A very big decision...

All smiles!!

The time has come for me to return to work...and send Karsten to daycare. Leading up to this point I was terrified that I would be an emotional wreck having to leave him all day, but after touring our daycare I feel a lot more confident that he will thrive there and I will be able to make it through the workday.

I struggled with the idea of being a working mom. As a family, we have a main goal to provide all we can for Karsten. While he is still young, Eric and I want to make sure we are at strong places in our careers.

I hope that when he is older he sees that women and men are equal; and can both hold powerful positions in the workforce. To me, going back to work means setting an example for Karsten and also setting up a bank account that will pay for any education, summer camps or trips he wants. Ok- he will probably end up being a little spoiled, but we are going to make sure he has the hard-working mentality that Eric and I have.

Monday, the 18th, will be a difficult day. We are excited to see where this career takes me though, and I know Karsten will be safe and sound at Abiding Love Lutheran daycare. He's going to be the youngest child there, so no doubt he will be getting loved on all day!

In slightly related news, I have reached my prepregnancy weight and will continue daily workouts consisting of distance runs, yoga and weight lifting. I am so thankful I have Eric- he knows how important working out is to me and my mental/physical health. I believe that taking care of myself will make me a better mother...plus I need to stay strong so I can keep up with Karsten as he grows!

Little bitty baby isn't so little anymore...

Growing boy! This picture was taken around January 28th

Wearing his camo hunting outfit from Uncle Greg and Aunt Donna

The little man has been in a growth spurt for a solid two weeks...he's no longer wearing his newborn outfits and diapers. He's grown into the 3 month sizes and a size 2 diaper. Thankfully, we have a stock pile of clothes for him to grown into.

Other updates:

He's holding his head up on his own ALL the time

He now loves bathtime...he's all smiles whenever we pour water over him. It's adorable.

He got his first cold. Sneezing non-stop and I used the nasal aspirator for the first time...lots of baby snot haha

The picture to the left was taken on January 15th.

We have a solid schedule down with him. Bed around 11 or 12, he wakes up around 3:30 am for a feeding/change, then goes back to bed for 3-5 more hours. When we get him up he's usually cranky until he gets his 6 oz breakfast. Then he likes to play- we play music for him (he loves Johnny Cash and old country), I dance with him and he sits in his bouncer and slaps around the little toys dangling in front of him. We do tummy time around 3 pm (which he has a lot of fun with). He's almost able to flip over! For the rest of the afternoon, it's feedings every two hours and a lot of diaper changes (and sometimes a clothing change...diaper blow-outs happen a lot with a growing newborn haha). In the evening we give him a bath with lavender soap from Auntie Pam. Eric and I are able to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night, so things are becoming a lot more sane in our house.

Karsten's favorite toys are his Glowworm from Nana and Papa, an underwater themed mobile from Oma and Opa, and the giraffe in the bouncer from Aunt Jane. He coos, stares, smiles and slaps his toys. It's so much fun to see him interact  and watch his personality develop.

Napping in his bouncer with his Cleveland Browns blanket. Picture taken February 9th (look how much he's filled out!)