1 Week

So Hadley is now one week and somehow we lucked out again. She has been a great baby so far, eating every three hours or so and not being fussy hardly at all in between. She sleeps really well and has gotten back up to 7 lbs. 5oz. Steph is doing awesome and is really taking to the whole breast feeding thing, the accountant in me is happy about not buying formula. Overall the first week couldn't have gone any better than it has.

Hadley Vivienne Erickson

We would like to introduce Hadley Vivienne Erickson. She was born on September 3rd at 7:43 AM. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. She had a full head of hair, chich was surprising, since Carter had no hair until he was almost 1! Both Hadley and Steph are doing great. Hadley took to breastfeeding like she was a pro and mom isn't too shabby either. We came home on Sunday and other than Jax being a little weirded out by her crying, it has been a seamless transition. If you want to view her pictures from the hospital there are here: http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=ae437bec-06db-40c5-ada8-33ae2cbb54c5

8 Days

So we are now down to 8 days until the C-section date, which is September 3. We go in early on the 3rd and will probably have a new daughter by 8 AM. Last Sunday Steph had contractions for about 7 hours straight, but as soon as we went to the hospital, they stopped.
We had Carter's 6th birthday party early this year as it would have been right after the new one's arrival and he didn't want to wait. This is the first year that we didn't do a big event for it, we just had ice cream cake and presents, which are the only things Carter really cares about anyways. Of course he got more presents than he needed and the gift cards that he got were burning holes in his pockets, so we had to go spend them that night.
Carter's first day of school was today, he started kindergarden and is very excited about it. Most of the neighbor kids go to the same school, so he will have lots of kids that he already knows. He doesn't know any of the kids in his class, so he will have to make new friends.

Vacation Bible School

So while we were at Summerfest last weekend, one of the brochures we got was to send Carter to VBS. He was reluctant at first, stating that if he didn't like it when we walked in, he could just go home. We told him that was fine and signed him up. Well after two days he loves it, except for the fact that they only get one snack during the three hours and they don't feed him lunch, according to him "my stomach gets crabby." Here is a picture of him there.

Fishing

So after a year and a half of having a fishing pole new and in the packaging, I finally unwrapped it and took Carter fishing. Of course I was a little leery as his attention span is about that of a 5 year old, go figure, but he wanted to go so I agreed. After learning that taking Carter to a sporting goods store is like taking him to a toy store, he had to play with everything he saw and especially liked the fish finders. We made it to the pond, which is located right next to the DMACC campus here in Ankeny. Of course, he carries nothing, while I am forced to lug folding chairs, poles, tackle box, and our lunch to the dock. I was pleasantly surprised when Carter didn't complain about being bored or anything for the entire two hours we were there, especially since we didn't get a single bite. Of course when we were packing up, the people next to us caught a fish on their first cast, and Carter made sure to let me know that they caught something on their first cast. All in all it was a nice little afternoon out with Carter, I am sure we will be going back.

Baby's Room

I know that it doesn't have the furniture yet, but I did paint the baby's room. I had to go back and channel my former professions to get it done, but I think it turned out pretty good. If this baby turns out to be a boy, I am going to be so pissed! Everything is going along fine right now, Steph is still really tired, but not getting the morning sickness as much. Carter has gone through big brother class and is ready for his baby sister to get here.

Back in the metro

Hello from Ankeny, we are officially back in the Des Moines metro. After a whirlwind year, we have moved three, yes three times. We are settled in for the most part, but a year from now we will be moving back to Altoona when our house is done being rented. The good news is, I have become very good at packing a U-Haul truck, so if anyone needs help, I would almost go as far as to say I am an expert. We had a scare this last week, Jax our grey cat, was missing for five days, but Monday night came back after we had become resigned to the fact that he was gone for good. Carter was very excited to have his cat back, and George was super excited to have his friend back. Carter is adjusting better than the rest of us, he loves being close to his cousins and wants to see them almost every single day. Steph started back up last Thursday at work and already is accustomed to the drive and the new building. She loves having an employee right underneath her, pretty sure that she likes to be called boss! I have been staying busy with work and watching my neice and nephew a couple of times a week. It is good practice for when our little girl arrives and I am still not sure if I will be able to handle another Haas girl. Pregnancy wise everything is going fine, Steph is very tired most of the time, especially after a day of work. We haven't had any more Dr. appointments, but have another ultrasound in a couple weeks. Well that is all I have for now. If anyone wants to send me a gift of any sort :-), our new address is 5105 NE Ledgestone Court, Ankeny, IA 50021