Werth Family Online
Last Friday was Jacob’s first day at daycare, with Elise back at Washington H.S. The ride home was not so great for either one, but this week seems to be going a lot better. Monday Jacob was a little fussy, but by Wednesday he is definitely in the swing of things. Gail, the woman caring for Jacob, just sent Elise these photos:
He’s apparently doing quite well!
I have a few of my recordings up from my recital last May. Check them out on my website: http://www.jonathanwerth.com/node/19
So you may notice the many posts placed on here all in one day…I apologize. However, there is good reason.
Last week we met with a realtor, and in preparation for a relocation, we decided to list our house. The listing went up on Thursday, and Dave (the realtor) decided to have an open house on Saturday. Three groups came to the open house and all seemed to like it, and there was another showing on Sunday morning. On Sunday morning, one couple who saw it on Saturday put in an offer. However, the couple who saw it Sunday morning were also impressed and placed an offer too. After much waiting, communication back and forth, and countering, the escapade stretched into Tuesday when one couple came for a second showing. After the showing, they revised their original offer, which then was too good to pass up. As of 8 pm tonight, we agreed to the offer.
A lot happened in a very short time frame and we are very happy with the results. The next few weeks will hopefully go smoothly with inspections and the like, with a final closing sometime in June. Elise and I are definitely excited, but also realize we are a long way from the closing.
Here are some wonderful pics I’ve found, taken over the past few weeks:
March 14th-18th was Spring Break at the University of Iowa, and so the Werth Family (Jon, Elise, and Jacob) made a trip up to Minnesota to hang out with family. It was the first long road trip for Jacob, and he handled it well by sleeping most of the way. We drove up Tuesday morning and arrived at Larry and Mary’s home before noon. Great-grandparents Jack and Pat drove in to Eden Prairie and spent lunch and the afternoon getting acquainted with Jacob. I spent some time later in the afternoon using Larry’s bench grinder to create a 2-octave set of pitched pipes made from 3/4″ conduit.
On Wednesday morning, Fred, Cathy, and Teresa drove in and picked us up and headed north to Lutsen. After a stop at Grandma’s in Duluth for lunch, we arrived in the early afternoon. After checking in to our lodge, Elise got a rough course in snowboarding and after performing quite well, decided to rent a snowboard for the next day. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning were spent on the slopes with rain on Thur., cold on Fri., and a gorgeous day on Saturday. All in all, it was great time and Cathy enjoyed spending a lot of time with Jacob while the others were on the slopes.
Saturday evening the trio was back in Eden Prairie and left on Sunday afternoon to return to Iowa. As we drove back, we continued to turn down the heater, until we finally had the windows open in Coralville (it was over 60 degrees).
Videos!
The following videos were filmed using the Flip camera (thanks T!). I apologize in advance for the bounciness. I try to keep steady and a good picture, but it’s quite the challenge at times!
Jacob with his ladies
Last run of the day
A beautiful Saturday run down Moose Mtn
Elise boarding on Mystery Mtn
(videos may take some time to load)
Wow! March has been quite the month. I apologize for the severe lack of postings.
Jacob’s baptism occurred on Sunday, March 6th. Both parents and siblings came down to Iowa, along with Jean and Aurelia (Jon’s grandmothers). Jacob looked quite nice in his baptism gown – made especially for him by Mary Degen. Jacob was nice and quiet throughout the mass (except for his loud sucking on the bottle), sleeping through most of the first half.
Other than the ceremony, the families hung out at the Werth home taking turns holding Jacob. It was an exciting and exhausting day for the little guy, as he saw two great-grandparents for the first time and started to explore with his tongue (sticking it out). On Monday, both him and Elise spent most of the day sleeping, quite tired from the weekend.
I have a quick update before I head to bed: Jacob went in to the doctor last Thursday for a checkup, and weighed in at 10 lb., 4 ounces. He continues to jump quartiles on the growth charts and getting closer to Elise’s “Buddha Baby” goal. All is well otherwise, as Jacob continues to be more engaged and active each day.
Life has hit hard the past few weeks for me, with school, work, housework, and job applications. Since I’ve been neglecting my posting, here’s an update:
Jacob has been continuing to grow and become much more interactive with us. He is now able to track faces even from several feet away, often following mom and dad as they walk by him. Jacob is still very interested in bright lights and windows though – they tend to get his attention the most. Grunts have become a little more verbal, with some different noises appearing and the very early stages of what appears to be communication.
Last week was Elise’s birthday, so the three of us went out to eat at the Iowa River Power restaurant. Afterwards, Jacob spent time with Judy and Len Duncan while Elise and I went to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It was an awesome concert, and it was good for Elise to get a short break from Jacob.
Other than that, it is business as usual as Jon does the school/work thing and Elise stays home with Jacob. We are continuing to spruce up the home in preparation for placing it on the market and the possibility of moving, provided a career opportunity comes along. In the meantime, the baptism is coming quickly and here are some more pics:
On Sunday, I’ve taken the big step into the world of kegging. Teresa was in town for the final round of the brewing process. The setup I’m using consists of:
After replacing the o-rings and sanitizing the equipment, I was ready to transfer the St. Paul Porter into the keg. Once the beer was transferred, I force carbonated the beer by shaking the keg. A small leak started from the beer out connection line, but after tightening the hose connection it was solved. Finally, I poured my first beer. It was a little foamy (and warm) but it was sufficiently carbonated and tasted delicious. The St. Paul Porter is a brew kit from Northern Brewer and is definitely one I’ll need to repeat.
Jacob likes to sleep…a lot. If you listen closely, you can hear his snoring. Click here for the video.