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.

Saturday Night & Sunday Morning

An instrumental from Phil Collins from the album, "...But Seriously" for the final weekend as the Rogerson Trio (Jen, Gabriel & I)...

This was a big weekend for Gabriel. It was the final weekend of Gabriel, the little boy and begins the transition to Gabriel, the big brother. Jen and I wanted to have an extremely special weekend that was packed with great times and fantastic events. Initially, the weekend started off great because the snow that pummeled Murfreesboro on Friday morning caused my offices to close for the first time since opening in 2003! We got paid time off to start the weekend, but it caused a wrench in the rest of our plans for Gabriel this weekend.

For a final weekend with just the three of us, I wanted to take him to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. He really enjoys spending time at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro, so I know that he would thoroughly enjoy all of the activities that would be presented to him. Unfortunately, the first flakes of the falling snow created an uncontrollable urge for native Murfreesboroans to drive into one another all around Middle Tennessee Friday evening, leaving the roads unnavigable. I decided to take Gabe and the dogs on an adventure walk through the woods as if we were adventurers. We had a blast and the dogs enjoyed the snow too.

By Saturday, the roads were even better, but Nashville's roads were still reprehensible by Murfreesboro's standards (kudos to the local road crews because they did an impeccable job keeping the roads as safe as possible). Gabe & I decided to go out and play in the snow, but the snow had already turned into ice, from the overnight mix we received. Unable to make a snowman, we still had a great time pulling ice off the cars and breaking the sheets of ice on each other's heads. We finally came inside to play several hours of the new Super Mario Bros. for the Wii.

Sunday, the snow had melted enough that we could mobilize ourselves in order to end the weekend with a finale worthy of greatness. I recalled my father pulling me around the yard on a garbage can or laundry basket lid and decided that I would attempt to do the same for him. I found a bodyboard in the garage, and yanked him all over the yard and street. After doing that for about 2 minutes, I was exhausted and Jen had the brilliant idea of finding a sledding location. We ended up at Barfield Park and found a great little sledding location. I decided that I would start Gabe at a nice speed and we would let gravity do the rest. Initially, we had the area to ourselves which worked out very well.


After a couple hours of sledding at Barfield Park, it was time to finally go home for the day.

On our way home, I notices there were several of the best sledding locations that we were passing the greatest sledding location in the city of Murfreesboro. Better yet was the fact that it was uninhabited- the on & off ramps of the interstate! We drove to I-840 and took the Beasley Rd. exit. Low and behold, others had the same idea because there dozens having a wild ride down the embankment. due to the steepness of the incline (and because I am still just a kid, myself), I took the first run down the hill. I flew down the hill about 25mph and had to walk back up the 70ft incline- well worth it! I let Gabe ride with me a few times as well. He absolutely loved the downhill journey. What a rush for a little guy to fly down that hill. We were exhausted after walking up that hill 3 times and decided to go home.


By the time we got home, the ice layer had melted, so I was forced by the smile of my boy to make a snowman, despite the hours of torment my body felt starting a 70lb boy sledding downhill. I was already in a lot of pain already, so I rationalized that I would not know the difference by being quite sore and extremely sore. We ended up building a 5’7”, 340lb snowman, who is still standing today. That was the culmination of our big weekend. We all had a great time and Gabriel loved every minute of it all. I wanted to make this a weekend that he would not forget for a long time to come. Mission accomplished.

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...

Back 2 Good

Nice play on words with a good song from Matchbox 20...

As many of you already know, I have been having a lot of pain in my back over the last few years. This pain is always here and it never departs from me. What once was an annoyance is now a part of my life that aids in defining the person that I am.

I honestly don't remember the instance it started. In 2004-2005, I was having a great time playing softball on various teams from spring until autumn. I remember breaking my right middle finger in the middle of a game and breaking my left wrist on a lazy fly ball to right center later in the same game. I made a great sliding catch for the final out of the game as my wrist turned over in the outfield grass. During 2006, I had lost a lot of strength in my right arm as I had fluid build up between the socket of the humerus bone and the clavicle that lasted 18 months. My back began hurting at some point during this time as well. Needless to say I have been in a lot of physical pain over the past 4 years.

This is not the typical back pain that most people have in their life. Contrary to most, my pain occurs when attempting to stand up straight or stretching or backward, which compress the joints together. More often than not, I will continue doing what I want to do and deal with the pain later. It drives Jen absolutely crazy. I love coaching baseball, tossing batting practice and teaching fielding with all of the kids as well as boxing, wrestling, and playing tackle football with Gabriel. By the end of baseball practices I can hardly stand up straight, but I keep pressing onward. It's pretty depressing because I don't believe that I should be feeling like this at my age.

After several years of continuous wincing, grunting, and complaints, Jen finally made me go see a doctor. We found an orthopedist that gave me doses and doses of steroid packs, anti-inflammatory meds, and physical therapy. After a season of trial and error, we were referred to Dr, Clendenin, a spinal specialist, who told me that I have arthritis in my lower back joints. Normally, the arthritis and deterioration in the joints is typically seen in people 50 years or older. He decided to offer cortisone injections to try to isolate the pain and provide options for relief. I completed the first round of cortisone injections inside the facet joints on Christmas Eve. I had about 8 lidicane shots to numb the area, and 4 cortisone injections.
Several people have asked me what the initial injections felt like. The only thing I can say about it is that it is completely unexplainable. At times it was quite painful, There were instances when the doctor would move and even bend the needle into place between the facet joints. I could not take in a breath at all until he stopped moving them into position. At other times, the feeling was so bizarre I could do nothing but laugh. I left the OR feeling pretty good that day.

A couple of weeks later, I contacted the doctor's office to let him know that the pain was still quite persistent. I was asked to come in to complete a second round of injections this morning. This time, Dr. Clendenin performed the injections in the sacroiliac joints. These injections were a completely different feeling. This time, it was more of the typical pain one would expect from getting shots in the back. This evening, I have not felt as well as I did after the first injections.

Hopefully we will find the cause for my misery soon. I can't imagine feeling this way the rest of my life. I have a LOT of playing to do with Gabriel and soon enough with Jacob....

If You Want Blood, You Got It

A little AC/DC never hurt anyone...

Sorry for the delay since my last post. I feel pretty bad about it, but Jen and I have been extremely busy over the past couple of months creating a bedroom for Jacob Matthew deserving of a segment on HGTV. Pictures and a LONG blog about it once completed...

Like a majority of Americans, I work at my place of business because I HAVE TO work at my place of business. There comes a time in your life where, as the Daniel Stern character (Phil) eloquently stated in CIty Slickers, "at this stage- where you are, you are..." With the recent changes in our health care coverage at the start of the new year, what was once a great advantage over other companies is now merely competitive with other companies. With the tightening economy, all of the reasons why I stayed with Verizon Wireless are falling by the wayside...

During the waning days of 2009, many of my fellow team members are burned out. The pressure to perform to higher standards coupled with less benefits is taking its toll on our department. I only took 2 of my 3 weeks of vacation this year in order to save extra time for Jacob's arrival in the coming weeks, so have been exhausted for quite some time. Recently, each of us have been talking about what we would give to have a little break in our day. Some stated that they would pay $50 to have an hour away. I made the comment that I would donate a kidney to have a couple of hours away from my desk right now...

Last week, employees received an email from our Health & Wellness Team at Verizon Wireless that explained we were going to have the opportunity to participate in a Red Cross Blood Drive at work in January. Before the I could read the email in its entirety, I clicked "reply" and said that I would volunteer. I did not have to even think twice. All I read was "spots are limited" and "first come first serve basis." I WAS getting a spot for donation. Are you kidding me? An hour away from the desk and all I had to do is give a pint of blood? Fair trade, considering I mused of donating a kidney for two hours. It was time for my body to cash the check that my mouth wrote a couple of weeks ago.

I had not donated blood in several years. The last time I did so was the last Verizon Wireless Blood Drive in 2007. It only took about 5 minutes from the initial start of the draw to the completion of the donation. The collection bag was hidden from site so I never saw the pint of blood at all. Just a day after the donation, my arm has only a small red dot as evidence of the needle's invasion. Moreover- the Red Cross will allow blood donations every 56 days! That's incredible. The website for the Red Cross (www.redcross.org) is a fantastic resource for more information about blood donation and their need for volunteers.

I have made a New Year's resolution to give blood at least 4 times this year. I figure that it is the least I could do to help others in need. I encourage everyone to go out and find a Red Cross Donation Center or the location of a BloodMobile near you. It is a small gift, but the dividends are exponential. Each pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. With my 4 pints this year, I my small donation could save 12 lives! That's pretty awesome! What are you going to do to make the world a better place this year?

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.