Old Friends, New Children

On Thursday, September 24th, the Bargmanns and the Bassetts gathered together at the Rahberg's house for a final fall picnic. The Bassetts enjoyed meeting Nathan, the latest member of the Bargmann family, and everyone was able to meet Teagan. The six parents went to college together at Concordia University in St. Paul.

Teagan was especially excited to meet Nate and Zoe Rahberg. There was so much for them to discuss and the time was as short as they were; Teagan wasn't about to let a diaper change get in their way. Yet her parents' bedtime drew near and Teagan had to go home. She hoped that this was the first of many such get-togethers to come.

Giving from Experience

Keeping up with a newborn is no easy task. While Teagan pondered her first two months (see post: Double Time), Andrea and Dan practiced triage - a methodical approach of setting aside less urgent tasks for the sake of more important ones until all tasks become extremely urgent. Cleaning was cast aside and both dirty laundry and dishes were stockpiled for another time that never came. Supplies dwindled and standards lowered. The Bassett Bungalow was taking on water, but Teagan was happy. Friends and family took notice and jumped in to rescue them - even clean their bathroom. The crisis was averted.

Becca and Matt, parents of 8 month old Aidric, remembered what it was like during that dreaded second month and planned accordingly. They came bearing a large and delicious meal that promised leftovers and was served with dishes that did not need to be washed or returned. Becca and Matt offered support while Aidric assured them that things would get better.

Aidric smiled as he told Teagan, "Just think, in six months you could start walking like me."

Home Improvements

John stopped over on a warm Saturday afternoon to lend Dan a hand with the installation of the remaining Woodwright insert windows. They made fast work of the project and they worked up quite an appetite. Should they order out for pizza? No, where's the fun in that?

Nearly a month had passed since their last attempt at homemade deep dish pizza baked at home in a modified chiminea (see post: No, It's Not Delivery). This time they would use lump charcoal for even heat with pavers supporting the pizza to protect the crust burning. But how would they support the pavers? With the cracked baking stone, of course.

Both the Rowlands and the Bassetts agree; these were the best pizzas yet - especially served with a bottle of great wine. The pizzas took awhile to cook, so maybe next time they'll try it with just the lump charcoal and baking stone. After all, practice makes perfect.

New Life for Old Windows

Our bungalow's interior receives an abundant amount of natural light through its many beautiful and well-placed windows. These original windows are among the many features that drew us to our 1925 bungalow, yet we knew that they were in need of attention after nearly 85 years of use. The question was what to do.

We considered several options, but we were primarily concerned with energy efficiency and maintaining the bungalow's aesthetics. Initially we thought of completely replacing the windows, but the idea of messing with the stucco exterior, the lath and plaster interior, and both the interior and exterior trim detail seemed quite daunting. In our last house, we replaced the sashes with sash replacement packs. The white jamb-liners blended with our painted millwork, but they would stand out with the oak and maple trim in our 'new' house. Vinyl replacement windows were rejected for the same reason. Finally, we narrowed the options down to two: refurbish the existing windows or use Andersen Woodwright insert windows.

Refurbishing windows is a lot of work, but we haven't let that stop us before. Fine Homebuilding magazine has great resource articles on restringing sash weights, replacing and re-glazing glass, and adding weather-stripping for older windows. The window frames were in great shape, but excessive interior condensation (yet another project) had its toll on the sashes. With the introduction of Teagan, time was at a premium and refurbishing began to look much less desirable, even though less expensive.

The Federal Energy Tax credit was all we needed to push us in the direction of Andersen Woodwright insert windows - a historic look with maximum energy efficiency. Easy choice, since Dan work's for Andersen Windows? Actually, no. Andersen neither provides a discount for its employees nor requires them to purchase its products. But then, would Dan work for a company that produced products he wouldn't support? Probably not for very long.

In the midst of installing the Woodwright inserts, Dan noticed a sticker on the side of the original window frame: Andersen White Pine Frames. In 1905, Andersen (known then as Andersen Lumber Company) began making these 'two-bundle' frames that could be assembled on the job-site in just 10 minutes. Andersen did not make complete units until the introduction of the casement window in 1932, just 7 years after our house was built. It seemed fitting to put new inserts in the original Andersen frames.

The five windows we installed turned out great; even Chip approved upon inspection. Now to seal the interiors, repaint the exterior trim, take care of the condensation issue... The work never ends.

Protect and Serve

Teagan was excited to discover that her friend Linnea would be visiting her occasionally during the coming weeks. While Chip shared in Teagan's excitement, he knew how much work babies can be and that Mom would need all the support she can get (See post: Weight of Responsibility).

Just then, Teagan sounded the alarm that she needed to be fed. Chip said, "Don't worry, I have this one covered."

Learning to Share

Sharing is never easy, regardless of age or species...

Teagan willingly shares her quilt with Sky, but Sky feels his small corner is getting smaller by the moment: "Why does she keep moving like that..."

Moments earlier Chip was bathing himself in, of course, Teagan's bathtub: "Hey, if she's not using it, then I will."

Suddenly sharing time was over; Sophia had gone too far.

Birthday Barbecue

The Rowlands and the Bassetts have a lot in common, especially September birthdays. Margaret's, Andrea's, and Dan's birthdays are all in a row. John, who is an honorary member of the Birthday Club, was untimely born in January.

Teagan was looking forward to spending time with her friend Linnea. Part way through their kicking session, James gave Teagan a kiss on the forehead. Thankfully, Linnea didn't notice.

John took care of the grilling for us. He earned his bottle(s) of home-brew.

Birthday girl, Margaret, is pictured here with her daughter Linnea.

Linnea also poses with Birthday girl, Andrea.

Our relaxing evening even included some entertainment: El Toreador. (No one was hurt during the reenactment.)

Double Time

On Monday, September 21st, Teagan celebrated 2 months and she was all about making this a memorable date. She strengthened her upper body through 'tummy-time' and tirelessly practiced her smiles with Mom and Dad. Her greatest achievement, however, was repeating Ah-goo* back to her parents. Teagan also celebrated '2' by growing 2 more inches and, at 10 pounds, nearly doubling her birth weight.

*The repetition of "Ah-goo" or any other cooing phrases is strictly dependent upon the following criteria: (1) participant's diaper must be changed or be in the process of being changed, (2) participant has recently been or is in the process of being fed, (3) participant has received sufficient amounts of sleep based on self-analysis, and (4) participant feels inclined to participate; that is, so long as she is not distracted by lights, contrasts of color, or any of the beloved ceiling fans. The participant will determine the length of cooing session at her discretion or until fussiness settles in. Fussiness is final. Void where prohibited.

Turning 2 months old did have its drawbacks. As if having 2 chins wasn't bad enough, Teagan started developing male pattern baldness. Teagan loves her grandpas dearly, but she wasn't prepared for this level of mimicry.

Teagan was able to manage her stress through self-soothing techniques. She was happy to find her thumb, "It's right here at the end of my arm, I have 2 of them, and I can find one of them when I need it... well, most of the time."

After the date passed, Teagan was at a loss as to what she would do for month three: "Maybe it will be enough just to get some hair back."

Our Family Picture

With the addition of Teagan, we needed to update our family photograph at church. Teagan had other pressing matters to which she must attend, like her Sunday afternoon nap. After all, she is her father's daughter.

Where's Teagan?

We seemed to have misplaced Teagan. She wasn't in the crib, in the swing, or in any of the other usual hiding spots. It took us awhile, but we finally found her.

Labor Day - 2009

Each summer Dan's family gathers at his Grandparent's house for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. The dates change and the years pass, but the menu and the good times always remain the same. As we gathered for Memorial Day this year, we fittingly remembered the loss of Dan's Grandpa Eddie. Perhaps it is also fitting that our last gathering, Labor Day, was in celebration of Teagan's birth.

Teagan is being held by her Great-great-uncle Wally (Eddie's brother) as he sweetly sings her to sleep with a lullaby. Teagan's cousin Brian (Wally's son) and Stephanie look in on this special moment.

Teagan happily sleeps in arms that she has come to know well, her Great-uncle Michael and her Great-aunt Sarah.

At these gatherings, our friends are our family. Jessie and Maggie, who have been helpful beyond words to Dan's Grandparents, have eagerly awaited the arrival of Teagan.

Donald and Georgia were also eager to see Teagan, as Teagan's Great-grandma Lynn and Mom look on.

A Weekend of Picnics

Teagan was excited to meet the Johnson Family on Saturday morning (September 5th). While Dan and Andrea were preparing for the addition of Teagan, Mindy celebrated the addition of 3 new members to her own family. And while we miss having Mindy close to us, we are very happy for the whole Johnson Family. Dan, Andrea, and Mindy went to college together.

Later that afternoon, we went over to the Rowland's house for a relaxing picnic. Teagan always enjoys seeing the Rowland gang, and she was also happy to see Josea again. Rumor has it that Teagan will be appearing in a math textbook story-problem. Teagan thought this was great, so long as it doesn't concern two trains traveling in opposite directions at different speeds...

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to the Pentecost's house for another picnic. Grandpa Crago enjoyed a fun game of Kube with the Pentecost kids.

Teagan gestures as she tells her God-sister about her weekend activities, "Can you believe we're going to another picnic tomorrow..."

Hanging out on the bench, Barb gets some Teagan-time while Andrea gets some time to relax.

Teagan knew she was loved, being held by her Godfather and kissed by her God-brother. Life is good.