On The 8th Day, God Created Pedialyte

Maddox and I both had a pretty rough weekend, suffering from a nasty stomach bug. I know the importance of making sure that Maddox stays hydrated, so I tried giving him Gatorade and juice. Both of those went over like a lead balloon. When I gave him juice, he took one drink, and then went to the trash can and threw his sippy cup away! (Who has ever met a toddler who won't drink juice?!) But then we discovered the magic of Pedialyte popsicles. I would like to kiss whoever invented these.

ISR Test Part 2

I know you guys are probably sick of seeing Maddox float, but I'm ridiculously proud! He passed his final floating test this morning, while wearing a regular diaper, pants, shirt, and shoes. He was a stud muffin, as usual! Doesn't he look proud of himself walking down the hall after lessons?

Be Gentle

Lately we have been working on being gentle with Clubber. (We would be working on being gentle with Sophie, if she ever held still long enough for Maddox to catch her.) Here are some of Maddox's attempts at being gentle. How do you think it's going so far?

Happy Easter

Maddox really enjoyed the first Easter that he cared about. It was also my first step into the Easter Bunny shoes. (Brent and Sheri sent him an Easter basket last year.)


Look at that face ... "Mom, do I have to wear these?"
Easter night: I just had to post this because it's one of my favorite moments in life.
He liked the stuff in his Easter basket, but mostly he just liked the basket itself. He's been carrying it around with him for days. Here he is after his bath getting ready for bed, still holding the basket.

Home Coming

We are so excited to announce that we are moving home! Jeff's new career path hasn't been a match, although we learned a lot and had some pretty great experiences. This job is totally in sales, and Jeff's heart is in teaching. The Fitness 19 folks are sad to see him go, and we will miss all the great people we have worked with. Jeff will be pursuing other options, and we will be moving back into our house in Irvine. We are expecting to arrive at the end of April!

Floating Test Part 1

Well, Maddox has been in Infant Swim Resource water survival lessons for three weeks now. He has made incredible progress! He doesn't scream through lessons anymore (although he does protest and register his complaint), he relaxes on his back so he can breathe, and his swimming ability is really amazing for a one-year-old.

This morning he had his first test; he had to perform the "rollback to float" sequence in a regular diaper. (After the lesson, the diaper weighed almost as much as Maddox does. I think it soaked up half of the pool water!) He passed with flying colors, and next week he will try it fully clothed!! It's been amazing to see Miss Rachael patiently teach Maddox to survive if he falls into the water. I just couldn't believe my eyes!

Just Another Day in Paradise

Here are some photos and a video of the Kreil's hanging out at home. Maddox is continuing to entertain us with his antics.
I know I'm biased, but you just can't find a cuter kid than Maddox riding his tricycle naked.
A big helper! Vaccuming with Daddy above, and helping Mommy carry in the groceries below. (Before you think he's too sweet to be true, just know that he threw the applesauce at the dog right after the picture was taken.)

Maddox tried diligently to feed himself cottage cheese with a spoon ... for about 2 seconds. His second attempt was to try to drink it right from the bowl. Finally, he just ditched all pretense and ate it with his hands.

My kid's a genius!! Nevermind the fact that he will point to your nose even if you're asking where's my mouth.

1 Year Check-Up and All Is Well

Maddox had his one year check-up today and was given a clean bill of health! He got poked and prodded, but quickly forgave the doctor when he gave Maddox a grape flavored tongue depressor. He also got 4 shots (bummer), but he was very brave. He is 29 inches tall and 21 lbs, 6 oz, which confirms what we have always known ... he's short and round!

Infant Swimming Resource

We recently enrolled Maddox in Infant Swimming Resource which is a water survival course. The goal of this course is for Maddox to be able to turn onto his back and float if he ever falls into water. When he is on his back he can relax, breathe, and cry for help.

Our instructor thinks that Maddox is doing such a great job that he can learn to do the swim-float-swim sequence. If he falls into water he will be able to float on his back, then roll face-down to swim, looking for an exit or the wall, and then roll to his back whenever he needs to breathe. Right now, he is learning to look under water to find the wall from any orientation in the water, and pull himself up.

Maddox is halfway through his second week of lessons (it will take about six weeks to learn the swim-float-swim sequence). At the end of the six weeks, he will have a test in which he has to perform his sequence fully clothed with a regular absorbent diaper and shoes. Here are some short videos of his lesson this morning. Please remember that this is an aquatic survival class, not a swimming class, per se. Even though Maddox cries sometimes, he has to learn how to do it himself. After all, if he falls into water, you can bet he will be crying!

The Best Seat in the House

Clubber is just so patient with Maddox when he abuses him like this. Maddox climbs all over Clubber, hugs him and pulls on him. Clubbie just takes it all in stride (or sleeps right through it, like he did when Maddox sat on him in the photo below).

Walking, Giggling, and More

Maddox is walking more consistently now. Those fat little legs are getting more and more stable by the day, and he's choosing to walk more. Some moms have told me that it seemed like their little ones learned to walk overnight, but it hasn't been that way with MadMan. His walking development has been a slow and gradual process. I guess one would say that he took his first steps about a month ago, but he is just now walking the length of a room.

We have finally found a constructive use for all those voices and impressions Jeff does...

Jeff taught Maddox how to "head" a ball, like in soccer. Tooter was laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath!

IT'S A BOY!

No, I'm not pregnant (bummer). But my sister, Mandy, is! And Ted and Mandy found out last week that baby Hoggard #4 is another boy! No final decision on the name yet, but the front-runner is Evan James. I like the sound of that!

The Prodigal Dog

Sophie is home!! We found her at the county animal shelter. She had been picked up on Saturday, and was safe and warm despite the terrible weekend weather. After bailing her out of doggy jail, we have given her numerous lectures on the dangers of running away from home. I'm pretty sure the lectures not working; she's not even pretending to pay attention to us. Oh well ... I guess she's the same old brat she's always been! It's great to have our little brat home.

A Sad Weekend

Well, I am very sad to report that our little Sophie has gone missing. She escaped from the patio on Saturday, and hasn't returned. We are going to the local animal shelters hoping that someone picked her up, but so far, no such luck. We'll keep you posted on the Sophie search.

Denver Zoo

Maddox's first order of business as an official one-year-old was to visit the zoo. The weather was beautiful and most of the animals were awake and active. MadMan especially loved the tigers (and talking to the bears).