Here she is!

Rémy Noel Plagge

December 21, 2007

7 lb 10 oz

Tomorrow's the Big Day

We're inducing tomorrow at 7:00 am. More to come later....

Walking the Malls

I wonder how many malls I'll walk before Remy is born...

For the past 3 days I've walked the Stonebriar mall for about half of the day. Annie went with me yesterday and Walker the two days before. Walker's brother, Brandon is in town with his wife April and son Braedon and we all went to Northpark last night to see the trains.

I think this afternoon the day is nice enough that we can put Truffle on her leash and walk through the neighborhood.

Saturday I had very consistent contractions (between 3-5 minutes for about 4 or 5 hours) and called the doctor who instructed me to come to the hospital. They put me in a room, strapped monitors on my belly and watched me for an hour or more. I am having real and consistent contractions, they just aren't intense enough to cause her to make any progress...and I am dilated a little more. The nurse said come back when I can't talk. She also said my official due date was the 16th...so she's full term and now overdue. I'm kind of glad they didn't tell me the 16th in the beginning because I'm not sure if I would have taken school this semester.

For now I'm enjoying all the window shopping, Christmas music, time off from work and visiting with family and friends. I appreciate all the calls and emails and messages from all of you. It's so nice to know how loved we are by our friends and family...we can't wait to call you all very soon with good news.

Gage's Surgery

Another email from Elaine about Gage's status:


Hello Family and Friends-Thank you all for your prayers and phone calls concerning Gage. I apologize for not calling many of you back but am a bit overwhelmed and hope that you know how much I appreciate your concern. I wanted to let all of you know that Gage's surgery, removal of his entire colon (they call it J-Pouch), went well according to the doctors. He has suffered a tremendous amount of pain. He is also having some complications with recovery and has been throwing up the past two nights- which is VERY painful since his entire abdomen area was operated on. Please, please continue to pray for him and his healing. Pray for the doctors, nurses, and our entire family. We have spent most days with the family at the hospital but have also had car trouble (Guy's car), I have finals, and I now have a yucky sinus infection so please pray the Lord's protection and provision for all of us as we hope for this to be a wonderful transformation for Gage's health and life. He is at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. Thank you again for the prayers and concerns and for those of you that have called, I will try to get back with you once finals are finished (the 21st). Love all of you!

In Him,

Elaine

Let me out!

This isn't me, and I know it's probably photoshopped, but I couldn't resist posting it.

Gage's Surgery

Gage had the J-pouch surgery yesterday which removed his colon. They started at about 4:30 yesterday and it took about 5 hours. It was successful, but today he is in a great deal of pain. He is expected to be in the hospital another week or so before he can go home. He'll spend 6 more weeks recovering at home and then it will take about a year for his body to fully adjust. Please pray for his speedy recovery.

9 more to go!

Well, I guess we'd better get our naps in while we can. The doctor appointment today revealed that I'm fully effaced and 1 cm dilated. Just 9 cm keeping Remy from this world. They said if I want her real soon to go and walk around the mall and if I want to wait then just go home and put my feet up.

For today I'm putting my feet up, making some hot chocolate, turning up the heater and cracking open my Geology and Math books for the last time before tomorrow's finals. Maybe Friday we'll hit the mall and start the walking!

Button Memorial UMC

in Little Elm will host their annual Live Nativity Journey with 45 actors, llamas, horses, cows, goats and about 1500 people who participate in the reenacting of the journey to Jerusalem for the census to be taken. The Nativity Journey begins at the Methodist church and participants make about 20 stops along the way meeting shepherds, a marketplace, Roman soldiers, an innkeeper, etc. This year it is on December 15th & 16th from 6:30 to 9:30. I think if I haven't delivered yet Walker and I are going to try and make it to this. It sounds like a unique spin on the live nativity idea.

More information about the event and the church can be found at

http://www.livenativity.org/

Update on Gage

Another message from Elaine last night. Please continue to keep him in your prayers:

As many of you know, Guy's brother, Gage, has been ill with ulcerative colitis for about five years. The past five months, he has not been able to leave the house at all and has been very weak and ill. Last week he and his doctors decided they are going to go ahead and remove his colon on December 11th. In the meantime, he became violently ill yesterday following a colonoscopy and is therefore in the hospital for the next week prior to his surgery and will then be in the hospital for the week following surgery, as it is a major procedure. Since he is so weak right now, they want to try to get him well before they do surgery. Please pray for him and our family as we are trusting that the Lord is going to heal him physically and allow him to begin to live life again. Thank you all for your prayers!

In Him,

Guy and Elaine

Last pictures

Here are the last pictures we'll see of baby Remy in the womb...next time we'll have real live pictures. She was sucking her thumb the entire 10-15 minutes of the sonogram. We couldn't get a clear picture of just her face, but she's gained a lot of good fatty deposits and it looks like she's going to be quite attached to that thumb of hers!

At the weekly visit today I had effaced quite a bit more but still no dilation. I was sick 2 days last week and couldn't keep anything down...so I had lost a couple of pounds, but they weren't concerned. Blood pressure was good, her heart rate was normal. And actually when they were using the fetal heart monitor to check her heart rate she kept kicking the probe!

Monday night I had contractions about every hour-keeping me up all night. Dr. says that when they are every 5 minutes for 2 hours straight, that's when to come to the hospital.

We picked out a pediatrician and signed up for the cord blood banking, we've packed our bags and put them in the car, checked most things off our 'to do' list...in our minds we're ready to embark on this new challenge called parenthood.

I go on maternity leave as of Tuesday the 11th and my last day of school is the 13th, which is also Walker's last day of work before his 'paternity' leave. Now we've started counting down the days until our big, little Christmas gift arrives!

Countdown

16 days until baby is due
3 more days of work
1 week left of school
1 biology project due
5 final exams (1 tomorrow, 1 friday, 3 next week)
1 Christmas party
2 gatherings with friends
1001 licks from Truffle

let's just get through the next 2 weeks.

Gage Charles

Many of you know Gage Charles(above singing at Guy & Elaine's wedding), Guy's brother. Gage sang at our wedding and has been battling ulcerative colitis for many years...George battles with this same ailment. I just got an email from Elaine and thought I'd share it:

Dear Friends and Family,My brother-in-law, Gage, has suffered from ulcerative colitis for the past 4+ years and has recently had a severe bout with it for the past 6+ months. Due to the severe pain and discomfort and him trying every possible healing agent prior to surgery, he has decided to get surgery. He will be getting the J-pouch surgery on December 11th in Dallas. While the surgery is pretty major and he will be in the hospital for about a week, I pray that this is the beginning to a new way of living for him. He is only 22 and has not been able to leave the house in months. Please join us and pray for him going into surgery, for a successful surgery, for quick healing time, and any other needs that are placed on your heart. Gage is such a wonderful man and we believe that the Lord has wonderful plans for his life and hope that this is a big step to help him achieve all the great things God has in store for him. Thank you and hope all is well.

In Him,Elaine

Baby news

At my weekly doctor appointment yesterday they said I've started to efface but no dilation yet. She is about 6.5 lbs right now with 3 weeks to go. I've started receiving guesses as to when she'll be born and how much she'll weight. Here's the guesses so far:

Nana Dorsey December 29 weighing 7 lb 4 oz
Grammy Plagge December 15 weighing 6 lb 6 oz
Kelly Butler December 17 weighing 7 lb 2 oz
Walker Plagge December 18 weighing 7 lb 14 oz

Feel free to add your own guess to the mix.

Amelie Gabrielle Dorsey

born November 19, 2007 at 2:20 am. She was delivered by c-section and weighs in at 5.13 lb. 18.5 inches. Congratulations to happy parents John Paul and Tracy!

I'll have some pictures soon.

Update: Please remember Tracy in your prayers...she went into kidney failure, has been throwing up all night and into the day today. She is stable now but she may have to stay a little longer in the hospital.

3rd Wedding Anniversary

Today marks three years since Walker and I committed our lives to each other. Unfortunately I haven't uploaded all our wedding photos to the computer yet, but it's on my project list. Here's one to mark the occasion.

We're getting up early and going to breakfast at The Original Pancake House in Plano before I head off to Denton for class and Walker heads to McKinney for a dental appointment and then heads to work.

What's in my water?

In a couple of classes drinking water contamination has been mentioned and it sparked my interest in exactly what I'm drinking in when I take a drink from the faucet.

The comments made in class were to the effect that the Denton County water supply contains trace amounts of prozac and birth control pills with every sip. There are many other prescription meds found in trace amounts...these two are just the most prominent. And we wonder why great quantities of fish are being found androgynous or male with female parts.

After researching this a bit I've found that it's a national problem, not just in Denton county. Due to the hyper-prescribing of certain medications as a community we are collectively polluting the water.

I found some useful information at the EPA's website



I also found the Frisco Water report published in August, which had a 'superior' quality rating, but the traces of things in the water still grosses me out. I don't want to resort to buying bottled water all the time...for several reasons:

1. the plastic container contains chemicals that can leach into the water
2. the cost in oil of shipping the bottled water to the store is about 1/5 the cost of the water...so to save oil/ promote an ecofriendly environment it's more considerate to drink tap water.
3. I have a Pur filter system...I just wonder what it filters and I have a feeling it doesn't filter my neighbor's prescription drugs.
4. Some bottled water companies have been found just bottling tap water.

Another concern is this: if farmers are using this same water to irrigate plants for food, are the trace amounts of these drugs absorbed into the plant systems therefore being reintroduced to our systems when we eat them?

There...now I can go back to sleep. I've been up thinking about this and it's interrupted my sleep for two days. For now the best I can do is drink tap water using my Pur filter, until I find a better solution.

Pregnancy Books

I've read quite a few including What to Expect When You're Expecting, Your Pregnancy & Birth, Planning Your Pregnancy & Birth, Miracle in the Making, The Expectant Father, The Pregnancy Journal, Soothe Your Baby the Natural Way and a few others that I read and put back on the shelf (on my lunch breaks).

While comprehensively they contain loads of information, it's essentially all the same. The only one that I've read, liked and would highly recommend is The Pregnancy Journal. The name is deceiving, because it's not a journal in the sense we think of a journal. It is a day by day account of what's going on with your body, what's going on with baby's body, what you should be thinking about, what kind of growth you should expect and even gives insight into cultures around the world telling what other countries and tribes do at certain times. The one that came most highly recommended to me was What to Expect When You're Expecting. By the volume of this book that gets sold back to us at Half Price Books I'm sure every pregnant woman in America has owned or will own this one. I was disappointed and left feeling anxious and worried every time I read through the month by month chapter breakdown. It seems to focus more on the possibilities that CAN happen to you and your baby listing problems, don't's abnormalities, pains, defects, etc. While all of this can be very helpful at times, especially if you are facing one of those issues, I found it to be disheartening and found The Pregnancy Journal, by contrast to focus more on development and growth.

Stem Cell Research and Cord Blood Banking

We were given the option of banking our baby's cord blood privately ($$$$) and then found that it can be banked publicly in Texas at no charge. It's nice to know there's another way to get stem cells than from the undifferentiated cells of aborted fetuses. In the continuing debate of stem cell research funding this one's a no brainer for me and it seems like more of our efforts should be focused on spreading the word about getting stem cells from cord blood than fighting the issue of using aborted fetuses undifferentiated cells, which just seems to be stalling research and funding.


From the Texas Cord Blood Bank Website:


What is cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta after a baby is born. Cord blood has been found to be a rich source of stem cells and is currently being used as an alternative to bone marrow in treating a number of life-threatening diseases. Because these cells are normally discarded after birth, this is the ultimate recycling project.

Why do we need the Texas Cord Blood Bank?
Sadly, this potentially life-saving option is not available to everyone due to the high costs associated with the testing, processing and storage of umbilical cord blood cells. The Texas Cord Blood Bank (TCBB) allows families the opportunity to donate their infant’s cord blood, regardless of socioeconomic status, to ensure that all patients needing a bone marrow/stem cell transplant are offered this opportunity.

More than 70% of children and adults requiring a bone marrow transplant do not have an immune matched sibling who could be a donor. In their case, the only option is to find an unrelated donor through the national bone marrow and cord blood registries. Because immune types are specific to ethnic groups, it is important to collect cord blood units from donors of all backgrounds especially Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans.

Benefits of cord blood:

There is no risk to the donor.
Since cord blood immune cells are less mature, they are more easily accepted by the patient when used in transplantation. As a result, patients with a less than perfect immune match can now be treated
There are fewer immune complications after transplantation.
Since cord blood is banked and ready to use, it is immediately available when a patient needs it.
Some of the diseases currently treated with cord blood:

Leukemia & other blood cancers
Aplastic anemia
Lymphoma
Deficiencies of the immune system
Genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia
Goals of the Texas Cord Blood Bank:

To build a cord blood bank that captures the rich ethnic diversity of Texas
To develop a program that results in the highest quality units that exceed national and international standards.

How you can make a difference:
There are few public unrelated banks in the United States, each represents an ethnic mix unique to their geographic area. If you would like to make a contribution to the program, please send your donation to the Texas Cord Blood Bank, c/o South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.

Facts about the Texas Cord Blood Bank
Specially approved by the Texas legislature and unique in the state, the Texas Cord Blood Bank - managed by South Texas Blood and Tissue Center - is a source of ethnically diverse, life-saving umbilical cord blood.

Cord blood, donated following the birth of a healthy baby, is rich in blood-making cells which can be used, like bone marrow transplants, to treat children and adults with certain cancers and otherwise fatal blood disorders.

6,000 units of cord blood must be collected to make the program self-sustaining - and that effort will require philanthropic support in order to match a $3.5 million state grant.

Who benefits from your donation?
Zachary is a bright, sunny three-year-old boy with alabaster hair and twinkling blue eyes. For the first eight months of his life, Zachary’s therapy and illness required many transfusions of platelets and whole blood to keep his fragile body going. Shannon and her husband, Matthew, tried to keep a positive attitude, supported by loving friends and family and a dedicated team of physicians.

After eight months of treatments, doctors said the agonizing treatments had not worked; he would need a stem cell transplant. In January 2002, he received his lifesaving transplant, thanks to a mother who donated the cord blood from her own child’s birth. “We were so scared, and we are so thankful,” Shannon says. “Because some mother selflessly donated a little bag of cells, my son is alive and well. She saved my son’s life, and I’ll never take anything for granted again.”

Before the transplant, every day was a fearful vigil at a sick child’s bedside. Today, Shannon says, “the worst things we deal with are colds and sniffles. He’s very healthy now.”

Math Midterm

Just aced a math midterm that I fretted over for days, but didn't actually study for until this morning and skipped 2 classes to cram for it. Here's what I had to know: formulas for the probability of an event, mutually exclusive events, conditional probability, properties of probability, tree diagrams, odds in favor and odds against an event, expected value vs. theoretical value, permutations and combinations, quartiles and the formula for Interquartile Range (IQR), pie charts, variance and formula for standard deviation, how to read a normal curve, properties of points, lines and planes, formula for the sum of the measures of the interior angles of a convex polygon with 'n' sides, definition of a regular polyhedra, formula for the measure of a single interior angle of a regular n-gon.

This is a class consisting of 40-45 lower elementary education majors (grades K-4). Now, I love math and before I decided what to do with my life have taken loads of credits worth of upper math-major level math classes including Trig, Cal I and Cal II at the college level and I can understand the relevance of needing to know those upper level maths if you are going to be an engineer or scientist or if you want to know you're doing your taxes correctly. I fail to see the relevance of having future teachers learn concepts and formulas which they will not be using in their own classrooms because they are not grade level appropriate. Mind you the name of the class is Math for Elementary Education. This is the second semester of this class. The first semester was more about how to teach math concepts, exploring different methods of teaching math, as well as ensuring we are competent enough in those concepts to teach them. Even if we were planning to teach at the age level that this class is directed toward (maybe 6th grade or middle school) I would still expect to be taught methods of teaching this to students-just by the name of the class. Hmph. And we wonder why teachers are lacking in science and math instruction.

October Birthday Celebration at Martinez'

Last night the Shepherd/ Dorsey/ Plagge clan met for dinner in Mesquite at Martinez' Restaurant. The family owned restaurant recently opened their own stand alone facility in the same parking lot as the old building they used to rent. I've only eaten there for graduation banquets in the past and had always been served buffet style, so this was a new experience to be able to choose what I was going to have from their menu. It's authentic Mexican food, not the tex-mex we're used to and it was fabulous. Walker and I shared the Mexican plate which had a beef taco, tamale, cheese enchilada, rice and beans. Walker made the rounds last night also sharing the beef fajitas with Annie and then collecting leftovers from Tony and Aunt Elizabeth, managing to clear all of our plates. George ventured out and ordered eggs and pork chops with rice and beans. Mom ordered chicken enchiladas and Grandpa got chicken fajitas. The hot sauce was excellent and proved to be hotter than most, a definite plus from my end. Amidst good conversations and smiles and laughter we topped the evening off with sopapillas drenched in honey. Tony and Annie spotted what they call a 'quarter machine' on the way out and lost their life savings worth of quarters trying to win more quarters. I do think they won a couple of times, but I'm pretty sure they put in more than they got out.

The Negotiator

by Dee Henderson.

I bought a 6 book series of Dee Henderson books, so I hope I like the first one. I had trouble getting started on it, but I think that has more to do with my recent obsession with reading pregnancy and parenting books than the storyline being dull.

Party Punch

Served this at a wedding shower recently. I came up with it myself, using the basic idea of a sangria. Everyone loved it, so I'm sure I'll use it again.

2 2 liters of ginger ale
2 bottles of chardonnay
2 bottles of peach champagne
1 pkg of frozen peach slices
1 pkg frozen mango pieces
1 cut up orange
1 cut up lemon

Baby Day!

Today we're trying again to get a good clear picture using the 3-d sonogram. Hopefully I'll be able to give a full report and post some pictures this afternoon. Also, Penny and Curtis Haskins find out today what the sex of their baby is! They are due in February...can't wait to hear the news!

Things to Accomplish Today

Clean out garage
Laundry
Grocery shopping
- Paper towels
- Doggie treats
- Chewies
- Soy milk
- Sunday lunch stuff
Swim laps
Change air filter
Go to Lowe’s
- Ask about paint
-2 more planks of chair rail
- espresso paint from Kelly
- paintbrushes
- blue tape
- finest grade sandpaper
Try to start lawn mower
Do assignment for EDSP/due Friday
Finish Math h/w
Call Mazda to set up appointment
Call Kelly about Tony’s flowers
Host/ess gift for Guy & Elaine
Hang curtain in bathroom
Make enchiladas for dinner

5 month Appointment

Wednesday's Dr. appointment proved successful. At the last minute Lisa called us and wanted to go ahead and try the 3-d sonogram and thankfully Walker was able to take off work and come to the appointment to see. Baby girl weighs 1.67 pounds so she's still on the slim side for having a 3-d sono. Usually they like to have more fatty deposits on the baby before trying. Another stipulation of a successful 3-d is having enough amniotic fluid between the baby's face and the placenta wall. There was a small amount, but not enough space to give a clear 3-d picture. In the end the sonographer decided to try again in 5 weeks (which is the optimum time for getting a clear picture). Walker's Aunt Lisa (who works in that office) decided that baby girl definitely does not have Walker's thighs and the sonographer decided that she has my nose. The nurse took my blood pressure and measurements and said that I am progressing normally. I've gained about 15 pounds in all (5 pounds since the last visit) so this puts me in the normal weight gain category and I'm very happy about that.

We've attended prenatal classes and Walker went to "Daddy Boot Camp" put on by the hospital. We got to tour the hospital and see the rooms and nursery, learned infant CPR and heimlich, how to change diapers and give baths with the umbilical cord still attached, we watched video's chronicling what happens as labor progresses and teaching how to breastfeed. This weekend our parents are coming over to help paint & put her room together. Our neighbor across the street gave us a crib and mom is giving us an antique dresser that we'll use as a dresser/changing table. We're going to paint them an esspresso color brown so they'll match. We're also installing chair rail around the room and painting it to match the baseboards as well as painting the room a color called shell flower. All these preparations for a little person we haven't yet met!

Walker commented yesterday that when other couple's have told us they are expecting it seems like just a few days pass and then they have their baby...but with us it seems like it's been two years since we found out! It's like waiting to open a Christmas present only instead of waiting for the month of December to pass, you have to wait 3/4 of a year before you open the gift!

School Starts

Whew. It's good to be back.

After two weeks in school, one crazy and frenzied, the other enjoyable and familiar here I am at the third week already having to miss a day of school. It's a bummer to have to miss class for several reasons: I like school and learning, I miss the instruction when I'm not there, and usually professors offer incentives for those who don't miss class. I have a feeling I'll be missing a lot of classes this semester for unforseen reasons, I just hope my grades and gpa won't have to suffer. Plus laying at home in bed for the past day and a half gets to be very boring, I just hope I'm feeling better by Thursday's classes.

I'm taking Math II (teaching math to elementary schoolers), Biol (again teaching biology to elementary schoolers), Geography, and a class for learning to teach exceptional learners. Both the geography and biology have labs and take up quite a bit of time. Exceptional learners is online and I feel this one will be most neglected because I keep telling myself "oh I'll just do the work for that one in my free time" (yeah right) So I'm sitting on 14 hours for the semester and still working and loving every bit of it.

One great thing about the start of this semester is my new set of dependable wheels! I am now the proud owner of a Mazda Tribute! Fully loaded and with a sunroof! I just love it and I love being 6 months pregnant and not having to worry about my car breaking down on the way to or from Denton. (I had at least 3 incidents last semester-all in the flooding). Walker loves the new wheels too and now instead of debating who HAS to drive it's a fight for who grabs the keys first and GETS to drive!

Vacation!

Walker and I just got back from vacationing this week! Ken & Debbe are looking to buy 40 acres in far east Texas in Clarksville and invited us along to see the land. We stayed at The Courthouse Inn Bed & Breakfast. This house was on the census in 1881! The couple who owns it now bought it about 10 years ago and have completely refurbished it. It was like stepping back in time. I would highly recommend this place if you're ever headed through Clarksville. Walker and I agreed that this is the third best accomodations we've ever had anywhere. (Surf & Sand resort in California is #1, #2 is the Gaylord Texas Resort in Grapevine)

We saw the land, used the 4 wheeler to cut trails through the 6 foot tall weeds and brush, mowed around the pond so we could fish and set up a picnic. After 3 hours of fishing we determined there's nothing but crawfish in the pond. We saw racoon, deer and wild hog tracks...which got Ken's hopes up for hunting season! Later on we went antique hunting and browsing around the town square and had sno cones to beat the heat! Next time we'll have to tour the courthouse and stop at the Presbyterian Church to see the stained glass.

Here's a recipe from yesterday's breakfast that Cheryl made. She didn't give me the recipe but she did list out some of the ingredients for me and I think I can wing it.

Peach French Toast

4-5 Parker county peaches skinned and sliced
brown sugar
french bread in thick slices (1 1/2-2")
milk
eggs
vanilla
sugar

cream cheese
ricotta cheese
lemon
honey or sugar

Place peaches on the bottom of a baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Put the french bread slices on top of the peaches. Combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar and pour on top of the bread letting it soak up all the mixture. Bake in the oven until golden. Combine the cream & ricotta cheeses with lemon and honey. Serve dolloped on top of the slice of french bread.

This is such a unique recipe. I'm going to have to make it myself to figure out the measurements.

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini. Picked this book up on recommendation from many hundreds of customers and a couple of fellow coworkers who have read it. I hadn't read anything since Harry Potter...summer school has kept me pretty busy at nights...along with all the parenting magazines and books I've been reading. Anyway, finished class Friday and picked up Kite Runner on Saturday. I'm already about 1/3 of the way through. It takes a couple of chapters to really get hooked and now the story is just enthralling. It's a fictional account of modern day Afghanistan. It's just getting into details of the Suni/Shiite conflict that's been going on for ages and I'm definitely interested to read on.

Taco Soup

This is easy and tasty. Use a crock pot and it makes the house smell wonderful.

1 lb. chicken
1 pkg frozen corn
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can beans, any kind (I used pinto)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 can chicken broth

Instant rice
1 red or yellow bell pepper
cheese
avocado
sour cream

Load all the chicken, corn, tomatoes and beans, seasoning mix and broth into the crock pot and set on low all day. If the broth doesn't cover all the ingredients you may want to add a can of water. After 8-9 hours, the chicken will be tender enough for you to shred with a fork. After doing this add about 1/4 cup instant rice and the chopped red bell pepper and turn up to high for an additional 20 minutes. Heap into a bowl and top with cheese, avocado and sour cream. Enough for lunch the next day.

When the cat's away the mice will play...

Well, Walker went with Tony and a friend to see Bourne Ultimatum tonight and is spending the night at Mom's house. Meanwhile I'm studying for and taking a test tonight involving writing three essays. I took the liberty of ordering myself a rare treat of pepperoni, pineapple and jalapeno pizza. There are some people in the world who think that fruit on pizza is atrocious, which I can completely understand...I just have a hankering for it sometimes.

Happy 15th Birthday Tony!

Last night we enjoyed laser tag and Panchos as my youngest brother celebrated his birthday. I'd never played laser tag before and it was very fun, kind of like being a spy or working for the CIA. You wear a vest that has several target lights on it and people shoot you with laser guns. It was a 2 story facility all dark black lights, I wish we could've taken our camera in. I'll definitely want to go again sometime.

Bells will be Ringing

My little brother's getting married! He and his fiance Tracy are officially tying the knot August 26 at a Chapel 7F Ranch in College Station, TX. JP, if you send a more recent photo of you two I'll post it.

Becki's Ratatouille

Potluck's at work are so great....mmmmm.

1/2 eggplant
4 carrots
2 small yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 can diced tomatoes (reserve juice)
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/2 an onion
red bell pepper
5 garlic cloves whole
1 pkg. spaghetti seasoning mix
1 can chicken broth
romano cheese

Coarsely chop all the veggies and put into the crock pot. Mix the pkg. of spaghetti seasoning with 1/2 of the can of chicken broth and the reserved juice from the can of tomatoes. When this is thoroughly combined pour over the veggies in the crock pot. Cook on high for 5-8 hours. After a couple of hours add the remaining chicken stock. The last hour add fresh basil. Heap into a bowl and serve with grated romano cheese. Delicious and nutritious.

It's a baby...

girl! She is approximately the length of a football, has long legs and fingers with chunky thighs. We saw clearly the four chambers of her heart and the development of her brain. She seemed to be sucking her hand the entire time we were watching. By the measurements we're back at a due date of the 21st of December. We couldn't be more grateful for a healthy and fully developing baby girl. In the words of Samuel's mother "for this child, I have prayed".

Boy or Girl

Today's the Day we find out the sex of our baby! Our families are coming with us for this exciting time and we're all headed for brunch afterward.

Anyone care to make a guess as to what it is?

Harry Potter Release Tonight

Just a few short hours until the epic final in the series is officially available for purchase. Walker and I plan to pick one up at 12:01 tonight/this morning and I'll be burning the midnight oil reading until the sun comes up. I've got to work tomorrow but at least I won't be tossing and turning all night wondering what's going to happen. Tony, don't worry about Walker...he still has to read 4 more before catching up so you'll get my copy the minute I'm finished.

Expect a full blog posting within a few days of reading and digesting this....

Chickfila Grand Opening

Forney, TX

The first 100 customers received free food for a year! Annie, Tony and I camped out in the parking lot overnight until 6:30 this morning when they opened. Annie was # 98 and I was #99. Tony was ineligible because of his age, but he was a good sport about it all and went to Walmart across the street several times through the night to fetch items for us. (One of those necessary items included the kiddie pool so we could lounge poolside and cool our feet.) Thanks, Tony!

Chickfila went all out. They fed us dinner, had a DJ with loads of games and dances, had midnight ice cream for us, and topped it off with breakfast along with our complimentary 52 meal tickets and a t-shirt. What a way to start a grand opening!

Baby Plagge's 2nd Sonogram

Here's baby. 13 weeks and 3 days old. New due date is December 16, according to measurements of the baby. If they keep moving up the date, I'll be delivering in no time!

JP home for weekend

John Paul came home this weekend and brought his girl Tracy Hernandez for us all to meet. We went out for italian food at a new place called Joe's in Forney and then bowled at Big Town Bowlanes in Mesquite. JP turns 20 in a couple of weeks and he's not going to be able to come into town again, so we celebrated early with this guitar cake. (handcrafted by yours truly)

Buttercream Icing for Wilton Class

2 cups crisco
2 lb bag of powdered sugar
2 tsp. clear almond extract
2 tsp. clear butter extract
2 tsp. clear vanilla extract

(can use creme bouquet instead of almond)

add water to extracts to make 1/2 cup of liquid total. Use kitchenaid to cream mixture for about 5 minutes. Will be the consistency of peanut butter. Keeps in airtight container for about 2 weeks.

Camping, Feeding Ducks

Pictures soon to come...I left my camera over at mom's house this weekend.

We arrived at the Vineyards Campground at Lake Grapevine Friday night around 6:30 and Walker and Tony had the tent set up by sundown. The campground facilitators deliver firewood for a nominal fee and we arranged to have some delivered to our site. The man who delivered it informed us we needed to add a few more stakes to the tent because we were under a tornado watch. We didn't have any more stakes to put in and just decided to build a fire and keep setting up camp. The weather was perfect until about 10:00 when we started seeing a lighting storm. Walker's dad called to give us updates on the weather. We weighed our options...pack up and get a hotel for the night, pack up and go home or sleep in the cars until the storm went through. Both of our vehicles were packed to the brim with camping equipment...in fact Tony barely had room to breathe on the drive there....Ken also informed us there would be two more storms the next day, one in the morning and one at dinner time. So we started packing up around 11 pm and left by 11:30. Tony stayed the night with us and Annie drove back to mom's. We met up the next day to exchange Tony and went to feed the ducks at City lake in Mesquite. Not the relaxing weekend we had all envisioned, but an adventure none the less.

Wilton Cake Decorating Class

This first lesson we decorated a clown cake. We learned the basketweave line (in pink down the side), the squiggle across the top (in yellow using a star tip), the star, the shell (the bottom border in yellow) and how to construct the body, arms and legs of a clown. It was so much fun and turned out better than I expected. Next time I'll use a thin crumb coat to ice the cake before adding the actual thick layer of icing. This will help prevent the crumbs from being distributed throughout the cake icing.

Baby Plagge's First Sonogram

Today is the day for our first sonogram. Walker has permission from work to be present at every doctor appointment, so he's taken the morning off. Hopefully by the end of the day we'll be able to show a picture of our little teddy graham.

We weren't quite sure how far along I am, but the doctor confirmed that Baby is 10 weeks old and set a different due date of December 19th. In the sonogram pictures you can see the head, body and arm nubs. We saw a strong heartbeat too.

Frisco Crime

Frisco Crime is up quite a bit from last year and we found that out the hard way this morning. I had a 6 am shift at work today so when I was going out the door at 5:30 this morning I apparently caused a thief to lose interest in nabbing my cd player from my car. They tore my console apart, looking for anything of value, rummaged through several bags, the glove compartment, etc. The face and part of the plastic securing the cd player were taken off and left in the front seat but thankfully the theif didn't get to accomplish his mission. I waited for a few minutes for the police to show up and filed a report. Unfortunately there's nothing really that can be done, but I'll be parking in the garage for sure from now on and Walker plans to install and motion censored light in the back. Good thing they didn't get the whole cd player because my Sound of Music cd was in and living without that would be unthinkable.

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

Cake Decorating

I've got 2 years to get into shape to be able to have a submission in the next Sugar Wonders Cake Show. Becki is taking classes at the Cake Carousel in Richardson. I signed up for the Basic Cake Decorating, a five week class meeting once a week starting May 24th. It's going to be a bit difficult taking 10 hours worth of classes over summer school and having time to make and decorate a cake each week, but it will be worth it I'm sure.

Andrew's Oatmeal Cookies

By request and word for word, except for the chocolate. That's my ancient family secret I made up last week.


1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 pound of chocolate (a Symphony bar in this case. I froze it and grated it in a food processor for a fine powder. Could also bang it with a hammer for chunks.)
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
Either by hand or with electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Stir dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and chocolate.
Working with generous 2 tablespoons of dough each time, roll dough into 2-inch balls. Place balls on parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each ball.
Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies, on parchment, to cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before peeling cookie from parchment.
Makes about 18 or 20. Have fun.

Comfort Food

I've started reminiscing about foods mom made frequently when we were kids. Dorito Pie came to mind and then I almost started to drool just thinking about it. Not at all a healthy choice of a meal, but definitely a quick, filling and yummy dinner.

Dorito Pie

1 bag Dorito regular corn chips
2 small cans chili
chopped onion-maybe 1/2 onion
cheddar cheese


Open the doritos and place them in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Add the two cans of chili on top of the dorotos, then the onions then finish with the cheese. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Note: This is traditionally made with Fritos corn chips. I've come to like it better with Doritos because they're not as greasy.

Truffle knows...

A couple of additions to her word base include "kitty kitty" and "home". We've started the habit of walking her every day after we get home from work. The cat across the street, in all it's curiosity, follows us for blocks...sneaking up on Truffle and stalking like a panther. Today she actually followed us to our door step and let us pet her.

Zipporah

by Marek Halter. This was my book for commuting to and from school the past 2 weeks. I borrowed this from the Frisco Public Library after discovering their extensive audio book collection. This is based on the life of Moses' wife, Zipporah and fictionalized by the author. It was an interesting story full of twists and turns. Zipporah has dark skin and is ultimately rejected by the jews as Moses' wife. She returns to her father, Jethro's domain until hearing word that Moses has led the Hebrews out of Pharoh's land. They have 2 children before they are married, and Zipporah uses marriage as a tool to convince Moses to go to Egypt...."I won't marry you 'til the day you start for Egypt." This took much convincing for Moses and he did not believe he was called to this until God appeared to him in the burning bush. Although not based on biblical events, this is an interesting take on what could have happened.

Passover Celebration at Preston Trails

Tonight Preston Trails invited a Messianic Jew to come and demonstrate how the last supper would have traditionally taken place. I'm estimating roughly 200 people attended. He explained the meanings behind the different foods on the table and the symbolism each holds. I can't remember them all, but I'm sure I can have Walker jog my memory, because of his reverence for Judaism he has studied up on it quite a bit. Experiencing this passover definitely changed the way I view Easter, just considering everything that led up to the crucifiction of Christ. Yes, today is Friday...but Sunday is coming.

We only recieved an abbreviated version of Passover. The "Papa", as Walker would call him, that led us satirically told us we would be there until Easter if we did the unabridged version. So, this is as much as we know:

First the wife lights the Shabbat (Sabbath) candles and blesses God for his commandments. Why does the woman light the candles when the husband, or Papa as Walker would say, is the man of prayer and instructor of the Seder (or celebration)? For our purposes it celebrates that a woman gave birth to Christ, the light of the world. Pretty cool.

Upon the table there is a boiled egg, shank-bone of a lamb, parsley, horse raddish, diced apples mixed with pecans and cinnamon, motsi (unleavened bread) in a special motsi holder. a cup of wine for each family member, a fifth cup belonging to someone else (more on that later!), and a cup of salt water (heavy on the water).

First the Papa takes the parsley dips it in the saltwater, placing it thereafter on everyone's plate, and everyone eats it. It represents the hyssop that was taken to spread the passover lamb's blood on the posts and lentels of every Hebrew's home so the Lord's plague would Pesach, or Passover. The salt water represents the tears that were shed over the hardships the Hebrews faced in Egypt.

Then the Motzi (unleveaned bread), which is sitting in a special three-compartment napkin, is taken out of the middle layer and broken in half. It is then placed in another napkin. This broken piece of bread is called the "Afikomen". After it is placed in a napkin, it is hidden from the children, whom will search for it after the celebration. Whoever finds it gets a nice prize. The beautiful forshadow this portion represents is magnanimous! This is, supposedly, the part of Pesach where Jesus (Yeshua) said, "This is my body...".
No one really knows, not even the Jews can agree, where the three compartment napkin came from, but Messianics would venture to say that the Lord gave this commandment to them to celebrate his three in one Godship.
The middle or 2nd Motzi(the Bread of Life) was taken from its home (Heaven) and broken by human hands (See the relation?!) and hidden in another place (a tomb and ultimately Heaven). Children search for it and what a prize they recieve when they find it!

Then the Papa will take the other motzi and break it and place the horse-radish (bitter herb) between two pieces for each member at the table. They eat the bitter herb sandwich (Thank God that this was not the part where Christ said, "Do this as often as you gather to remember me"!). This is literally the empathy expressed to the Hebraic ancestors...and you do cry, trust me! Walker's eyes were watering for the rest of the service!

Then the Papa makes another sandwich with horseradish and adds the apple/cinamon mixture and all partake. This is to remember that our sufferings (more so the Jews')though painful are a sweet thing because of the love and grace of God.

Now we get to the four cups that celebrate God's four "I will..."'s upon the Hebrews' exodus. The cups stand for: Sanctification, Deliverance (or Plagues), Redemption, and Restoration. Sactification is taken before the bitter herbs, the cup is refilled for Delieverance. Everyone then takes their finger, dips it in the cup and on their plate 10 times phyically and verbally expressing each plague. The third cup is supposedly the one our Savior used to express his New Covenant. The fourth cup is then the final cup praising God for restoring the Hebrews to their land (and now us to God).

Walker says there a great prayer that can be said to conclude:

Hebrew: "Baruch attah Adonai Eloheinu melekh haolam, asher natan lanu et derekh hayeshua baMashiach Yeshua, baruch Hu. Amen"

English: Blessed are you Lord God, King of the Universe, who gave us the way of salvation through the Annointed Salvation (Jesus Christ in greek), blessed is He. Amen (I confirm, or believe).