Bernhardt Blog

new look...new address

2010-08-27T15:11:00.003-05:00

If you visit our blogspot.com blog, it should direct you to our new blog... http://www.bernhardt-family.com/blog/ with a new look. I plan to update more, and add more pictures. Stay tuned for details....

Running and playing

2010-05-04T08:41:00.003-05:00

I completed my second 5K run of the season this past weekend and was 3rd in my age group. As I was running Jacob and Kathie watched. Jake got upset because we wanted to run as well. Good thing there was a playground for him to burn some energy.

We also visited a small zoo this weekend. They had Eagles, and Otters and other wildcats. The highlights for Jacob was the turkeys in their pen. He chased them around, then the turkey chased him. He seemed to really enjoy the animals. We plan to visit the Henry Doorly zoo during our 4th of July vacation.

Other than that news, we are getting ready for Kathie to be out of the country for a week. She is speaking at a conference in Germany next week. That leaves Jake and I to hold down the fort.

Settling in to a pattern

2010-04-21T20:36:00.003-05:00

Well, we have been at the apartment for 1 and 1/2 weeks, and we are getting used to it. We don't plan to get very comfortable, but we are living. I have another 5K run coming up and am exercising almost everyday. Jacob is doing well, and has met our neighbor dogs.

We did you to a local nature park and walked around. The had a building with big fish, turtles and snakes. Jacob loved to run around and look at all of the animals. We then went out to walk around the pond. Jacob and I fed the duck his graham gold fish crackers. He had a great time.

The house is coming together quickly. The tile should be in and grouted by now. The contractors doing the tile, estimated a couple of days for plumbing and carpet and other items. We are very excited about the house and even met the neighbors.

Playing catchup

2010-04-18T20:18:00.001-05:00

It’s been a LONG time since our last blog post, and it’s been a busy couple of months! We put our house on the market in mid-February, and it sold after just 2 days. Construction started on our new place in Stewartville on March 1st, and should be ready by mid-May…but we already closed on the old place last week, so we’re camping out in an apartment for a couple of months. We keep telling ourselves that it’s just temporary, so we’ll deal with the small space and having most of our stuff in storage for now. And we’ll really appreciate the big new house once we’re moved in.

Kathie had a quick trip to Chicago for a work conference back in February and is gearing up for her presentation in Germany next month. Jon’s busy at work, and looking forward to a week alone with Jacob. Jon also just ran his first 5K of the year, and has a few more races picked out for the months ahead.

Jacob’s continuing to grow and amaze us. He now talks constantly, and loves playing outside. Jake’s also looking forward to his new house in Stewartville, which will be complete with a swing set in the backyard. Every time we go to visit the new place, Jake doesn’t want to leave!

Be sure to check out the flickr photostream, and the vimeo video links to the right. We’ll probably be pretty busy over the next 6-8 weeks with moving for the 2nd time this spring and getting settled in the new place, so this will be the best way to see how things are going.

House update

2010-02-08T12:52:00.003-06:00

Be sure to check back for updates on the building process and the selling of our current house. So we have signed a purchase agreement to build the new house. Now we have to approve a preliminary blueprint and then they start digging.

Our current house is being cleaned and should be ready to be listed on February 17th. We then have an open house that next weekend, so we really need to be ready. We will be listing at $139,900 to start.

Videos...

2010-02-04T19:52:00.002-06:00

Making Christmas Cookies from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Snow Tubing from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Riding in my Dump truck from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Pushing my dump truck from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

February update

2010-02-03T19:58:00.002-06:00

We have been getting the house ready for another round on the market. We have also decided on building a new home in Stewartville MN. This small town is about 5 miles from Rochester so we are not moving that far. We still have the final details to wrap up, but should be in our new home in June. We plan to keep updates on that progress and well as Jacob.

Jon's company has grown and stays quite busy. Kathie's work has her traveling to Chicago and Germany this spring as well. So Jon and Jacob get some quality father/son bonding time in. He now says a handful of words including: go, no, kitty, down, touch down, uh oh, Kayla (daycare lady) don't and Mom. Tyler is still calm around Jacob and even lets Jake poke him in the face. Izzie will move fast and hide in high places.

Our Christmas 2009 (Part 2)

2010-01-03T20:25:00.001-06:00

Here is the second part of our trip. We dug out in Underwood and Jacob got out to walk around. On the trip from Underwood to Coulter we counted 35 cars off of the road due to the storm. Once in Coulter, Grandpa and Grandma Bernhardt were happy to see Jacob and us. We enjoied our "holiday pizza" from the local bar and opened presents. Jacob really enjoyed the blocks and the new big tonka truck. We had a great time on vacation and are now working on getting the house ready to sell this spring. News about that will be coming soon.

Our Christmas 2009 (Part 1)

2009-12-25T10:38:00.002-06:00

So far we have had a great time this holiday. We had to move our travel plans up a day to beat the rain/sleet/ice/snow/wind storm. Jacob is playing so hard and even helped make cookies. Here are some highlights.

A great Thanksgiving weekend

2009-11-29T20:18:00.001-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving even with a trip to the doctor. The doctor visit was for me and no one else. I strained some back muscles playing with Jacob on Thursday. So I stayed home and relaxed on Friday. We watched football and put up the Christmas tree. Jacob was a big help putting the lights up. Soon we will have a picture of him close to the tree standing still. He did not want to cooperate this weekend.

Please continue to check the flickr feed for new pictures. I have a new phone and can post from that as well, so we may have some action shots.

Thanksgiving update

2009-11-28T19:45:00.002-06:00

So much has happened since the last update. All of the leaves are gone. Iowa was beaten twice. Our house went off of the market, so we wait until spring. Jacob has been growing and moving so fast.

He had his first real Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, potatoes, corn and stuffing. He loves the stuffing. After a couple of days of leftovers, I think he is getting tired of it.

We will be traveling for Christmas. Underwood and Coulter will be our stops for presents and food. We will try and update this and post pictures as much as possible in the upcoming month.

Capt Awesome, Leaves and Meat Loaf

2009-10-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

What a weekend for the college football teams in Iowa. First ISU beats Nebraska, then Iowa survived to be 8 and 0. We received 4 inches of snow this week and it was gone by the end of the next day.

The Trede grandparents visit...

2009-10-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

The Trede Grandparents came up for the weekend on the 17th. We had a great time. Jacob played with them as Kathie and I went to an open house. No luck there yet. We watched Iowa win, and ISU beat Baylor. I have continued to run and train for a race on Halloween. Should be a cool one.

Update for Oct 7th

2009-10-07T19:57:00.004-05:00

Today we had two showings at our house. Hopefully we sell soon, or we will wait until the spring. With the cold weather approaching, I need to get the winter clothing and blankets out and start packing the summer clothing.

Jacob had his first haircut on Sunday. We had to wait 30 minutes, but Jacob was good. He was not that sure about the haircut. He sat on Kathie's lap and played with a cell phone while his hair was cut. I got mine cut as well that day, just to make it a complete day.

Jacob also loves cheesy chicken and rice. Watch the video below and look for the rice grain up his nose!

I like rice! from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Jacob's first haircut

2009-10-04T20:34:00.003-05:00

Today we went out to get Jacob's hair trimmed and my haircut. It was his first haircut. Well, he started to cry and Mom came to the rescue with her cell phone. He was distracted enough to get the job done. Here are the pictures...

Update for Sept 30th

2009-09-30T20:27:00.003-05:00

Jacob is enjoying his preschool time at daycare. He is now able to bring us items we ask for like his sippy cup or a ball. His language skills are getting a lot better. His words include: kitty, daddy, mommy, go, and what sounds like thank you or welcome. He plays and moves so fast and with such energy, that we get tired just watching him.

I am signing up for another 5k run on Halloween. I am still running and have ran 50 miles in a month for the last 2 months. Our house is still for sale and we are ready for a sale or waiting until spring to try again.

Videos

2009-09-30T20:23:00.003-05:00

Here are a number of videos. They stretch all the way back to the beginning of August. Jacob's first baseball game, swinging with Great Grandma, Izzie and running around after bath time...

Jacob's first baseball game from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Swinging with Great Grandma Bernhardt from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Messy Eater from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Air drying after a bath from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Lazy Cat from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Update for Sept 23rd

2009-09-23T19:51:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy last week. Jacob loves going to daycare, so much so that he does not pause to say goodbye. No illness for anybody yet. I have started running in the mornings. Only one person showed at our open house, so we dropped our price.

Our nights are filled with cleaning the house after Jacob is asleep and watching the Twins play. Keeping the house clean has been a huge task with a 15 month old. He pulls everything out and spreads it everywhere. He new thing is to try and kiss with an open mouth. He kisses Mickey every morning when the theme song comes on.

Not many pictures this week, maybe next week.

We have matching Iowa State shirts

2009-09-20T19:47:00.001-05:00

Matching Iowa State shirts

Jacob and I now have matching ISU shirts. Only because Kathie was sorry that Iowa beat ISU so bad.

Update for Sept 16th

2009-09-16T20:18:00.004-05:00

Since the last update we have been busy. He had a house showing on Friday. On Saturday I got up early and ran my 5K. It was a goal of mine for about a month to finish a 5K run.

We then sat down and watched the Iowa/Iowa State game. Jacob was still confused like we was last year:

This Year:

And the game was just too long...

He then had fun in the bath...

Then on Wednesday, he loved to play with the finger paints...

We are all doing well and hoping to sell our house soon. We have a open house this weekend and have been looking at a couple of houses. Work is good and keeping us both very busy.

Groom and Best Man

2009-09-09T20:28:00.003-05:00

Groom and Best Man

Brothers and friends

The Bernhardt Men

2009-09-09T20:28:00.001-05:00

The Bernhardt Men

Grandpa Bernhardt, Jon, Dan and Jacob wait to get the rehearsal underway.

Jacob on Dan's farm

2009-09-09T20:22:00.001-05:00

Back into a pattern

2009-09-09T20:10:00.002-05:00

I know that I have not been the best for updating this blog. Well, with a new initiative, I plan to write at least one post a week, and even have pictures as well.

On to updating what we are up to now. Jacob is growing and talking quite a bit. Only "kitty" "go" and "Mom" are words we can make out. "Dad" is close and maybe even "Got it". He loves to play with his baseball and bat.

This past weekend, we went to Northwest Iowa for Dan's wedding. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. I was the best man and Jacob made his way up front and played out of sight in the pulpit. It was a great day and evening.

I have new pictures up and will be posting them as I load them. Look to hear more from us every week.

After bath time

2009-08-11T12:04:00.001-05:00

We have developed a little routine after Jacob's bath. While Kathie and I are drying Jacob off, Izzie drinks, or tries to drink the water...

We visit the B-17 bomber that was in Rochester

2009-08-11T11:58:00.003-05:00

A WWII bomber was in Rochester a couple of weeks ago. It was a B-17, the kind that Jacob's great grandpa Roger Bernhardt flew in. I was excited to see the plane and Jacob was excited to run around. As we waited in line, Kathie and I took turns letting him run around the tarmac. Once inside it was a tight fit even with out passing a 1 year old through the plane. We made it and took some pictures.

Jacob and Dad looking at the plane

Touching the propeller

Jacob sitting in great grandpa Roger's seat

Pictures from the picnic

2009-08-11T11:55:00.002-05:00

Kathie's lab had a picnic last month and Jacob had a blast. He ran after the big kids, climbed all over the bean bag toss targets and met a new friend, Tori.

Great weekend at the lake

2009-08-11T11:37:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we spend the time at the Bernhardt's place at Okoboji. We had a great time looking at old cars, playing on the beach and running around the lake on the boat. Dan even stopped by for a day and enjoyed some time with the family. We have a couple of pictures and a video to update, so check back soon.

Growing up, and B-17's

2009-07-30T10:42:00.003-05:00

Jacob is growing up and starting follow commands from Kathie and myself. He also loves to climb the hill at daycare. He gets about halfway up the hill, sits and watches the rest of the kids play. He is getting quite a personality, and is starting to realize when he does something funny to laugh.

We also got to visit a B-17 bomber that was in Rochester over a weekend. Here is a link. Jacob had some fun at Great Grandpa Bernhardt's seat. I'll have bigger and downloadable pictures posted this evening.

Long time since the last post

2009-07-23T12:57:00.004-05:00

I just posted some pictures and have a lot more to come. Be sure to continue to check the Flick'r page for updates. Soon I'll be adding a Twitter feed to know what is going on. We have the house ready to sell and the garage is sided to match the house now! Jacob is busy growing and moving. Everybody is happy and healthy. I'll be sure to update the blog more often.

Jacob's pedal tracker

2009-07-23T12:57:00.001-05:00

Jacob's pedal tracker

He even got a pedal tractor from his grandparents.

Jacob's birthday party

2009-07-23T12:56:00.001-05:00

Jacob's birthday party

We had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa Trede's house for Jacob's big birthday party.

Jacob's birthday party cake

2009-07-23T12:55:00.001-05:00

Jacob's birthday party

I know it has been a while, but now that getting the house ready is done, I'll be updating the site more.

Jacob is 1 year old!

2009-06-14T20:43:00.007-05:00

Wow, What a Year!

Exactly one year ago, we went from this:

to this:

Our little man has gone from a 9 pound snuggly baby to nearly 25 pounds of exploring toddler with a huge personality.

We wouldn’t trade a minute of the last year for anything and we look forward to what the next year will bring.

Happy First Birthday to our Jacob! We love you!

Trip to the Lake

2009-06-01T11:41:00.001-05:00

Again, we’ve had a busy few weeks! Aside from really digging in on the home improvement list, some painting, and starting to pack up the house, we escaped to Okoboji over the holiday weekend.

We took a four day weekend over Memorial Day for a much needed rest at the lake. And luckily, Jacob cooperated and didn’t spend the weekend puking or getting the rest of the family sick! We arrived around lunch time on Friday and were greeted by Grandpa B.

After a few hours to get settled we were joined by Grandma B and both of Jacob’s Great Grandmas!

Great Grandma Daisy really enjoyed meeting her first great grandson. Great Grandma B stayed overnight and had a blast playing with Jacob and putting him to bed while Jon and Kathie went out to a movie.

Saturday we all headed down to the lake to check out Arnolds Park and watch the boats.

Jacob got a new Okoboji outfit and hat for the summer, and had some quality time playing Lego’s with Jon.

On Sunday, Jacob got his first boating experience. He wasn’t too happy with the life jacket,

but really liked watching the water as we made a lap around the lake.

Later we headed to the swings.

Monday morning we had a quick breakfast and headed home.

It was a fantastic weekend of perfect weather, grilling out, and walking around the lake.

And speaking of walking…Jacob continues to amaze us with his walking skills. We’ve had a few more face bruises and scrapes, but he can now stand up without pulling up on furniture and walk all over the house without falling. We’re still getting used to him sneaking up on us when we’re in a different room! Tyler thinks it’s a game to zigzag around the room while Jacob tries to catch his tail, but Izzie’s more worried about staying high and out of Jacob’s reach.

The next few weeks will continue to be busy for us. We’ll be putting a fresh coat of paint on most of the inside of our house. Our newly rented storage unit already has some of our extra stuff inside. Both sets of grandparents will be in town for a day or so to help out with the painting/cleaning/packing efforts. And, Kathie and Jacob have birthdays coming up. We’ll be ready for a little rest when we head to Underwood for the 4th of July weekend and Jacob’s birthday party!

Catching up

2009-05-17T20:24:00.001-05:00

We’ve had a busy few weeks. Both sets of grandparents have come for a weekend visit. Jon and Kathie managed to escape to a Twins game while Grandma and Grandpa B watched Jacob. The next weekend the Trede grandparents were up for Mother’s Day.

Jacob has been practicing his walking skills, and is now able to turn around without falling and go all over the house without hanging on to anything. We’ve had a few more bumps and bruises lately with all this moving around! Jacob has also been showing off his new dance moves whenever music plays. He turned 11 months old last week, and as the picture shows, it’s harder and harder to get him to stay still.

Our evenings and weekends for the next couple of months are pretty packed, as we’re working hard on getting our house ready to sell. We’ve been checking out a few open houses in the area, getting an idea of what kind of house we want and in what area around Rochester.

We’ll be traveling to see Grandpa and Grandma B soon, and looking forward to a big 1st birthday party in Underwood this summer! Be sure to check out the previous post as we have added a lot of new pictures and video!

New Videos

2009-05-17T20:22:00.001-05:00

Jacob has some new moves....

Dancing Jacob from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

and loves to laugh at Dad...

Playing while eating from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Going for a stroll outside

2009-05-17T20:21:00.002-05:00

The weather was nice today, so while I was working outside Kathie and Jacob came out to play and watch. Jacob wanted to get going, so we brought out the walker and off he went...

Walking outside from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

More walking outside from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Random Pictures

2009-05-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Mother's Day and random ones of Jacob...

Visits from Grandparents

2009-05-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

We had visits from both set of Grandparents in a couple of weeks. Jacob was healthy and happy to play with everyone. The weather was decent as well and Kathie and I enjoyed the adult company.

Kathie and Jon go to a Twins game

2009-05-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

Kathie and I went to a Twins game as Jacob stayed at home with Grandma and Grandpa Bernhardt. We had a great time in the outfield. It was Joe Mauer's first game back and we won! A home run ball was very close to us and the a couple got on TV below us.

Going after Tyler

2009-05-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

Jacob has been trying to walk and moving aroudn quicker now. He loves to chase after Tyler and Izzie. Sometimes he can catch Tyler and then will hug him...

Moving around faster

2009-04-24T07:46:00.003-05:00

Jacob has been getting a little more daring with letting go of items while standing. He is really moving while cruising on the couches. Well, we knew he was getting close...

Look what Jacob can do!!! from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

And he did it more than once! from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Fun outside at daycare...

2009-04-24T07:42:00.003-05:00

Jacob has a great Daycare Mom. When it is nice they play outside. He loves the little house and to play in the sand. Of course he loves the sandbox, he is a boy!

Busy weekends ahead

2009-04-16T09:56:00.003-05:00

Kathie, Jacob and myself have busy weekends ahead. With visits from and to both sets of Grandparents and working on the house, we plan to stay busy for a while. We have one project down and about 12 more to go before even looking to put our house on the market.

We are enjoying the very nice weather and going for walks. Jacob loves these walks and talks to the cars as they pass by. He gets really excited when he sees big kids playing. He is getting close to standing on his own without support and even walking. It should be soon we hope. I plan to keep posting pictures and videos as soon as I can.

Thanks for follow us on our blog and website!

Painting the bathroom

2009-04-13T20:57:00.003-05:00

We had pulled the wallpaper down and cleaned the glue off of the walls. Now it was time to paint. We primed on Saturday and painted on Sunday. By Sunday night, we had a functioning bathroom again.

It is finished!!!

Fun for Easter weekend

2009-04-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

We had some fun this Easter weekend. New shoes and a trip to the playground.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T20:41:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter!

Pre-Easter update

2009-04-13T20:39:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from our previous upload:

April update

2009-04-13T20:37:00.001-05:00

It’s been a busy couple weeks since the last post. Jacob’s up to 8 teeth and getting so close to walking. We’ve caught him a couple times standing by himself and even taking a step from chair to couch with no hands. He’ll walk with us only using one hand. And Jacob’s been trying to climb up Mom and Dad…as well as all his toys and the furniture. Jacob continues to show his love for Tyler and Izzie, hugging/attacking them every chance he gets.

The weather here’s getting nicer (finally staying above freezing at night!), so the day care kids are outside playing most days. To help Jacob keep up with the big kids, we went on a shoe shopping trip over the weekend. He’s now got some cool silver Nike’s for playing outside and some sandals for when it gets warmer. The first couple of times Jacob didn’t know what to think of his shoes, but he’s OK with them now. We tried out his new shoes with a trip to the playground and his first time on the slide.

Last weekend we repainted our bathroom, after removing the 25+ year old pink rose wallpaper. A big job, but we now have a bright and sunny bathroom. After taking paper off in two rooms, we’re very sure we never want to do it again! Next on our list is staining the deck and then more painting inside.

Be sure to check out the videos with the links to the right!

Sleep filled nights

2009-03-24T20:28:00.002-05:00

So on this past Thursday night we decided to let Jacob cry at night to train him to sleep all night. So far it has gone well. He did not cry last night. He is even sleeping better during nap times. He has been moving around a lot more and is getting a little more daring with his standing. It should not be long and Jacob will be walking and running after the cats.

Weekend visit from the Trede grandparents

2009-03-24T20:26:00.001-05:00

We all had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Trede this past weekend!

9 month picture

2009-03-15T14:21:00.000-05:00

Because Jacob has been so active and can move so much, it was a little harder to take his 9 month picture.

Measuring tape

2009-03-15T14:11:00.001-05:00

We wanted to measure how tall he was and he then grabbed the measuring tape. I guess we teach him early to be a typical man.

Early March photo update

2009-03-15T14:09:00.001-05:00

Jacob has been a much happier baby as of late. Funny, because he was a good baby even before the surgery.

Finally an update in March

2009-03-15T13:29:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been a little while since our last update. Since then, our house has gotten smaller, louder and funnier. Jacob is really starting to move around. His has been pushing a diaper box around and learning to walk. We have gotten him a walk behind toy and he is starting to get better at that.

The cats have now had to learn to move a little faster. Tyler is very tolerant of Jacob. He will even let Jacob head butt him and grab him only for a little bit. Izzie will still run if Jacob gets close.

He had ear tubes put in last Monday. The surgery was quick and everything went very well. He did have ear infections in both ears at the time of the surgery. About 1 day later we already noticed an improvement on hearing. Now he just seems to be in a much better mood.

The last nine months have seemed to move very fast. He is now 9 months old and a happy and healthy boy. We are very grateful for that.

We have decided to really work this spring and summer in preparation for selling our current house and moving to a different bigger house. We won’t be in a hurry to sell the house, we know it could take a while, but we know we need to sell this house first.

Videos from the end of February

2009-03-02T13:20:00.003-06:00

Jacob has been standing by our couch, trying to talk to us and making a lot of noise as well. He loves to chase the cats and try and grab them.

He is ok after the fall from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Trying to talk from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Playing with Tyler from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Jacob loves to make noise from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Late dinner party

2009-03-02T13:17:00.003-06:00

Kathie, Jacob and I were invited to a party this past weekend. We had a blast. Jacob crawled and did great at behaving and being cute. Kathie and I enjoyed some lasagna made by Italians which was awesome. The dessert was great and the conversations were great as well. We stayed way past Jacob's bed time, and he fell asleep on Kathie. Overall a good night.

Working on standing

2009-03-02T13:14:00.003-06:00

Jacob has been hard at work, trying to stand on his own. He will prop up on something and straighten his legs to look like a modified push up. He has really gotten good at pulling himself up on the couch and furniture. He has not figured out a graceful way back to the floor yet, he is working on that too.

Update for the last week of February

2009-03-02T13:07:00.003-06:00

Jacob has been a mover and goes after the other kids in daycare. He loves to play there and chase our cats. He loves to make noise and bang items together. This had made home life a little louder.

Bundled up at daycare

2009-02-25T15:30:00.001-06:00

Bundled up at daycare

Jacob is bundled up as he watches the other kids play outside.

Mostly all better

2009-02-25T12:35:00.002-06:00

Everyone in our house is a lot healthier than last week. Coughing is on the down swing and sleep is on the up swing. Jacob has been loud, fast and happy this week. No new teeth and the sickness is gone. We have an Ear, Nose and Throat consult for him to check on his ears coming up. We will be sure to update about that. I'll have pictures out soon and some new videos.

Pictures from daycare

2009-02-20T15:37:00.000-06:00

Midweek update

2009-02-18T08:31:00.002-06:00

I officially have bronchitis according to my doctor. I spend about half my nights up coughing. It was so bad last night, I went to the couch to let Kathie sleep in peace. I have meds now and should be better soon.

Jacob had a restless night after two decent nights of sleep. It can't be the ears as we are on medicine for that, so maybe his other top middle tooth is coming in. I wish he would not holler so much at night, but it hurts. He seemed to be in a decent mood this morning.

We have rearranged the family room in the basement for more crawling excitement. Our sectional couch had pretty much cut the room in half, so I rotated it and put it in a corner. Now, the whole big room is Jacob's.

I have added some videos and will add some more pictures soon.

Now standing...

2009-02-15T20:24:00.001-06:00

Standing supported

Jacob is now standing supported. He pulls himself up on anything or anyone.

Feeding himself

2009-02-15T14:51:00.002-06:00

Jacob has been getting puffs that melt in his mouth. He is learning to pinch and pick those up and put them in his mouth. Just this Sunday, we gave him a biter biscuit and well, he ate part of it and well look at the results below...

Click on the picture to really see his bottom teeth!

He just got done with a biter biscuit.

Pictures of playing in the living room

2009-02-15T14:40:00.000-06:00

Catching up....

2009-02-15T14:12:00.002-06:00

Since the last post Jacob has gotten a little better. Kathie and I then got sick and now Jacob is working on tooth number 5. He also has yet another ear infection. Luckily Kathie and I did not pass our illness on to Jacob.

He is moving so fast and is starting to pull himself up on about anything stable. Sleep has been hard to come by because of of his cold and teething. We are all trying to catch up on sleep, but it is not working so well now.

My parents came up to visit and had a great time. He enjoyed playing with Grandpa and showed them all of his new tricks. He is also starting to feed himself. We have been giving him puffs and biter biscuits. I'll try and keep the updates a little more frequent.

Good news and bad news

2009-02-06T10:54:00.002-06:00

We have not had the best week this past week. Jacob has had a long drawn out teeth session with his first top tooth. The good news is, that finally came in. The not so good news, the poor guy has a cold, possible ear infection and now to top it off... pink eye.

This has made sleeping an adventure for everyone, including the cats. OK, maybe Tyler is sleeping the best as he stays downstairs, Izzie sleeps on our bed and is woken up every time we get out of bed.

Good news today, we finally got him into sick kids daycare at Kathie's work. That is a great thing to have. No charge and they take good care of the kids. They are even nurses. Hopefully with the meds we now have for Jacob, he can start feeling better and we all can sleep better.

Pictues from daycare, and at home

2009-02-02T10:40:00.003-06:00

Me and my toys...

I can feel Dad's teeth

Tyler and Izzie staying safe on the couch

Jacob and his friend at daycare

Jacob and his friend at daycare

Some actual news

2009-02-02T10:31:00.002-06:00

As you may have noticed, Jacob is now crawling along. We have had to put up our second baby gate downstairs. This one has a little access door to allow the cats access to the family room and it is small enough for Jacob not to fit through. He has gotten quite smooth with his transitions from sitting to crawling and back.

He now has 4 teeth! All on the bottom. We keep looking to a top one to come in as it is quite swollen up there. The best news, no ear infections with the last two teeth. He is now on number 2 Gerber foods and is loving those.

Kathie and myself continue to be quite busy at work. I have now started editing and updating more websites. I also did my first stint as assistant minister this past Saturday. The cats are handling Jacob well. Tyler is much more friendlier than Izzie. We hope to have pictures of that soon as well!

End of January Videos

2009-02-02T10:17:00.003-06:00

Here are videos to round out the first month of 2009:

Playing in the living room from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Talking (Low Volume) from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Playing with Dad from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Going for my binky from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Jacob crawling from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Mid January Videos

2009-01-26T10:26:00.000-06:00

Laughing at Winnie the Pooh from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Jacob taking a bath from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Update for the middle of January

2009-01-26T10:17:00.003-06:00

Jacob is getting better at rolling and going from laying down to sitting up. We now usually find him in bed sitting in the morning. He finds that funny. His balance is getting better. He loves moving around in his walker. Kathie and I think he'll go straight to walking because when he is on his hands and knees, he tries to get his feet under him and falls over.

Here are some pictures, I'll have new pictures and videos posted soon.

A new Video

2009-01-20T13:51:00.003-06:00

Jacob likes to bounce on my legs. He is really starting to move around a lot more and get a lot of interest in the cats. He has been a little fussy as of late due to another tooth movement. He is working on is upper left front tooth now. He won't even let us try and feel for it.

Last week got a little expensive in the end. I spun on a road and cracked my front bumper on a snow bank (Photos to come later). Then the next evening we discovered that our digital camera had a broken LCD screen. So we bought a new one, and I called the insurance to look at the car.

Work is going well for both Kathie and myself. We are quite busy and look forward to our evenings with Jacob. As I had mentioned before, we are taking more videos and will be posting those when we can.

Bucking Bronco from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

New driving toy to play with

2009-01-19T09:12:00.000-06:00

With the gift card Jacob got from Grandma and Grandpa Bernhardt, we went shopping and got a driving toy and a rocking/rolling horse. More pictures of the horse to come.

Playing with my driving toy from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Playing with my driving toy from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Walker videos

2009-01-19T09:07:00.002-06:00

I have added a Video feed on the right to show the most recent uploaded videos. We plan to have more of these as active as Jacob is.

Tickling Jacob from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Hey Mom! from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Trying to follow mom from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Learning to turn in the walker from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Jacob being goofy in the walker from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Talking back to mom from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Fun in a walker...

2009-01-19T08:59:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2008 pictures

2009-01-07T09:50:00.003-06:00

The can has not been opened. He likes the feel of the cold.

How the boys spend their weekend afternoons

Jacob has a thing for remotes and chewing on them

Jacob's first Christmas

Our family

The horse from Great Grandma Bernhardt

I can help!

A small Iowa State fan

A modern mother

The joy of static electricity!

Jacob likes to help dad edit websites

The Bernhardt family

Going for cousin Koryn's cookie

I didn't do anything

Look a cookie!

The Bodily-Fluids Christmas

2009-01-02T20:43:00.001-06:00

Well, it has been a while. And it’s been quite a two week span for the Bernhardts!

The night after Jon last posted, Jacob came down with Norovirus, or whatever the nasty stomach bug from daycare was. He puked that night, then off to sick-kids daycare at Kathie’s work on Friday. Luckily the puking stopped (Only to resume on Saturday night! Yes! Sooo glad he had just eaten a whole thing of applesauce…), but then we were blessed with 5 days of the messiest diapers on the planet. I stopped counting the number of poop filled shirts on Sunday when we hit 8…so back to sick-kid care for Monday and Tuesday. No sooner than Jacob was on the upswing, Jon got sick Sunday night. And then Kathie got it Monday night.

By Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we were all feeling pretty OK, so we packed Jacob up with lots of extra clothes and a few towels just in case, and headed to Coulter. Jacob was still pretty messy, so Grandma’s washing machine was kept humming. And on Christmas morning-mid diaper change no less-Jacob decided to show us how his poo could catch some serious air. All over Grandpa and Grandma’s living room carpet. Nice. Thank goodness for Febreeze.

Next, Jacob decided that sleep was not necessary. At all. A screaming baby at night and a fussy baby during the day is no fun for anyone. We wouldn’t get a decent night of sleep the whole time we were in Coulter.

The day after Christmas we made a short road trip to visit some friends near Ames. We’ve never seen fog as thick as it was that night. Couldn’t see 100 feet in front of the car. Sure made it fun trying to find the exit on the interstate!

Saturday we headed on to Underwood for Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Trede, barely missing the ice storm that had hit Des Moines that morning. Lots of cars in the ditch, many on their tops.

Fussy, non sleeping Jacob went into full swing again in Underwood, but we thought we were in the clear when his second tooth showed up on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, it only got worse as the week went on, peaking with him turning into a non-sleeping, snotty, drooling mess by Wednesday. By the time he puked on Grandpa Trede that morning, we were on the phone with the doctor’s office at home and packing the car to head straight back to Rochester.

After breaking the land speed record, we were in the Mayo ER by 6:30 PM on New Year’s Eve. Double ear infection. Again…our third in 6 weeks. So, back to the antibiotics, and back to the runny diapers. Seems we’ve come full circle. We’ll be talking with his doctor about possible tubes later this month.

But now for the good things about this Christmas! It was Jacob’s first, which by itself is magical. We have tons of great pictures with the family, Jacob opening (or more so eating) his presents, and considering everything that went on we had a great time. Jacob got some great gifts, and we’re all having a great time playing with our new toys. And who knew that a 2 year old girl could bowl so well? Yay Koryn!! We also feel very, very lucky that the ER here seems so efficient. Just a 15 minute wait to get in to the pediatric section, and we were even done at the pharmacy and back home by 8:00. Plus the nice nurses brought us toys while we waited.

Oh-about the pictures…we forgot the camera in Underwood. So as soon as we get it in the mail, Jon will upload a bunch for everyone. Or maybe as soon as he gets back from having the car fixed on Monday. 2009 has started off with a bang, since his car decided to die!

6 Months old and a Christmas Party

2008-12-18T10:31:00.000-06:00

Our daycare lady put together a Christmas party for the families this past weekend. We ate at a pizza place and exchanged presents. Santa even stopped by, Jacob was asleep well before that.

Jacob also turned 6 months old. He had 4 shots. He is just under 20 pounds now as well. His head is in the greater than 97 percentile. You can watch his growth so far here.

An this is how our cats greet us in the morning:

Do you like peas?

2008-12-18T10:07:00.000-06:00

Well, I can eat them, Kathie won't and surprise...Jacob is not a fan of them either. We caught some of the dislike on his face with these:

Quick note (Announcement)

2008-12-18T09:30:00.001-06:00

I have accepted a role as assistant minister at my church here in Rochester. I will assist in Saturday evening services once a quarter. This entails, reading verses, writing/reading prayers and helping with communion.

Staying Afloat

2008-12-18T09:11:00.003-06:00

Kathie and I have been busy at work. We have been working to get ahead for our vacation at the end of the month. Jacob keep growing and learning how to move, scoot and sit better all of the time. Still no second tooth yet.

New layout

2008-12-09T14:39:00.001-06:00

I have changed the layout so pictures show up better. I tried to edit the previous layout, but it was getting ugly, so I went with this one for now.

Jumping Videos

2008-12-09T14:35:00.002-06:00

Talking to Mom from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Jump around from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

More hopping from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Smiling and hopping for Mom from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Baptism and more

2008-12-09T14:06:00.003-06:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving we had Jacob baptized. Then after both sets of Grandparents left, he got a nasty cold and ear infections in both ears. So we got the little guy some meds and he is getting better. He even survived spending most of Friday night at our day care providers house while Kathie and I were out at my company Christmas party. He is sitting up real well and can just barely scoot on his tummy. We loves to roll and spin and now bounce in a bouncer we have for him. And we also had a goose in our yard this weekend as well!

Busy weekend leads to busy week

2008-12-04T09:47:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving was great. We had turkey and a lot of trimmings. In fact we still have food from that. My parents came up with my brother and his fiancee on Friday and Kathie's parents came up on Saturday. We had quite the full house.

Everyone was up to see Jacob baptized on Saturday night. Everything went well and we went out for supper after the Saturday night worship. Then all of our visitors left for home and we were by ourselves again.

Jacob started to get fussy at the beginning of the week and on Tuesday we took him to see the doctor. He had ear infection in both ears and a nasty cold. The day care lady said he was not himself on Tuesday and on Wednesday he was a lot better. So far so good on that.

I'll try and have pictures up soon from the weekend.

Videos from November

2008-11-27T19:20:00.005-06:00

Smiling in my walker from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Teething on my walker from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Holding my own bottle from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Eating cereal from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

Holding my bottle again from Jon Bernhardt on Vimeo.

More growing up

2008-11-24T18:50:00.002-06:00

Jacob had a big week. Rolling and spinning and starting to sit. He is even showing a lot of interest in holding his own bottle. His tooth has shown up more and it looks like another one is not far behind. He is constantly moving and talking now. I will be posting videos shortly.

Hanging out with Mom

Trying to hold a sippy cup

Go Morningside! Go Britt!

This has a taste?

I can hold my own bottle (kinda)

Sitting by myself

Grandma and Grandpa Bernhardt visit

2008-11-17T12:04:00.004-06:00

Jacob had a long weekend because he did not have daycare on Friday. Grandpa and Grandma Bernhardt came up to visit for the weekend and really enjoyed holding and playing with Jacob. He continued to teeth on about anything within reach. On Sunday, Jacob and Jon hung out and watched some football and racing.

5 Months old

2008-11-17T12:01:00.003-06:00

Jacob turned five months old on Saturday. He has grown so much and is starting to try and move around. He has his first tooth and is getting over his first ear infection. You can look back and watch him grow here.

The website is up and moving

2008-11-13T13:56:00.002-06:00

I have reanimated the web site and have been doing some design updates. I plan to gradually update the pages and images on the site. Please feel free to browse the site at bernhardt-family.com.

Big, loud, and tiring milestone!

2008-11-12T08:35:00.003-06:00

Jacob has his first tooth. He was very fussy yesterday and last night. We finally gave him some Motrin as it sounded like he was uncomfortable. Well, after he slept and woke up this morning, we felt in his mouth and felt something sharp coming out of his lower gums. Well, we looked closer and there was a tooth. Nothing to really take a picture of yet. I'll be sure to post those when we can.

Jacob's first snow fall

2008-11-11T09:39:00.002-06:00

We recently saw our first accumulating snow fall of the year, and that was also Jacob's first snow fall. Jacob has been a little under the weather the past week or so. We took him in to see the Doctor on Saturday and they found that he has an ear infection. So he gets medicine and sleeps in a swing until he starts to feel better.

He gets excited if there is something within reach, like glasses, cans of pop, remotes and other things. He is pretty happy and still loves daycare. He has taken to eating foods very well and holds his mouth open for the spoon.

Election night party

2008-11-05T19:10:00.002-06:00

We were invited to Duane and Missy's (Kathie co-workers) for a election party. We had a great time. Jacob was passed around to Wendy,

and then Missy.

We all sat and watched as the results rolled in.

There were plenty of blue cookies and food to eat. Jacob was fed by Wendy

and Kathie and I drank some adult beverages.

We settled in for the long night.

By about 9:30 I knew Obama had it, so we left to put Jacob to bed.

We got home with a couple minutes to spare and watched as Obama was declared the President elect. We had a great night, thanks to everyone at the party!

Election night

2008-11-04T22:34:00.001-06:00

Pictures coming soon from the party we attended....

Halloween pictures and more....

2008-11-03T09:32:00.003-06:00

Jacob and Izzie get close

This is what happens when there quick temperature change

Am I scary?

Goofy hair

More goofy hair

No more pictures please!

New food and teething

2008-11-02T19:38:00.003-06:00

It was a big weekend. Jacob tried some real food on Saturday. He ate peaches. Of course he spit up a good amount because he was teething. Jacob spit up a good amount and was fussy for a good amount of the weekend. We had 7 phone calls from the political parties this weekend. We got so tired of it, we turned off our ringer on our phones so Jacob could sleep. Finally got done mowing and raking for the season. Supposed to be 70 here tomorrow. It is November right? More new pictures soon.

Rolling over!

2008-10-24T20:54:00.008-05:00

Jacob rolled over successfully by himself for the first times this afternoon. And yes, these are the very first ones: