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.

Sleepwalker

Good title from the Wallflowers for the first few weeks with a new baby in the house...

Baby here. Doing great. Beautful boy. Lots of hair. Jen well. Everyone healthy. Gabe likes little brother. Good big brother. Helps out a lot. Jacob eats often. Doesn't like baths. Lots of diapers.

Sleeping okay. Not enough. No time for blog. Jacob likes being held. Held all the time. Always sleeps on me. Doesn't like swinging.

Almost two weeks old. An inch taller. Back to birth weight. Doing great. Jen tired. Me little energy. Fall asleep while blogging. No time for anything. Baby sucking energy. Totally worth it.

Love to all.

Welcome To The Jungle!

A little Guns 'N' Roses for you juxtaposed against the sanctuary of Jacob's new room...


Jen and I have been preparing the way for Jacob since June, when the doctor advised us that the IVF cycle was a success. We started looking for different materials, paint samples, and furniture within days of hearing the great news. The first thing that was purchased was a small sonogram picture frame for our first sonogram photo. Gabriel gave us the first gift- by getting a stuffed animal dog for the baby. By July, Jen's parents had already purchased the baby crib. At the time, we did not know whether we were having a boy or girl, so we picked a crib that will look great for a boy or girl.

Since July, we have added a changing table/dresser, chair and ottoman, more clothing that can ever be worn by a child, new carpet, area rug (two different ones), floating shelves, wall decorations, and stuffed animals. And that is simply the start of the process. We decided to go with a jungle-themed room for him. This is a pictorial diary of its progression...


From its humble beginnings, we have developed a fantastic nursery that started with painting the walls. We took a piece of the fabric we chose and matched paint and stripe sizes that corresponded to its design. I created a sample on the focal point wall before completing it just to get an idea of the design:


Although it looked a bit daring, we decided that we would trust our idea for the room and continue forward with the paint scheme. Because I LOVE to paint in solitude, I did not allow much help with painting the room. However, I had a great helper that assisted me stripe the room:


Despite looking wild initially, the wall turned out better than we had imagined. The stripes matched the distances and colors of the fabric perfectly. The remaining walls were painted green to complete the start of our theme.

Initially, we purchased a zebra rug to place in front of the crib, but it was quickly replaced for a giraffe-print rug because of the aesthetic value and to contrast against the new carpet.


We started to add the decorative touches to the room, which started with wall art and finished with floating shelves:


Jen’s grandmother made custom curtains, crib bumper, crib skirt, and even sleeves over the baby mobile. She did amazing work and we are truly blessed to have her help make this the room of our dreams.


The room was coming together quite well, but we still needed to add personal details to the room. We added Jacob’s monogram to the crib bumper and the curtains. The most personal items in the room are a giraffe that my parents placed in my bedroom and a safari carousel that was in Jen’s room when we were babies. It completely ties all of the room together.


Here are some finished photos of the room:


Now, all we are waiting for is the finishing touch- Jacob, which should be arriving shortly. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun and I hope that Jacob enjoys the fruits of our labor. For in this jungle, our little lion cub will sleep shortly...