Privacy Setting

I added a privacy setting to our blog today. I have been toying with it for awhile, not really wanting to, but we have a whole lot of lurkers on our site meter and not many people who post comments. I hate to be a paranoid person, but with a small child you can never be too cautious. I apologize for the extra step of signing in, I hope this doesn't deter you from stopping by! (Though I bet I just totally messed it up for my computer-challenged mother-in-law!) :(

11 Months!

9/24/09: 11 months old today!

This picture totally sums up her personality!

CutiePatootie!

Little Miss Sassafrass!

And so it's fall and our baby is 11 months old today...soon to be a toddler instead of an infant. She continues to amaze me every single day. She is so joyous, she smiles not only with her whole face, but her entire BEING. She is still not a crawler but instead she has a "scoot & slide" method for getting where she wants to go. (She just thinks crawling is Neanderthal.) I love to watch her play, because she is now figuring out her toys, instead of just banging or chewing she can now see that things turn and twist and tip...cause and effect stuff. She is fascinated with grass and trees and leaves and she loves her books...not so much the stories right now, but feeling the pages and turning them. Still not much of an eater except for mashed potatoes...the potato love comes from Mommy! She is very strong and feisty, I learned this recently when trying to get her liquid antibiotics down her throat! "Strong" and "feisty" will likely give me grief one day, but they are also good qualities at times to get through life. I could go on and on, but it really just boils down to the fact that she is the SUNSHINE in our life!!!

Happy Birthday Lara!

MVP & Lara

Jasper & Belle

Today was another beautiful September day and it also happens to be my friend Lara's birthday! She took a few days off from work and we decided to get together today to catch up and she also brought her dog, Belle, for a play date with Jasper. They had a blast! Belle kept finding Jasper's abandoned bones around the house and having herself a little smorgasbord! Lara and I also had ourselves a nice little spread from Whole Foods...yum. It was a great day!

Poor Baby

The Prater family is fallin' apart over here! I have a jenky left eye that was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer two weeks ago. Patrick has a cyst on his left knee that was previously drained but is now swollen and painful again. But worst of all is that baby Margaux was diagnosed with mastitis in her right beast today. She woke up seeming under the weather and I noticed it was swollen, red, warm and tender to the touch. She was also running a low grade temp. She is now on an oral and a cream antibiotic and not a very happy little camper! Mastitis, an infection of the breast, is typically seen in breastfeeding women when a milk duct gets clogged and then infected. It is unusual for a little gal like Margaux to get it. DrG sent a culture sample of the discharge to identify the bacteria. Here's hoping she feels better fast!

Just Jasper

He is thinking about how he'd love to be a country dog.

Handsome boy.

Lookit that face!

Jasper is such a good boy and cherished member of our family. We loved him from the moment we met him and so did Margaux and he is very good with her. He is a true gem and a pleasure to have around at all times. A vacation wouldn't be a vacation without him!

Never A Shortage of Pics!

Bathtime baby!

Peek-A-Boo!

She gets super excited at the beach!

Weeee!

MVP & Mommy.

Big Cousin Little Cousin

Sam & Margaux

My nephew Sam is the eldest grandchild in the family and Margaux is the youngest...separated by 34 years. My parents have 8 grandchildren...Sam, Clint, Sara, Lee, Mindy, Drew, Aaron and Margaux. They also have 4 great grandchildren...Emmalee, Griffin, Daniel and Alivia + another baby girl coming in November.

Suntember!

Stinker Face!

Bikini girl.

Loving the warm waters of Lake Michigan!

Scooting around the shallow water with her feet.

Sam came over to WI for the night and we had a tasty bbq dinner.


Another absolutely gorgeous day in northern WI! Temps in the 80's and swimming in Lake Michigan was so very pleasant. My nephew Sam drove over from northern MI to pick up some baby things and spend the night with us. He and his wife, Tracy, are having a baby girl in November. Griffin will be a big brother!

*September 11, 2001...never forgotten, but especially in the forefront of my mind today...my thoughts and many prayers.*

A Little Holiday

Sittin' on the dock of the bay.

Sheer joy!

Top-notch napping spot!

The Peshtigo River, northern WI.

My oh-so-peaceful reading spot.


Wow, we certainly chose the perfect week to head up to northern WI for some R&R! It feels like July! (Or at least what July should've felt like!) I love it when real life and real stresses feel a million miles away...

10 Month Check-Up

Healthy girl!

First carousel ride. (Camera was on wrong setting!)

MVP & Grandma P.

Ryan, Melissa & Addison

Beautiful polar bear all grungy from his pool water. An amazing new bear habitat will open next year!

I took Margaux to her 10 month check-up today and she is doing great! She weighs 21.4 pounds and she is 29 3/4 inches long. Only one shot today, the polio vaccine, and she didn't even cry!

Yesterday we met my friends, Melissa and Mandy and their kids, at Brookfield Zoo and it was a gorgeous day! This whole week has been great weather, I hope it lasts for awhile. Happy September!