This Used To Be My Playground

Madonna's hit single is quite appropriate for this blog post...

For the past couple of weeks, Gabe and I have been going out in the backyard to practice hitting baseballs while there is still a bit of daylight left. He is turning into such a good hitter that he has now hit two balls over the rightfield fence (into my neighbor's backyard and more recently one over the leftfield fence (into the empty lot behind us). He is also starting to try to hit the ball from the right side of the plate and looks pretty good doing so. Baseball season is still 6 months away, but we are trying to retain the skills we developed last year.

On Saturday, the weather in Murfreesboro was beautiful. Bright and sunny, there was a soft breeze and the sun was warm on the skin. Gabe and I decided that we would go practice at a baseball field to practice hitting, fielding and catching. We had all of our gear in the car and headed to the ball field close to the house. Unfortunately, they have put a chain link fence around the entire premises and used padlocks to keep people off the field. We went to several other fields and found ourselves on the outside looking in on each field that we saw. We finally gave up on our search and played in a field beside 8 locked ball fields.

When I was a kid, this was not an issue. Most of the time, I would play baseball with several others in the middle of the street by bouncing a tennis ball in lieu of a pitcher. The tennis ball wouldn't break windows, so it was always the safe play. Yet there were still many occasions where the kids in the neighborhood would go to the park and play baseball after breakfast only to return as required by the streetlights, which was the third parent that told a child to get home on a summer evening.

What a disheartening world we live in for children today. Children have less time during a school day to play, exercise, and have fun in PE because we are pushing more academics. Most parents will no longer allow their children to play out of sight like generations past. Moreover, kids no longer play in sports in front of the house like we did either. Most children don't even have a playground in their own neighborhood because the developer's greed requires them to build 4 more houses built to maximize their profits. Other locations that have baseball fields are so afraid that a child will be hurt and a lawsuit will be filed for negligence.

I felt so horrible that Gabriel and I could not find a baseball field to play in this weekend. It is very unfortuntate that we cannot find a suitable place to practice ground balls on the infield dirt. Heck- I would have been happy finding a backstop in the middle of a field so that we would have to chase all of the passed balls that missed Gabe's bat. The children of our current generation have so many things that we did not have: electronic gadgets, video games, and portable DVD players. They don't have the things that help boys grow into men: open spaces to ride bikes and most improtantly, baseball fields.

Baseball fields are where boys learn the most important things to become men. Boys learn how to practice and play hard even if they get bumps and bruises along the way. They learn responsibility for their actions. They learn how to communicate with teammates and play as a member of a team. They learn victory is a reward worth all the time practicing. They learn that as long as they perform their best, they can be proud of their effort in defeat. They learn that each boy wins and loses as a team, not by the actions or faults of a single individual.

I guess for now, Gabe and I will have to continue playing baseball in our back yard. At least I'll know that he is learning the rules of manhood that schools don't have time to teach and our communities are not offering to our children.

Take Me Home

This post is named after the closing tune from every Phil Collins concert I have ever seen. What a great song...

Whenever the Tennessee Rogersons head east, it is typically during the summer months so we can enjoy the sun, ocean, and water parks that Virginia Beach has to offer. Every couple of years, we also make an attempt to head home to have a pseudo-Christmas some time in the beginning of December to exchange gifts and to enjoy each other's company. It is hard not to be home during the holidays. At this point in my life, I feel like each year that goes by without Christmas at home makes it easier than the year before. However, I know that each year that goes by is one less chance that I will have to enjoy Christmas with my family in Virginia.

That said, I seriously cannot remember my last Thanksgiving at home. It must have been well over a decade now since I ate Thanksgiving dinner with all of my family. Thinking about that makes me homesick and long for that opportunity once again. I honestly do not recall the last time I was home for a Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. I think my last Christmas in Virginia was in 1996, which was my first (and subsequently only) return after going off to college in Tennessee. The only other Christmas I can remember being home was when Joy and I surprised my mother, which nearly caused her to have a heart attack.

Sharing custody of Gabriel prohibits me from coming home for Christmas because I will have him from 12/23 until 12/25 about 2pm, or from 2pm on 12/25 through 12/27. There is no way for Jen and I to catch a plane in order to arrive in or leave Murfreesboro in time to enjoy Christmas in both places. Luckily, Jen's family has been quite gracious and made me feel at home with them during the holidays. I have given up on having a Christmas in Virginia for the foreseeable future.

This year seemed like another of the same in regards to the holiday season until a week ago whenI realized that I had requested time off on the Wednesday prior through the Monday after Thanksgiving. Therefore, I will be able to have a family holiday back in Virginia. Jen and I are both quite excited because this is the first time that we will be able to se my entire family together for a purpose other than to come by and visit with us while in town. I will get to eat my favorite foods from many of my aunts: pigs in blankets from Aunt Lilly, chocolate pie from Aunt Barbara, and pecan pie from my mom.

Moreover, this will be the only opportunity for everyone to see Jen while pregnant with a protruding belly signifying the long awaited addition to the family. It really makes me happy knowing that I will get to experience some of her pregnancy with my entire family. I have missed out on so many things since I have been away: weddings, the birth of countless children from several cousins, and as rumors have it- an engagement of my cousin Lonnie Jr. (which was another telling sign of the presence of God!) as well. I hope to be able to cradle the new babies, play with the older ones, catch up with cousins, and show my appreciation for my aunts and uncles who created so many wonderful memories of holidays past.

We will also be able to be a part of a more recent tradition: Thanksgiving at William and Jennifer's house. It will be great to catch up with everyone there as well. We haven't been to their place before, so it will be nice to visit with them for an afternoon.

Finally, I hope to have the chance to spend some time with my closest friends from childhood. Chad now lives in Washington D.C and hopefully will be back in Virginia Beach to be with Becky's family. Brad still lives in Virginia Beach, so hopefully we will be able to get together for an evening.

Hope to see you all soon!

Can't wait to see you all soon!

Urgent (Part 2)

Just to give you a recap of the events after my last post, I have listed a chonology of my Twitter updates for you:

UPDATE: Jen is going to surgery ahead of scheduled. She will being in prep in about 5 minutes...12:39 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter

Jen is headed back into surgery. She's pretty scared but she will be fine. Now we wait for an hour and a half for news from DR...1:33 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter

A fire drill in the hospital just now. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Siren blaring. Drill for OR #5.... Hope Jen wasn't in that one... Yikes-2:42 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter

DR says that surgery went well without complications. She's in post-op for another 30 min. More updates soon. http://myloc.me/19PAY3:16 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter

Jen just returned to her room after recovery feeling really well. She looks relaxed and comfortable for the first time in days...4:18 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter

Jen is staying overnight again. Her mom is covering the overnight shift here tonight so I can rest for Gabe's weekend....6:49 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter


The day has hit me like a ton of bricks. I am exhausted. Should get some sleep tonight. Thanks to everyone for thoughts and prayers-9:17 PM Oct 23rd from UberTwitter


Jen got the call that they are beginning to work on her release. She will be recovering at home soon! http://myloc.me/1aAYh10:13 AM Oct 24th from UberTwitter

Jen now is doing quite well, all things considered. She is still having some pains from the aftermath. By working through it, she is now back in the flow of life and returning to work later this week. Its truly amazing- she is only using 1 pain pill everyday right now!

Gabriel got to visit Jen in the hospital Thursday night when she got to the hospital. He was pretty nervous by the events and did not want to get too close to Jen. Poor boy. I think this was his first real experience in seeing a loved one in the hospital. He has been a tremendous help for her since she has returned from the hospital. He has always been a great helper...

Jacob did a great job of coping with the procedure as well. One night, we had the heart monitor on and he was constantly banging around in the womb. Eventually, we had to turn the monitor down so we could get some sleep. The doctor did mention that when looking at the uterus during surgery, he remarked at the large size of the baby at 25 weeks (that's my boy)...

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers. It has been quite a long week and I am just now recovering. Hopefully this will be the last event we will deal with until delivery!

Urgent? (Part 1)

Foreigner- appropriate for this post:

Many of you know by now that Jen is in the hospital and is having surgery today. As you are aware, hospitals are notorious for poor cell reception. Therefore, I have been updating the masses via Twitter. Finally a legitimate use that I can document for anyone that asks, "why would you want to use Twitter?"

More information is to follow and you wish to follow click the link below to my Twitter page and follow me: http://twitter.com/mrogerson. Here is a chronological review of what has happened over the past 18 hours or so:

Jen in hospital. May be gall bladder. Can't talk now. Please start prayers! Thanks in advance. More info to follow- -about 17 hours ago from UberTwitter

Update from hospital- call Dad... -about 16 hours ago from UberTwitter

No reception in hospital... Think its gall bladder or kidney stones... Not sure at this point. Probably staying the night. More to follow- about 14 hours ago from UberTwitter

Waiting on the doctor to determine if surgery is happening tonight or tomorrow. Probably going to be here a while... -about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter

Waiting on the DR to determine if surgery is tonight or tomorrow. Either way, sleeping in the hospital tonight... -about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter

DR says surgery tomorrow. He's up now, surgeries all night and hers is in the afternoon... Hmm... -about 12 hours ago from UberTwitter

For years I've been sleeping in a king bed & waking up with back & neck pain. What if I feel great after sleeping on this hospital cot?-about 9 hours ago from UberTwitter

LONG night in the hospital. Apparently Jacob parties all night while we sleep… He was banging on the heart monitor all night long! Funny-about 3 hours ago from UberTwitter

If you wish to call and check on Jen, my mom and dad have the number. Don't have their's? Send me a TXT or Blkbry msg...about 1 hour ago from UberTwitter

DR has given Jen "the talk" of all that could go wrong. She's a bit freaked out by it all. DR says all should be well... More later-11 minutes ago from UberTwitter

Jen is feeling better right now, but DR says its best to go through with procedure because not doing so could be more detrimental... - a minute ago from UberTwitter

As you can see, it has been a pretty stressful time. Right now we are patiently waiting for the afternoon to come to let the doctor take care of her. Waiting is the hard part, because we don't know exactly when the surgery is going to take place. Complications are understandable, and are clearly defined by the doctor prior to surgery. We is not known is when the doctor wil whisk her away from us. Then we have to sit and wait again without knowing when the surgery is scheduled to be finished.

Time is the great equalizer. No one gets more or less than any other person each day. It's the only thing that must be completely used up by midnight, only to be given a fresh batch the next day. That said, no one is guaranteed another breath, let al0ne tomorrow. Therefore, time spent waiting for action is the toughest part of life.

More updates will follow on . Again- if you want to give us a call here in the hospital, you can get the number from my parents. If you do not have their number send me a TXT or Blackberry message. We will probable be her until Saturday afternoon. Please keep us in your prayers and thanks for reading.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

A little Hank Jr. for you...

As everyone knows, I like sports. I enjoy sitting back and watching football on a breezy fall Sunday afternoon. The game is the ultimate TV sport. Each play is called, men are set in position and are frozen in time until the call of the leader. Only then can each player release the stored energy in each muscle to dominate their opponent. A furocious ballet ensues for approximately 5 to 10 seconds, the play ends and the game is suspended until it's time to do it again. What can be done during the down time? A REPLAY of the last play giving the viewer insight into why the play was a success or failure. How sweet is that? Not to mention that with NFL Sunday Ticket, I get to watch any game I want without blackout restrictions.

This is my 4th year with NFL Sunday Ticket, and each year it has been well worth it. This year is slightly different that the last several years because of a minor detail- I am NOT playing fantasy football for the first time since 1993. Yes, I said 1993- I harken back to the days of a mail-in draft and getting our scores Thursday by mail based on the stats inside the USA Today from on Monday.

I decided not play fantasy football this year because it has begun to be more work than fun. I no longer wanted to talk to a friend for 30 minutes trying to get a deal done. Neither do I want to flip through every game on Sunday without really watching any of them for the sake of the stats of my players. I wanted to take a break over the past few years, but so many people have wanted me to play, that it began feeling more like an obligation than fun as well.

Turning on the TV on Sundays this year has changed dramatically. I now look at the weekly schedule and am unable to find a game that I have any interest in as I look through the list. NFL parity has not added credibility to the league and increased competition. It has diluted itself into mediocrity. There aren't dominant franchises that create the dynasty of the 70's Steelers and the 80's 49ers. Now I see a bunch of teams that are predominantly average at best. I still watch the Dolphins, but after their game, I haven't had the urge to watch other games because I seemed to have lost interest in the matchups. Maybe it's a coming of age for me, I'm not sure.

I have told Jen that I will probably not buy the NFL Sunday Ticket next year. I have not been using it enough this year to make it matter. Instead, maybe I will get MLB Extra Innings. The idea of being able to watch the Yankees virtually any night I wish from April to October does peak my interest. And the MLB Extra Innings package is not exclusive to DirecTV, so it opens the door for a healthy competitions between service carriers. Plus, I feel that I would get a lot more use out of watching baseball rather than football. A blog of the beauty of baseball to be posted soon...

m

Peaceful, Easy Feeling

Yes- a simple relation to the Eagles...

Jacob-

Over the last several weeks, your mommy has been asking to feel "that one big kick" so she knows that you are there and getting stronger. She tells me that she can feel what she describes as you rolling in circles in her belly, which makes her feel that she is on a roller coaster! That is pretty cool, bud. I really hope that you continue using your umbilical cord as your own personal bungee jump system!

I just wanted to thank you for finally giving your mother what she wanted. You must have my sense of humor, because you gave her your best kick- around 2am! You actually woke her from her sleep when she felt that one. I know you don't have any idea what that means (2am), but soon you will and realize that it was pretty funny. The best part is that you have been giving her your best shots over the past week very early in the morning. Even today, you were kicking her hard at 7:15. You mom actually woke me up to let me feel you kicking. That is where we have a problem...

You see, Jacob- I too would like to feel you kick really hard. Actually, I would really like to be the first person other than Mommy to feel that. It is important to me because I don't get to go to all the doctor's appointments to hear your heartbeat. Every time Mommy puts my hand on her belly to feel you moving, you stop- actually that is kind of funny too (which is my sense of humor as well). You are a pretty funny fellow already.

I am starting to think that it is okay that you stop kicking when I feel you. Mommy is starting to get fearful that my touch is so soothing that I may be the only one that can sooth you when you arrive. You know what? If that is the case, it is fine with me. I don't get to the strong first kick, but we will have a much stronger bond. I can be the one that relaxes and comforts your frustration and tension. I will be there to soothe you. When you won't stop crying for everyone else, I will be the one that makes everyone envious. We can have a different bond. The bond of a peaceful, easy feeling when I am holding you, rocking you to sleep at night.

Sit back and relax when I feel for you. It will be our little secret...

See you soon, Jacob. Love you already.

m

Whenever I Say Your Name

Great song by Sting and Mary J. Blidge from the album, "Sacred Love."

Today was our 20 week ultrasound and everything was fantastic. I was great to see Jennifer's ovaries shrinking from softball to about raquetball after the many shots during the IVF process. We also got to see the baby once again and he has gotten much bigger in the past 5 weeks.

We also got complete confirmation that "he" is in fact, a "he." Previously, Jennifer had done extensive research and came to the conclusion that it is very difficult to determine the sex of a child at week 15. I rebutted her discovery by using the evidence of the Week 15 unltrasound and the experience and expertise of the technician. She is a 15-year veteran of the ultrasound machine, so I believe that she knows what she is looking at despite any limited development up to Week 15....

Here is the picture of the day:


Case Closed.

As stated in a previous blog, I stated that I would cover the names sent in to me over the past several weeks. Sadly, only my own mother and her friends gave us ideas. And here they are:

Jacob Scott- pretty good start, but denied...
Jacob Wade- Boggs = Red Sox. Nope.
Jacob Tyler- Not bad...
Jacob Shawn- Missing the flow.
Jacob Stone- Umm... No comment. Check that- horrible.
Jacob Connor- Jennifer's friend's son is named Connor. Out.
Jacob Ryan- Jennifer's ex-boyfriend's name. Out.
Jacob Lee- Not digging the Lee...
Jacob Dillon- I like (spelled Dylan- like the singer of The Wallflowers)- vetoed by Jen.

So it's decided- Jacob Alex, right? Wrong. Out of nowhere, Jacob Matthew. Jennifer came across this combo recently and really liked the way it flowed. She also liked that it was similar to Michael (Like Gabriel Michael), and it had BOTH of our initials in the name (JMR). All really great reasons for Jacob Matthew, but what about the New York Yankees reference? I have scoured the record books looking for a Matt or Matthew to lend itself to the name and came up with nothing...

I had to turn to another passion of mine: music. Easily, I can come up with a couple of favorites from my iPod- Matt Nathanson and Mat Kearney. Both of these guys have a great sound and moreover, Jennifer likes them both as well.

Just like that old horse racing phrase, "out of the clouds, from last to first," Jacob Matthew wins... We welcome you with open arms and will be monograming pillows and photo frames for you soon as we await your arrival. See you soon, Jacob Matthew!