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.

TNT

The opening song to one of Gabriel's favorite video games: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2-

So this year Gabriel has turned 7 years old. The years are flying by and he has grown up so much. This year, Gabriel wanted a skateboard, so he got one from Nana and Pop (my parents). His gift came disassembled with two skate decks that can be interchanged, a set of trucks and wheels, and a full set of pads. We built the board and I got the video camera in order to film history- his venture into Skateboarding 101. Thanks to my Macbook and iMovie, this is what we turned out. Gabriel looks like one bad dude...



More videos will be uploaded to YouTube in the future. Hope you enjoy!

Vacation

The original girls of rock, The Go-Go's provide the classic title to this post.

Last week, the Tennessee sect of the Rogerson Family made their annual pilgrimage to the land of my fathers, Virginia. We decided to drive through North Carolina in order to stop in Kill Devil Hills to first visit my sister in her new home.

North Carolina treated us quite well- the days were long, hot and enjoyable. The ocean was not so accommodating. I had been waiting since I was pulled out to the water to go to the hospital regarding Jennifer's abdominal pains to make a return to the ocean to surf. For the last 12 months, I had been waiting for the moment I could take a longboard into the ocean and ride the waves. As I gazed upon the coast, there was something lacking- waves. It was as flat as the Florida Gulf Coast. My heart was completely ripped out of my chest and rested alongside the locker of Davy Jones. Every day was more of the same. I would have no surfing this trip either.

The best source of fun in North Carolina came by way of my sister's boyfriend, David. We decided to spend the evening on the beach hunting ghost crabs. I was the spotter, Michelle held the bucket, David was the catcher and Gabriel was leading the charge to get that next crab. Once I spotted the crab with the flashlight, David would take off like Michelle's border collie in a crab frenzy. He would pounce on the crab like a cat, locate and close the claws, and toss them into the bucket.

We caught several little crabs early as the daylight waned. As the night progressed we were catching numerous crabs with ease. David had continued to try to get Gabriel to pick up the crab himself, telling him that they wouldn't hurt him. After several attempts, he simply could not bring himself to do it. Just as Gabe backed down, the crab clamped down on David's thumb and he wimpered like a school girl. It was the funniest moment of the trip by far. David didn't think it was as funny, but he was able to laugh about it after a few moments.


Once we made it to Virginia, we were able to visit with cousins and newphews, enjoy the waterpark nearby, and eat at some of my favorite locations. The best moment came when Gabriel, Dad & I went to a Norfolk Tides game- one of Gabriel's vacation priorities. It was 50 cent hotdogs, drinks, and popcorn at the ball park. Our seats were about 8 rows behind home plate- behind the protective screen. We ordered a ridiculous amount of food and drink on the cheap and watched the Tides boat race the Iron Pigs. During the top of the 9th inning, a foul ball went staight back behind us and hit the luxury suite wall. As it returned to earth, I noticed the ball was coming right toward me. I didn't even have to move my feet: It was on a collision course with my head. I raised my hands in the air and caught the ball as if I was an outfielder catching the final out of a game. I looked toward Dad and Gabriel to celebrate and hand the ball to my son, in a moment of pride. Gabe was not there. As I look down, I noticed Gabriel in a ball under the our seats! Dad and I finally coax him out and as I place the ball in his hands, the fans cheer as he lifts it triumphantly in the air. Best moment of the vacation, no question.

We had a great time and both North Carolina and Virginia treated us well. Can't wait to get back soon. Hopefully, next year the ocean will be more forthcoming of its bounty. We may not plan a vacation next year. We'll just come with the waves are 4-5 feet. Mayble we should plan using a Farmers' Almanac...

Wild Wild Life

A Talking Heads song lifted from one of the best animation films in the last 20 years, "Open Season."

This weekend was quite strange. As I begin the drive home for a relaxing weekend with the family, I get a call from Gabriel telling me that there is a deer close to the road by our house. As I pull up to the front of the neighborhood, I see this small deer that looks confused and disoriented and without a mother. After a few minutes, I was able to corral her and bring her home. The intention was to contact Tennessee Wildlife to have them intervene. I had not planned for the events to come.

She looked as if she had the eyes of an old toy poodle- a thick bluish-white haze covering each iris. A lady working the animal rehab center said the deer was blind or so young, her vision had not come into focus. It looked like cataracts After finally getting in touch with TWRA, I was advised to attempt to introduce fluids with a baby bottle and wake up at 4am to place her in the area we found her in order to allow the mother to acquire her and move her to a more private location. After about 8am, see if she is still in the same place where I left her. I did as TWRA advised and woke up before dawn to place her in a den area. When I went to see if she had been moved, I found her in the exact location I left her: mother never showed. I picked her back up and my objective turned to delivering the fawn for rehabilitation.

The woman at TWRA called and advised me that she had an emergency in her family and she was unable to receive the deer. She gave me a few pointers for feeding her while I waited to deliver her to a rehabilitation center. It was up to me to provide the nourishment needed to sustain her life. We went to the Co-Op to buy some animal milk and a goat's nipple to feed her. I spent all weekend taking care of her.

Over the weekend, we noticed that when I set her down in the grass, she would follow me around no matter where I went in the back yard. I was being recognized as her mother! As Tuesday came, we were set to deliver her to the rehabilitation. Slowly, there was less following me and more running from me. I had to catch her several times in the back yard when I set her down to stretch in the grass.

We finally delivered the fawn to the rehabilitation center and she commented that the cataracts was due to malnutrition. She must have not eaten anything in days before we found her and we had done the right thing to intervene. This evens the score with killing the deer that jumped in from of my car while in Virginia Beach several years ago.

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.