Lapsed Poster

So, I have been awful at posting. I offer you pictures from Jensen's newborn photo shoot with Danielle as an apology!

Quote from Dominick

"The Native Americans wore deerskins because they didn't have H&M." Happy Thanksgiving!

Funny Things Dom Says

Dom, to Nana: "I'm going to start calling Babi and Deda 'Mommy and Daddy'." Nana: "I think that might make your Mommy sad." Dom: "Oh, Megan will be alright." Katy (upon receiving a her Ergo in the mail from her husband Walt): "He just sent me the Ergo? No love note in the package?" Dom (upset): "No Katy, the mailman doesn't do things like that!!" Dom: "Emily's big sister thinks I'm cute." Dom: "Ivo! Ivo!" Roman: "Deda (grandpa). You call him Deda." Dom: "Oh, I call him Ivo all the time." "Everyone stay calm. I have to go potty." I am telling Dom to eat his dinner so he can get ice cream for dessert. I tell him, " You have a long way to go..." Dom immediately, singing: "And a short time to get there. I'm eastbound, just watch ole Bandit run!!" Thank, Roman While I am eating cantelope, and Dom is dressed as a pirate Dom: "Can I have some fruit Mommy. I don't want to get scurvy." -Dom "Mommy, I'm packing for a trip." Mom: "Where are you going?" Dom: "Africado." Mom: "What's in Africado?" Dom: "The airplane to Kindergarten."

-The Dominick/English Dictionary

Brisket: breakfast

Valenna: Vanilla

-Dom, when I told him he was having a baby brother: "But I wanted a sister!" - Dom: "Nana, how old are you? Nana: "I'm 62. Dom: "No you're not, you're 65!!" Nice one Dom. - Dominick points to his testicles and announces "There are peanuts in there! -Dominick, looking out the front door window, sees our new neighbor washing his car. He pauses, looks at me in all seriousness and says: "Mommy, is that Shrek?" This neighbor is now known as Shrek in this house. To be honest, it's an upgrade from what we called him after last Thanksgiving, Hairy Man Boobs.

Jensen Patrick Plachy

Jensen Patrick Plachy, born August 13th, 2010 at 3:30am at Piedmont Hospital. He weighed 9 lbs, 3 oz, which was a surprise, as the doctors predicted he would be in the low 7's (though he wasn't the biggest baby born that week, Mr. Ethan "11lbs 6oz" Mackura, I'm looking in your direction...). He measured 21 1/4 inches. I was induced on Thursday the 12th at 41 weeks, feeling it was time to try to get this little man out. I must brag and tell you that I labored for 10 hours on Pitocin at a level 8 pain, without an epidural, quietly and focused, with my lovely husband, my kick-ass doula Renne, and her awesome metronome app on her iPhone. Then I discovered I was only 3 cm dilated. I then asked for the assistance of the best narcotics and epidural man invented, and never looked back. Around four hours later and 10 pushes, baby Jensen was born! It's amazing how you can have a vision of how your birth is going to go, and the vision doesn't come to pass. I spent much of the weeks leading up to the birth fretting that I wasn't going to get the birth I wanted, a fast, all natural birth. If you had told me I was going to have an epidural, I would have politely told you you were crazy, because that's "not my thing." Jensen had his own plan of how he was going to enter this world, and he wanted his Mommy relaxed and rested, and, let's be honest, a little high. Dom and Nix love their new baby brother, or "New Baby" as he is called. At the hospital, all visiting children were screened for fever, thus this thermometer on Dom's head. And that day he was apparently going though an early Christian Slater phase with the fingerless gloves. Our experience at Piedmont was fantastic. It may not be the fanciest of hospitals (unless you are staying in the Waters Rooms, natch), but what they lack in amenities they make up for in the highest quality staff. Even though Friday the 13th brought in every pregnant woman in Atlanta, we received amazing care and attention from the nurses and staff. We had this great nurse, DeAnna in the beginning, who we really clicked with. She took great care of us and was very respectful, and kept us up to date on the birth in room 15, which involved a young woman "young, but old enough to know better" (DeAnna's words), around 20 relatives and hot wings. I needed to post a picture of my kicky hospital gown that my mom and Roman made for me. As I told Renne, there are two things you need to know about me when it comes to labor. One, at some point I will decide I am done and want to leave the hospital and go home and two, I refuse to wear a hospital gown. Because I knew there was a good chance of an induction, I asked my mom to make me a gown of my own. She and Roman worked late into the night like little mice to make this for me. I love it!

The Shearing Part I

The time for the summer haircut has arrived at the Plachy household. I had Dom's hair until Memorial Day, when I would hand it over to Roman and his clippers to shave. But two things happened. First, I found a tick on Dom after soccer, and the process of checking his thick hair for it's friend was enough to make me forget about his gorgeous long locks. Second, it occurred to me Dom began to look like a combination of the following:

This kid, whose name I can't pronounce, and who makes me feel old, and this guy:

So, I told Roman to have fun (and yes, with as much hair as Dom has, it was best to do this naked): We are quite please with the results.

The Shearing Part II

After seeing how neat and tidy Dom's head looked, we decided to shave Nicholas. He was less than pleased.

At the Car Wash.....

After dropping Dom off at school last week, Nix and I went to the Cactus Car Wash in Buckhead. I hadn't washed my car since January, and it had turned an ugly gray, so I figured it was time. This is a huge car wash, where they have around 30 employees or more washing a steady stream of cars. There isn't a moment at the car wash where there isn't a car needing washing. It is truly unreal how many dirty cars there are in Buckhead. Sure, most of the employees look as though they are there on a work release program of some kind, but they work very hard and are very efficient. The first step of the car wash is for the car to go through the auto wash, followed by hand washing. After we paid, we went to the viewing area to see our car go through the wash, which Nix found very exciting. Then, we went to the outdoor viewing area, where you can see the cars coming out of the wash. Nix loved watching the cars, and after the first few, he started waving to the cars. The first car was a BMW, and he waved and shouted his form of hello. The next car was also a BMW, and he greeted it the same as the first. The car after that was a Jag, and he got really excited and waved really fast. The third car was a Buick. Nix just stared and said nothing. The fourth car was a Mercedes, and he became really happy and waved furiously. It then occurred to me that he was only waving to luxury vehicles. This pattern continued until our car was ready. Only BMWs, Jags and Mercedes were "wave worthy". My little snob!!! :)

A Quick Something for the Aunties

Dominick: "Daddy, I am going to the toy store. I hope Yvonne and Karina have money."

A Sweet Dominick Story

I am starting to feel like all my stories on this blog about Dom paint him in a rather wicked-in-a-Dennis-the-Menace light. I need to include my sweet stories about my eldest. Tonight, he wanted Daddy to put him to bed. As Nix also made this choice, I hung out with Dom in his bed until Roman got Nix settled in his crib. Since Dom had lost bedtime story privileges due to an incident involving shampoo in the shower, I asked Dom to tell me a story while we waited. He asked me if I wanted a story about Costco, and I said yes. He said "Once upon a time, a girl named Mommy (that's you Mommy and pointed to me) and Dominick, got into the car, drove to Costco, got a baby crib and baby blankets for Mommy, drove home, and Mommy was so happy. The end!" Great, great story, Dommy.

Fun on the Deck

A Day of Firsts

1. Attended our first Bris. 2. Had our first kosher for Passover meal. 3. Had our first embarrassment in a synagogue as Dom, along with the rabbi's son A.E., stood on a planter outside the reception room, backs to the sliding glass doors for all to see, pull down their pants and underpants, effectively mooning all the guests, and pee into the bushes, "crossing the streams" in the process. 4. First excuse of why he did this in front of all the guests when the bathroom was right down the hall: "Oh, we're just being boys." Keep it classy Dom. Ed. to add: This occurred next the Holocaust Memorial Fountain.

Purim 2010

For Purim this year, the boys wore their pirate costumes. They looked so cute, and all the teachers told me their costumes were the best (maybe they say that to all the parents, but I think it's probably true in this case!). They have learned about Queen Esther and, to quote Dom, "mean ole Haman" for a few weeks now. Dom was a little scared that Haman was actually going to show up for school, but was relieved when it was just Ms. Laura in costume! I am never sure what Dom gleans from the religious stories he learns at school, but that day, after they came home, Dom announced to me "Mommy, we only bow down to God." I was caught off guard, but told him yes, he had it right. He added "Not Haman". I was taken aback a bit about the bowing to God, and it reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Indy and Marion avert their eyes when the Nazis open the Ark of the Covenant (I am such a bad Catholic). But I decided that what he was really learning was more that we stay our own course, rather than give our independence and personhood to another human. If he decides when he is older that he wants to give himself to God, that's his choice, and one I will support. I am glad he is learning that God loves him. I also like the idea of the kids learning to beware of false prophets, so to speak.

First Day of School

As many of you know, we enrolled Nicholas at the Epstein School for two days a week (Monday and Tuesday). He cries when we first get there, but manages to calm down and enjoy the morning. I thought it would feel sad about him going to school, but I think I am so sure it will be good for him that I feel quite happy about leaving him!

Walking into school with his Daddy and Big Brother.

Nicholas with his school bag that Nana made for him for his artwork and other treasures.

When he first entered the classroom, Nix went right in and played with the toys.

A Boy Named Bob

I told this story to some friends last night, and they thought it should go on the blog! So, a few weeks ago, Dom is sitting at the island, repeating "Elie Grace, Elie Grace". Elie is his friend, and when she is in trouble her mother Jenna calls her by her full name. Dom really liked saying her full name. So, he then he starts saying "Elie Grace, Dominick Bob". I didn't really pay attention, but I thought it was odd. The next afternoon, he starts up again "Elie Grace, Dominick Bob" and it hits me- HE THINKS HIS MIDDLE NAME IS BOB!!! So I told him "No, honey, your middle name is Michael. Dominick Michael." He paused, and began repeating "Elie Grace, Dominick Michael." Phew!

Two Fun Dominick Stories

The first one is quick: Dominick got out the tape measure and said "Mommy, I am going to see how tall you are." He lengthens the tape to my height, looks at it, and says "Mommy, you're twenty-two dollars high." Hmmm, I may need to ask his teachers at the parent teacher conference when they start learning about measurements. The second story involves soccer. This winter Roman and I enrolled Dom in indoor soccer through the YMCA. The good news is he gets an opportunity to learn a few soccer basics without too many stringent rules. The bad news is it is every Saturday morning, or as my mother likes to call it, payback. Preschool soccer is pretty much a handful of kids spending the first half practicing kicks and participating in drills like sprints and jumping jacks. The second half involves two teams of children who don't really know what they are doing (except the coach's kids, natch), running back and forth on the field, trying to kick the ball into the goal or throw themselves on the ball to make sure no one else gets it. It's a pretty good time. Today's game (the last one of the winter season), Dom played a lot, mostly because he is always game to run around and doesn't have meltdowns like some of the other kids (he saves those for trips to Costco). The thing about Dom is when he is paying attention, he does fairly well. But when something catches his eye (Squirrel!) he seems to forget he's playing soccer and wander off. This is pretty typical preschooler behavior. Today the parents cheering on the sidelines distracted him from playing. Rather than following the ball with the other kids, he ran up and down the sidelines, looking at the parents and doing something weird to his face. Then we saw it- he was winking and smiling at all of them, like he was a celebrity or something. Anytime he would hear us or the coaches cheer for him, he would stop, turn a shoulder to us, and give us a cute smile and a wink. You would think he was David Beckham, and rather than playing for the YMCA Lions, he was playing for Manchester United. Sigh. My Dom.

Snow! (Or, Humiliating the Dog)

We have snow today in Atlanta! Real snow that's sticking! Since we have all been some form of sick/not feeling well, I sent Ms. K out for pictures.

She's thrilled as the first flakes begin to fall.

After awhile, the snow began to fall steadily, and made the otherwise dead backyard look beautiful.

Doesn't Ms. K look happy? You know she's thinking "I'm getting too old for this crap." But in my defense, this was kinder than the Christmas we made her wear reindeer antlers.

Disgusted, Ms. K returned inside.

Dominick's Birthday Present

In lieu of a birthday party, Roman and I opted to celebrate Dom's birthday in Disneyworld. Their theme this year is celebration, so when I told them it was Dom's 4th birthday, they really made an effort to make it special. First was a phone call from Donald and Goofy when we checked into the hotel, wishing him a very happy birthday (he ended up with a few of these). Look at the smile on that boy's face!! They also upgraded up to a Magic Kingdom view room, which meant we had a gorgeous view of the castle and Space Mountain, and could watch the evening fireworks show from inside our hotel room. We went to the Magic Kingdom the next day. My favorite thing to do there is attend the opening ceremonies, where there is a song and dance show, and the characters arrive at the park on the train. Here are some pictures of the boys enjoying the show.

(Yes, that is my husband looking like an arms dealer)

Here are the boys playing in Pooh's Playful Sopt in Fantasyland. All the money and travel time spent, and they have the most fun at the park within the park!

One of Roman's oldest friends, Brad Fox and his wife Christa, live in Orlando. They have annual passes (my kind of people) and they met us at the park. We had such a fun time going on rides with them, and spending time together. Dom took a real shine to Brad, whom he called "Uncle Brat".

All of us on the Alladin Magic Carpet ride.

Don't let Nix's serious face fool you. He was happy to have Christa hold him!

Feeding the Ducks

We stayed at the Polynesian Resort at the Magic Kingdom. It was wonderful, not just because it was on the monorail, but because we had the most amazing view of the Magic Kingdom Castle (free upgrade for Dominick's birthday!). On Sunday morning, we enjoyed pastries on the patio, and the ducks that live on the Seven Seas Lagoon came for a visit and a snack. The boys had a great time feeding the ducks. Dom attempted to get one into our room (and was almost successful) and Nicholas loved screaming "Duhc!" to get them to come closer.