It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

So I have officially made it through my first week at work and I must say that I was glad to be back and that it went really well. I made it to work on time every day, I managed not to cry ONCE, and I got caught up and stayed focused. I really do love my job and I am glad that my co-workers were glad to have me back! It is a huge adjustment however being gone all day and knowing that someone besides his mama bear is watching him all day. I know he is in good hands and everything with him went well this week too. Now I just need to get used to only seeing him for a few hours (and sharing that time with Daddy) before he is down for the night. I know we will all get into a good routine and value every minute we share together.

Now that it is Friday afternoon and work is over I am officially excited for Christmas! I wasn't excited last week but I think it was because I was too stressed out about returning to work that I couldn't focus on a fun celebration! I must say that I am getting insanely excited. I even bought Jensen another Christmas outfit so he can wear it on Christmas Eve. This years plan: Christmas Eve dinner/games at my Grandma's at 4 pm. Christmas morning (between 7 and 8) at my Mom's house and then off to the Paskett's in the afternoon. That night Corey, Jensen, Dakota, and I will return home and do our own Christmas. I think next year we will do early at Corey's parents and then the following year we will start doing early at our own house since Jensen will understand Santa and want to be home and open his presents from Santa first. I think next year will be much more fun to celebrate with a 1 year old rather than a 3 month old - he is just too little to understand any of this craziness yet!

Jensen is growing like crazy! At his 10 week appt (not sure if I blogged about this already) he weighed 12.6 pounds and was 24 inches long. He has gained 5 pounds and grew 2 3/4 inches! He is in the 75th percentile for height and weight and 65th for head circumference which is just perfect! He is right on track! Shots were awful but he handled them like a champ. Of course he screamed a scream I have never heard of before (and good thing too since it means he is pain) but he didn't get a fever or rash or anything else after.

Jensen can hold a rattle in hand for a long time but doesn't seem to have too much control of what his hand does so he tends to hit his toys into his face. He is great on his belly and we like belly time. If I keep him on there for more than 3 minutes he gets frustrated, but he does well holding his head up and seeing me on the floor and his toys. He makes the best and cutest cooing sounds and he still smiles all the time - he really is a happy boy! He doesn't sleep through the night- not even close! Corey and I have been trying to work out a bedtime routine with him so he knows that it is time for bed, but it hasn't gone great so far. We do a feeding, play with toys and do belly time, take a bath and get in pajamas, do another feeding and then go to sleep. He isn't great at the going to sleep part but everything else makes him happy! Haha! He loves the bath and I find it hilarious that the warm water always makes him pee. He has just about outgrown the insert in his baby bathtub, but since he can't hold his own head up yet (and probably not for another month or two) I don't want to put him in the big part. I'm afraid I'll dunk him under and he will be traumatized forever! He is a great sleeper during the day so we will get it switched around so he sleeps more at night and is awake more during the day but we aren't there yet. He is still up about 3 hours during the night which is rough since I am back to work. I'm learning to just be sleep deprived and reminding myself that it won't be like this forever. Jensen's next doctor appointment isn't until February when he will be 4 months old.

Right now I am on the "winter break" with school that lasts this week and next. It is really nice, but slightly stressful knowing that the week I return is the week of finals! Right now I have an A in my science course (nutrition) and a B+ in my math class (alegbra 1). I am awful at math but I feel like learning online is actually much easier than learning in a classroom. I use Google and YouTube a lot to visually when I don't understand the material for the week. Hopefully I do well on my final and end with a B in that class. I have one more math class that starts the following week and then no more math for me! I just have to make it through these two and that is it. Thank goodness!

Jensen and Rylee got together a few weeks ago and Marissa and I took pictures of them for my Mom's calendar Christmas present from the two of them. We tried dressing them in a few different outfits so that the months would be different. We did their Halloween costumes, Christmas colors, and a neutral outfit. Here are a few... I love them and I love how much Rylee loves her cousin! She is so sweet to him and always wants to kiss and tickle him. I love her for how much she love my baby! Okay... onto pictures...

Here are more pictures I have taken recently getting ready for Christmas... and their Christmas pictures with Santa at the mall (Jensen was 10 weeks for all of these)