Eat It!

Who would have ever thought that "Weird Al" Yankovic would ever play a part in my blog?

Most of you already know that this family loves "Man Vs. Food" on the Travel Channel. We DVR the show and watch every week, and even watch reruns then they run them as well. Gabriel often plays "Man Vs. Food" most evenings when we are eating dinner. Over the past several months, I have been able to converse with him through Twitter (he follows ME now!) and Gabriel thinks its awesome that I have a direct line to him. We have even had the opportunity to meet him at a book signing and we talked as if we had been friends for years. He's such a humble and gracious person and is a great role model for Gabriel as a human being.

We also watch several shows on Food Network: "Iron Chef America," "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and "Chopped" to name a few. Gabe loves watching the chefs compete using the same ingredients, yet coming up with different results. His favorite parts are the epic failures of some contestants and when the judges talk about what they like, dislike and why. He also likes trying to figure out who is going to win the shows.

Tonight's dinner morphed from a nice meal into a fantastic event. As we were eating dinner, Gabriel began to create his own version of "Chopped," mimicking every nuance of Ted Allen's hosting style, judges comments about our meal, screen graphics and sound effects in and out of commercial breaks, and even provided a few commercials for us. It was incredible. The kid is really good at it. He made Jen and I laugh to the point of hysteria while eating dinner.

Our dinner entertainment quickly turned into dessert talk and we decided to have a dessert-only version of "Iron Chef America." Gabriel, of course, was "The Chairman" and also played the role of Alton Brown, the moderator as our small kitchen turned into our own cramped "Kitchen Stadium." He was unbelievable from the start: from the reveal of our secret ingredient (marshmallows), to starting the battle declaring, "I say to you- in the words of my uncle, Allez Cuisine!" As Jen and I prepared our desserts, Gabriel became Alton Brown, filming parts on his new Spycam watch, and moderating the actions of the "Chefs."

I (dubbed "Bobby Flay" by Gabriel) made Marshmallows Three Ways:

1. Chocolate-Covered Marshmallows and Banana, skewered on a toothpick, rolled in crumbled graham cracker crumbs
2. Marshmallow Orange Dreamcicle- marshmallows skewered on a toothpick, with frozen Cool Whip, dipped in orange juice
3. Marsmallow and Banana on a graham cracker with caramel drizzle

Jennifer (dubbed "Cat Cora" by Gabriel) made a Marshmallow/Banana Pudding:

-Vanilla pudding with sliced bananas on a bed of graham cracker crumbs with marshmallows and a chocolate sauce topping

After the desserts were eaten, the nod went to Jen "Cat Cora" Rogerson, by the slimmest of margins.

It was a big night in the Rogerson house tonight.

As I Lay Me Down To Sleep

A perfect song provided by Sophie B. Hawkins...

It has been a long 5 months since last posting a blog and I am embarrassed that time has escaped my grasp. There is so much to tell about the transformation of the Rogerson family (Tennessee Chapter), but not enough time to thoroughly put it into words. I have made a decision to write more often, however briefly it may be. On to today's topic...

Gabriel is of the Rogerson mold- he loves music. He received an iPod from us on his 4th birthday and has loved listening to the Beatles as I drive him home on Tuesday and Thursday nights since he was in a infant carseat. About 3 years ago, he decided that he wanted to listen to music as he went to bed. With the breadth of my musical catalog, I created several playlists entitled, "Sleep Time 1-6" for variety. Each having about 8 songs, he enjoys them as he drifts into his dream world. A night does not go by when he doesn't hear a song from Mat Kearney and Jason Mraz.

As for Jacob, he is starting his own bedtime traditions. Initially, he would only want to go to sleep in his crib- he did not want someone to rock him to sleep. Because I only got a couple of hours with him before he went to bed, I began to rock him in his chair a few minutes and sing my favorite songs as lullabies. I wanted to be sure he had a solid foundation of music, so I began to sing a litany of Beatles songs as I rocked him to sleep. At first, his "playlist" only consisted of "Blackbird." After a few days, I added an additional song such as "Across The Universe," "Let It Be," and "The Long And Winding Road." After a couple of weeks, it became apparent that this was no longer a phase. Jennifer had attempted to lay him in bed like we always had before and he would start whining after 5 minutes in bed. I would pick him up and sing a couple of songs and he would sleep all night.

Jake tells me the songs he likes by resting quietly without tossing and turning. We have added "Octopus' Garden," "Yesterday," and "Good Night" into our Beatle repertoire. With his approval, I have added other artists such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Brett Dennen, but we always end on a Beatles tune as I lay him in his crib. I am not sure who enjoys this ritual more: him or me, but its the bond we share together at the end of his day. It seems to be a necessity for him, and a pleasure for me.

Long, Long, Long

"It's been a long, long, long time..." - Lennon/McCartney

It’s been over three months since my last post and I am disappointed it has taken so long to update this year. I liked the fact that I was posting every two weeks or so until my life was drastically changed on February 2. As much as things have changed since my last post, it has been counter-balanced by that which has stayed the same. Here are some of the things that have changed since the last post:

1. Jacob no longer wakes up at night for additional feedings.

2. Jacob laughs at things he now finds amusing. See the video clip here: http://twitvid.com/KHHI3

3. Gabriel now has fewer teeth than most 75 year old grandparents.

4. Jen and I have adapted to getting 6 hours of broken sleep each night.

5. I have lost 20 pounds in the past 40 days.

Here is what has stayed the same:

1. Jacob continues to wake up in the middle of the night hunting for his pacifier that was spit out earlier.

2.Jacob is still spitting up after his bottles even up to the time when he is ready for his next feeding.

3.Gabriel is still the best big brother a sibling or parent could ever dream for in a child.

4. Jen and I never feel fully rested with the current sleep pattern.

5.Despite my weight loss, my back is still killing me.

Jen and I are still amazed that Jacob is part of our family. Over the past five years, there have been bouts of doubt as to whether or not children would ever be a part of our lives. It’s kind of funny because we have been stressed about this for such a long time, we aren’t sure how to move forward without that weight on our shoulders. Thankfully, we are more than happy to figure out how to move forward as the days pass.

As for me, the last discussion with the doctor has confirmed my personal goal to lose 45lbs and keep it off forever. I now only drink water every day- no milk, juice, diet soda, mix packets, etc. I have also not eaten any desserts or snacks- only my three smaller portioned meals each day. It has worked quite well thus far and now I am going to the gym to try to get stronger. I figured that it’s cheaper to pay for a membership than it is to go to the doctor. Plus, the doctor has advised me that surgery is not a viable option to cure my ailing back. Although I have degeneration in my lumbar discs and mild arthritis in the joints, his professional opinion is that surgery would not help the pain I feel. He stated that the best thing I could do for my back would be to continue working to strengthen my core. After six weeks, I am a lot lighter and feel healthier, but my back has not given me any relief despite my efforts.

That is a brief synopsis of what has been going over the past several months. Sorry for the long hiatus, but I promise it will not be this long prior to my next post.

Blowing In the Wind

The answer, my friend is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind....

-Bob Dylan

Weather is putting the finishing touches on its portrait of autumn and changing the canvas to begin painting the dreariness of winter over the past week in Murfreesboro. We have gone through 3 stages of weather since I woke up for work this morning- cool and sunny turned to misty and breezy this afternoon, which has evolved into pouring rain and heavy winds into the night. This evening, the winds have been swirling around with thoughts of turning over trash cans at every home. Sting's lyric explains it best on a night like tonight: The hounds of winter are howling in the wind. Howling is a great use of personification for the wind. As hard as it is blowing tonight, it moans through each small crack between the windows and doorframes.

Gabe and I were having a lot of fun tonight catching up on some of what is turning out to be one of his favorite new shows: Mythbusters. The wacky things these guys do make him laugh and we make bets before we watch the experiments as to weather the myth will be confirmed, plausible or "busted." Later, we watched Clash of the Dinosaurs, which is a new documentary series that explains the design of different dinosaurs from physical and mental aspects. Finally, it was bedtime, which is when the winds started howling the most.

It was quite blustery as Gabe laid down for bed. I turned on his iPod and set his playlist entitled, "Sleeptime III," and Ringo Starr begins to croon (as much as he could), "Good Night." Gabe starts to worry about the noise and begins to feel a bit scared of sleeping amongst the noise beyond the walls. Trying to ease his mind and help him rest for the night, I tell him the same story he has heard dozens of times in the past: The Three Little Pigs. At the end of the story, we both come to the conclusion that the only house the wolf did not blow over was the one built with bricks. Since our house was made with bricks, our house will not fall down either.

This is truly the first moment in his life in which he has shown the dichotomy between the his amazing intellect and reasoning and immediately thereafter, showing childlike naivety which steals your heart.

After hearing the story and realizing our house was made of bricks, the paused for a moment and remarked, "but Mom's house is made of wood..." After calming his restless energy, I went back into the room to let him know I was taking down the welcome flag on near the porch, only to hear him whimpering. I asked him if he's okay and with tears in his eyes, he says that he was praying for all the non-brick houses, "so they don't fall down." Putting him to bed once more, he asks, "Our house won't fall down because of the bricks, but what about the windows, since they are glass?" I was completely dumbfounded. I simply had no more answers for him tonight. He then said the most adorable thing of the past several months: "Hey, Dad. The glass won't break because the blinds will protect it, right?" All I could do is smile, kiss his head, and tell him is is absolutely right.

What a great evening, which I owe to my son. Evenings like these make the irritations and monotony of the day's events worthwhile.

A Great Valentine's Day

This weekend is about being with the one you love. Jen and I decided that because we had Gabriel this weekend, we would make it about the one we love. Jen and I have had big plans for Gabriel for a while now. We have been holding a special surprise for him if he does well in school. More about that later...

On Friday, we got a heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's and ate virtually all of it ourselves. Then Gabe and I played video games until it was time to go to bed. The next morning, we got up and went to the store to find him some new tennis shoes. Then, we were off to the surprise location. Gabe had no idea what was in store for him. It was beyond everything his senses has ever seen.

We went to a new place called Phazer Kraze, which is a throwback to the laser-tag game facilities we had in the past. The place was killer. The facility had dozens of alleys, walkways, and hiding places to use. Of course, Gabriel still didn't have an idea of what to do until he put on the vest, grabbed his laser gun and headed into the facility. It was just like playing a real-life version of our Star Wars video game. We ran around hiding, sneaking, shooting and fleeing from view.

We decided that Gabriel and Jen would play against me. That way, he could enjoy shooting at me and I at him. We stalked one another for about 20 minutes throughout the game. I would attempt to shoot Jen first (unfortunately for her) in hopes that Gabe would be able to shoot me before I shot him. It turned out that we shot each other numerous times throughout the game. It was an absolute blast there. 

Gabriel loved playing so much that he decided that he would rather have his birthday party there instead of the air-bounce playground place, which is great news. After all, he did have his birthday at one of those places last year. I am glad to see that Jen and I found a place that is more suitable for him and his sixth birthday. He is getting so much bigger and is moving on to bigger and better places to have a good time.

I hope your Valentine's Day was as fun as ours. 

Talk to you again soon-

m

Gabriel and Baseball

With the daffodils making their first appearance this year, it is also time for us to talk to Gabriel about playing sports this spring. Once again, Gabriel has chosen to play baseball instead of that wretched sport that does nothing but inhibit hand-eye coordination (known as soccer). Fortunately, it was an easy sell this year! Baseball laid a beat-down to that other crappy activity. It really wasn't a fair fight- that other crappy activity didn't stand a chance! Initially Gabriel said he wanted to play baseball because, "Dad loves baseball." While I did not disagree with his logic, I did want him to formulate a better reason for his motives. I left the room to allow for Jen to discuss the matter with him in an unbiased forum. After about 3 minutes, he came out and told me that he wanted to play baseball because it was fun and he like to hit the ball and run the bases. I was happy with his reasoning wither way, but better his mother to hear the newest reason for his intent to play rather than his initial logic.

This year, we moved Gabriel from the kids' league that doesn't compete to a league that does promote competition, keeps score, tallies winners and losers and builds self-esteem and rewards hard work and practice. We went to signups and talked to one of the administers of the league. He advised us that the birthday cut-off was April 30. That means Gabriel will be playing as a 6-year-old for most of the year in a 5-year-old division. As big as he is right now (50 inches tall, 68 pounds), he is going to be an absolute monster in this league. Recognizing this, the administrator asked if we have a copy of his birth certificate. Immediately, it dawned on me that this would be something that I would probably want to carry with me every Saturday in case some crazy parent challenges his age in the league. I advised the admin that I would carry it with me in his baseball bag from that point on.

Both the 5 & 6-year-old leagues are T-Ball, something that Gabriel is not accustomed to any longer. He has been able to hit pitches tossed from about 20 feet since he was 4. Going back to a tee is not something I am terribly happy about, but that won't stop me from tossing him a few while in the backyard away from practice....