her two friends are walking ahead. You'll notice I was straggling behind. Well... you try and keep up with these crazy speed walking women!

I think she is on a cruise ship floating around some bay right about now, watching the glaciers melt! -Tim

Baby Stuff

Proud Grandmas-to-be in their matching shirts for the baby shower.

Thanks so much to all for the wonderful decorated onesies and all the great baby gifts!

We feel very loved and blessed by our family and friends!

"The Gang" on the last day of school.

Well, we are now 32 weeks along, only about 2 more months to go! There is a little bit of freaking out going on around here as there is no room for a baby yet! Our carpet is on backorder and the construction guys who want to fix our sinking corner of the house seem to take their time getting back to us! The baby's room is now storage until the carpet comes, so I can do NOTHING until that happens. Ugh.

But, Mini is growing nicely and moving a lot! I'm ready to meet whomever is in there, too! We start our Childbirth classes tonight and I'm ready to get some questions answered about birthing this baby! I have only 8 more days of teaching, and am excited and scared to death all at the same time. I'm pretty much an emotional mess, and Tim claims to have conversations with me that I have ABSOLUTELY no recollection of later... Hopefully this memory loss doesn't get worse in the next 8 weeks, and goes away after the baby comes! ~ Shelby