Christmas Pictures

Wow Has It Really Been That Long?!

Well you know what they say...time really does fly in our house!! Seems as though just yesterday we were playing on the beach in Manasquan enjoying our summer than all of a sudden I got a teaching job, Sara had her first birthday, Dave switched partners at Coldstone, and life as we know it got hectic! Well let's start the updating...

Dave: Just in the last few weeks he has been able to get out his old partner from Coldstone and his friend Ray has become his new partner. It is both a sigh of relief as well as a moment of anxiety...A sigh of relief because I think that Dave's old partner was slowly killing him. WHat with his not coming in to work when he was scheduled and leaving the store unopenned for hours at a time, to making the orders wrong, to not paying bills or showing Dave bills, and everything in between. However there is a bit of anxiety on my part because I know how Dave operates in work (I had that experience first hand when meeting him at our job together over seven years ago...Outback) He likes things to get done and does not really stand for excuse after excuse for not getting things done or done right...which is totally understandable. Dave also, as many of you know, is cheap and likes to find anyway to save a penny (which believe me has saved us a lot of money thus far) Ray is Dave's best buddy and I just have anxiety that they will clash and bump heads...but lets hope for the best...cause trust me anything is better than that other partner.

Healthwise Dave had a scare right before Christmas! He had gotten sick, both throwing up and diahrea, and could not stop. He had been doing both so consistently that he felt as though it was necessary for him to go to the hospital. He had become so dehydrated from the constant vomitting that they pumped him full of fluids, antibiotics for the stomach acids and nausea. We did not have to admit him but we were there most of the night. He didn't feel well for about the next 48 hours. All in all he lost 7 pounds in that whole incident. It was not fun! As Dave was feeling alittle better Sara then had began throwing up as well....it was not a fun house to be in for those 36 hours. I am happy to report though that both are feeling better and that they both enjoyed Christmas!

Sara: Oh what can I say about my little monkey!! She is into everything and anything she can get her hands on or in. She is extremely active as well as exhausting! She loves to play, be the entertainer, and loves to laugh! She currently is about 24lbs and is about 30inches long. She has gotten all of her shots up to date...including her chicken pox as well as her flu shot. And good thing about the flu shot because it seems as though everyone is getting sick these days! Other than that she is having fun spending her days with her Daddy while Mommy goes to teach. Her Daddy takes her to visit the grandparents as well as other friends that are around during the day! She is enjoying every moment of her day!
She had been putting up fights with me to go to bed...she thought it was okay for a 14 month old to be going to bed around 11...so now that I have my head on straight with my school work I have really been on top of getting her into routine. She is slowly starting to make it to bed by 9 9:15 latest. Which for our family and our situation works out nicely. She still does fuss at night but that is simply cause she dropped her pacifier. Sara has been sleeping on the floor with a pillow lately as well. It seems to keep her calmer at night and keep her sleeping longer at night. However once I can get the sleeping time down I think that will be our next step. Dave took apart her bed so it is now a toddler bed so we will slowly make our way into there...for now it works and for now she has made a lot of progress. Sara is definately an independent woman who knows what she wants!

Lindsay: I have been so busy the last few months. I got hired for a long term sub position at my old school Middletown Village, in a fourth grade classroom. I absolutely loved it. I loved the kids, the teachers I worked with were awesome, and I loved what I was teaching! That position ended at the break for the holidays and I am now going back over to my other school for a contracted position in fifth grade. I have much anxiety over going to teach fifth grade because I feel as though my mind set was set-up for fourth however half the class is my crew from last year and I feel as though it is just picking up where I left off. I am excited to have this opportunity because word is that there are positions available full time at this school next year and that the principal would love to put me in one of those spots. Soooo I need to keep my fingers crossed and work my butt off this time around! Otherwise I am keeping busy with working at the Outback in Old Bridge, about 4 nights a week, tutoring about 4 different children, and being a full time Mommy and wife. It is very hectic and sometimes I end up in tears or screaming but I enjoy it and I do not know what I would do with myself if I was not so busy!

More to come with pictures of our little monkey and our recent wonderful Christmas holiday!

The Summer Came to an End

Well Sara's first beach filled summer has come to an end with our usual birthday party for Dave on Labor Day. It was an awesome summer for all three of us. We made it a point to do a variety of different activites with her and both sets of her grandparents. As always we are so thankful for both sets of our grandparents who are so willing to babysit whenever we need them to and to be as actively involved as possible. A few notes from the summer...with Grandma and Pop-pop we went to Turtleback Zoo in Camden...to the boardwalk with both grandmothers...to the county fairs with friends George and Sam..to the beach with Grammie, Aunt Kelli, Aunt Sue, Aunt Barb, Uncle Dick, and Kara...often visited the local parks with friends...went swimming in our friend Nicole's pool with her son..and many other different experiences. Here are a few photos to captivate the fun summer we had.

Sara's Baptism

Well yesterday was Sara's baptism. It really meant a lot to me that she was baptized and experienced the welcoming of the church and becoming a member. I mean ultimately I understand that it will be her decision as she gets older but I would like her to have that opportunity and especially one in that church because that is my family's tie to my grandfather on my mom's side and thats where my mom went to church as well as my sister and I grew up there. That is what matters the most to me. It was a very nice ceremony by Pastor Joe Hein. It was very nice that there were so many members of the family that came to the church ceremony as well...such as each set of grandparents, Aunt Sue, Aunt Diane, Traci & her daughter, Walter, Chrissy & her daughter, Cindy, Flair, John, Deedee, Sarah, Sarah, Kiley, Aunt Kelli, Aunt Jill, Uncle Scott, GG, Mellie, and Claris. It was wonderful!

Afterwords we held 60 people at our house for a party and boy was it interesting. Initially we were going to eat at the Outback, but then with how many people said they were coming it was impossible to have them there. All in all with the heat and the fact that we did not plan on hosting it at our house til the Thursday before it was very successful! Everyone seemed to eat enough and there were plenty of desserts to go around ( we will be eating Erica's delicious creme puffs for days) Thanks to Aunt Kelli who made our delicious cake and to our friends and family who showed up and beared the heat. Here are some pictures to capture the moments...

The delicious cake from Aunt Kelli!

At the church

Splashing around with my friend Courtney ( had to get that beautiful dress off)

Getting all caught up!!

Ok so for a brief explanation of the pictures that were posted. The one where Sara is sitting with her friend Courtney (Timmy and Adrienne's cute daughter) is at Courtney's baptism party. It was the first time that Courtney and Sara had met one another and it was interesting to see how they would react with one another...well I think us moms were more excited but still the girls has a good time. The most interesting part was to see how Sara would react once she realized that her Mom was holding Courtney she got very very jealous. It was kind of sweet even though we ended up having to switch who was holding who on that particular day. Sara did try and smack Courtney at one point but she is working on her friendship skills, since technically that was her first time interacting with a child as young as her. All in all it was a great day because Daddy got to see some bowling friends he had not seen in awhile.

Some of the other pictures are from Sara's first Easter and her first Easter egg hunt...which by the way her Daddy won the Easter egg hunt which he is so proud of. She got all dressed in her Sunday best, headed off to church with Grammie and Mommy, went to Aunt Sue's for the Easter egg hunt with her little basket. She had a very wonderful day. Overall Sara has been enjoying herself and having a great time with her Mommy, Daddy, and family. Can't wait to see what else she does this summer!

Updated Pictures

Just a few pictures to keep you up to date on how big Sara is getting and how much she is changing. I will update you to tell you about our Easter egg hunt and when she met her first friend Courtney for the first time!!

It has been awhile...

Whoa!! It seems like forever since I have written on here to update about Sara's progress or what has been going on with Dave or I and there is so much to tell you. Let me tell you quickly about Dave and I since that is not the main reason about writing on this blog. Well I just recently finished my position as the permanent substitute teacher in the fourth grade classroom. Let me tell you I feel as though this was the true trial of whether or not I could handle any type of child. Within this one classroom the learners were so low for their grade level and there were many many behavioral issues that I had my hands full on a daily basis. However I loved every moment of it. I loved it because of the moments when the children turned to me and said hey remember when you were teaching us about well I just realized...it was those moments that make it all worth it.
However as of now for next year I just am back to the daily grind of subsituting whenever they call me. Which pretty much is awful because I have to continue to work both jobs since the daily subbing does not cover health insurance but the principal I worked for with this position said that she wanted to hire me to cover the next maternity leave this December and also woiuld love to hire me for the following September because there will be a few retirements by that point. Hopefully that situation pans out. I also just had my 25th birthday, so time is just flying by.
Dave is keeping busy with Coldstone. Despite the poor economy sales and business seem to still be increasing which is comforting. Don't get me wrong it is always pretty frustrating to be partnered with people who do not have the same work mentalities or ethics but Dave is Dave and he is getting through it as expected. Recently Dave took a trip to Las Vegas for a bowling tournament with his friends. He was gone for a week so Sara and her mommy got some quality time together.
Anyways on to the most important person, Miss Sara Elizabeth. Sara is getting so big so quickly. It is hard to believe how big she is getting every time I see her. Sara now goes to the doctors every two months instead of every month. She still hs some more shots to go through so she got two more shots at her eight month check up. She now weighs 17.10 lbs and a whole inch longer in height. It is pretty amazing how much she can do now too. She crawls like a maniac. She is constantly on the move, whether she is standing up on her own, using the couch or table to hold on to as she walks around or crawling after the puppies she is a very active and alert 8 1/2 month old. Sara definately has formed her own routine too. She knows exactly what she wants and what she does not want. She absolutely loves spending time with her Aunt Kelli and both of her grandparents, but she definately lets you know when she does not recognize you and what is not comfortabble with you. Since the last update Sara has experienced Easter, walked in a Cystic Fibrosis walk with her Mom and Grammie, has gone in the pool over at Pop-pop and Grandma's house, and other fun daily trips to the store or to visit people who love her. Sara is so fun to watch and so fun with play with at this point. She keeps you very busy and on your toes. I will definately be uploading more recent photos as soon as possible.

Quick 6 Month Update

At Sara's latest doctor's check-up she weighed in at a whopping 15.12lbs and was 26 1/2 inches long. She got two shots (her favorite like always) and one oral vaccine. She did an awesome job like usual at the doctor. She is meeting all of her milestones and is even a little advanced for her age with the sitting up and the moving (which is like simulating the military crawl) She will definately be walking and crawling before she is one years old. Boy what a big girl she is!

More to come!

Topolewski Family Reunion

On March 26th we headed up north to a place called the Rocking Horse Dude Ranch for a family reunion type trip with the Topolewski side of the family. It was great getting away for the weekend because it was right before I started this crazy teaching job and it was great getting to see everyone and catch up with those we do not get to see very often. Here are a few pictures to commerate the experience and the trip. We do thank Cindy so much for taking the time and energy to putting this whole thing together. Hopefully Dave will keep up his end of the bargin and plan another get together for next year.

Our 5 Month Update

Well little Sara has officially reached 5 months old. Recently she has become so capable of moving herself about, rolling over, eating a variety of different veggies and fruits, and also learning how to manipulate those around her (the little stinker) When we went to the doctor she got 2 more shots...which she was pretty unhappy about because there was one in each leg. Sara now weighs 15.4 lbs and is 26 inches long. She is getting so big!! At this particular doctor's appointment Sara decided to test out the absorbency of the paper that lays on her table by peeing all over it the second the doctor took the diaper off to check her out. What a bugger she is!!!

Sara has now mastered having bananas, apples, pears, peaches, and sweet potatoes. She absolutely loves her fruits. It is very funny to watch her when she realizes it is time to eat. From the moment she gets into the highchair she begins squealing, openning her mouth in all directions, and banging whatever toys are on her tray. She is too funny!! The moment that Dave or myself will sit down next to her and begin to feed her she is a nonstop talker. It is almost as if she is telling us how much she enjoys the food and wants more of it!

Sara now rolls over from both front to back and from back to front. She loves wiggling herself around to different positions depending on where her toys are. She has also mastered the sitting up by herself thing. Occassionally she will topple over but she loves every aspect of sitting up and being able to reach for her toys. Along with her new skills of sitting up and rolling over Sara has also already mastered the pouty lip technique to get someone to come over and pick her up or move her to do something else. Yes it may very well be that I just run to her when she does become fussy but when I am holding her and she wants to do something else she begins to put out her lip and make a little fake cry about it. It is so funny to watch! Dave and I have become smart to her ways (however that doesn't always stop us from running to her when it sounds like she needs us...hahaha)

In other news I got a job covering a 4th grade classroom til the end of the year. The teacher went out on maternity leave. I am very excited about this opportunity and the challenge because from what I can tell thus far this class will be a challenge. The only downfall is that it is not a long enough time period to gain a contract so I do not get benefits from teaching so I am stuck working at Outback for the benefits. So for the next few months it may become very stressful but I did not want to pass on the opportunity and the ability to get my name out there. I do not know that it will actually help me though with all this drama of cutting school budgets in NJ due to the governor but I will just do the best I can. (Never in my wildest dreams did I think that there would be no opportunity to get a teaching job in NJ, especially after I got a special education degree and took all the credits that were recommended...I mean there is no other job that I would want to have so I hope that this budget cutting gets worked out and jobs will open up again)

5 Months and Sitting Up By Herself

I am sorry but this is going to be just a quick little update and we will add more later. Sara is now 5 months old. She is getting so big so quick its unbelievable. We did not have our 5 month doctor appointment yet so I can not update you with that information....but she is doing great though! The other night Dave was changing her diaper and clothes for bedtime and started playing with her on the floor of her room. Next thing you know Dave sat her up in between his legs and was playing and he began to realize that she was balancing herself and started to back away from her and she was sitting by herself. She is the cutest thing when she does it too. That is really it for right now since that is the big exciting news for us right now! Here are a couple of updated pictures of her.

More to come!

Yummy Cereal and Not So Yummy Bananas!!

About 3 weeks ago Sara started exploring other food options other than Mommy's breastmilk....and boy was she excited to do so!! At first she was alittle put off by the different texture but once she realized that she gets to sit in her highchair and use her spoon she loved it. She loves being able to sit in the highchair along with Mommy and Daddy at the table. She really got into too...increasing the amount of cereal she was getting at a time and also increasing it to 2 times a day. Daddy has also really enjoyed the fact that Sara is eating cereal and other such foods shortly because he can become more involved in her feedings and it becomes an opportunity for the two of them to bond that was originally unavailable to him. It is also so hard to realize that Sara is geting so big so quickly. Her personality is really starting to shine in different instances...she laughs more, gives alittle frown, gets very intense with her talking.

The weather is also getting beautiful lately which has become such a plus because we are able to take Sara on walks and out to the park and other such places. It is also an exciting time in the house because I got offered a long time permanent sub position in a fourth grade classroom.It is from April to the end of the school year...however it is not contracted so we will just cross our fingers that it will open doors or provide another additional reference that I did a good job.

A Trip To Colorado and More Snow

Over the past weekend the girls in the family went out to Colorado for cousin Kristin's baby shower. Sara and I left poor Daddy home by himself...but trust me he did not just sit around and twiddle his thumbs...him and Uncle Ray went to Atlantic City on Sunday and spent the night. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their time in Colorado. We were able to see Aunt Barb, Uncle Dick, Rich, Brenda, the kids, Jamie, Kristin and Patrick. It was a very nice time. Here are some pictures to commemorate the occasion.

Well It's Been A While....

Well there has been a lot going on since I last blogged and I finally got around to writing it all down. Let's see...Sara had her first Valentine's Day. It was not that exciting for her because both of her parents had to work on that day and she spent the entire afternoon with Grampy. However we did doll her up in her Valentine's Day shirt from Grandma with her Valentine's Day bib from Grammy. Her favorite little moment of the day was when she got her Valentine's Day bear...she absolutely loves the softness of the bear and she likes to cuddle with it all the time. Sara seems to amaze us everyday. She starts grabbing things and hugging them or putting them in her mouth to gnaw at them more and more. She is learning so much so quickly! So overall her first Valentine's Day was a calm day for her like every other day. She did have a Valentine though in her Dad...it was very cute!!

Sara has now reached her four month marked and surpassed it. We went to her four month check-up visit. She now weighs 14.8 lbs and is alittle less than 24 in. long. Her head also got bigger...which as her Daddy says means she is just learning so much and is getting so smart so quickly! (let's hope cause otherwise she inherited her mother's genes of having a huge head) She got two more shots while she was there and also got her last dose of an oral vaccinne. She seemed to have taken the shots a lot better this time around. When we went to the doctor we pointed out that Sara seemed to have developed this really bad dry skin around her mouth...she said it could possibly be because she is teething and drooling all the time and then her binky being in her mouth rubbing against her skin plus we had just gone to Colorado so the dry skin could've developed from being in the really cold weather.

On another note Sara and I had the scare of our lives the other day. With all this cold, winter weather we have been having in Jersey there has been more snow than we can remember. Well the other night we were driving home from Outback after having dinner with Dave. Sara was in the car with me and some jerk driving in the other lane going in the opposite direction hit the car in front of him and in turn they both swerved into my lane and hit me from both sides. It is safe to say that my cute little beetle is no more. We are now dealing with all the insurance chaos but hopefully we will get it worked out and we can get a new car...even though Dave said I probably have to choose a 4 door car these days. I am sad I lost my car but I am happier that Sara and I were both ok after gettting checked out.

Snow, snow and more snow at the Jersey Shore!

Well this winter has proved to be a cold one thus far!! This is our second bout with snow and it isn't just an inch or two, its been accumulating anywhere from 6 inches up to 18 inches! The first snow storm we took Sara out in to see how she would react. She absolutely loved it! Recently when she goes in the bath she opens here mouth to try and catch the water that is being poured over her head or on the front of her body...so no doubt that she as soon as she got outside and realized that the stuff falling from the sky was cold and wet, the mouth openned up and catching snowflakes was all she was concerned about! She went out in the snow again today with the new blizzard that is hitting Jersey. She loved it just as much as the first time.





Other updates: Dave openned up the highchair for Sara because next week we will start Sara on rice cereal and we wanted to see how she would react to the highchair. She has alittle ways to go considering she can not sit up by herself but she seems to love sitting in it when I roll up blankets on either side of her to keep her upright. We hope that the rice cereal goes down without an issue and that we can move onto fruits and vegetables soon!! She is getting so big being able to start introducing different foods for her...very exciting!



Other than that we are just enjoying watching Sara grow up and exploring more things. It is so funny when she realizes that she can do things for herself...for instance in her exersaucer she realized that she can push the buttons and the music and lights will go off and that she doesn't need Mom or Dad to push it for her. It is really cute!!

Sara is getting so big so quick

Sara's three month doctor appointment was a tad bit stressful this time around. Everytime we have gone to the doctors so far it has been a quick in and out in about twenty minutes...so I made the decision to not feed Sara before we went to the appointment because she wasn't due to eat until about a half hour after the appointment began. Well let me tell you...that was a bad decision!!! She began to get cranky before we even got into the room to talk with the nurse!! Dave is not good with her crying in public...he gets all stressed and tries everything to make her stop and I get stressed cause I just want to help her. Plus on this particular appointment the person before us was asking every question known to man-kind and kept the doctor occuppied for like 40 minutes. So on a doctor's appointment that Sara was suppose to get shots and she normally cries at the end she was crying for the majority of the appointment because she was hungry and it was taking a very long time to get finished.

But an update from the appointment is that Sara now weighs 13lbs even. She is 23 1/2 inches lonng. She is still in the 75th percentile for her weight and the 50th percentile for her height and head circumference. I can't believe she is getting so big!!

Sara's latest thing is that she can roll over. If we put her on her stomach and help her position her arms so that she doesn't just fling them about, she flips over to her back. It is really cute to watch. Sometimes she gets really frustrated and pushes her face into either the carpet or the comforter (wherever she is laying) which is also really cute because she wants to be able to do something she just can't. There is nothing else really to update about but I am sure that will not last long.