movin' and groovin'

you know how you feel when you hear a new song that just grabs you? i found one today... here. enjoy it if you want- the bass and percussion mid-way through are just splendid, and her voice is great too. not that it's really relevant, but i thought i'd share what i've been groovin' to today!
as for movin', well, madison was movin' a bit too fast at convention and wound up with a pretty good owie. she, cole and the two little guys that belong to some sweet friends were running off some energy before the last meeting on friday and madi took a digger on the gravel- her head hit one of larger stones (right on the point, of course) and she ended up with a hole in her head. fortunately, nurse nancy was in the dining room and fixed her up nicely; it stopped oozing blood by morning, so no stitches were needed.

by monday morning it was looking better- now it's scabbed over so there's no longer an open hole. poor baby- she usually screams for 3o seconds or less before shutting off the tears in an instant and going about her own business. this time, though, she cried for quite awhile and was pretty low-key the rest of the night. it's amazing how quickly kids heal up... she's fine now, but my heart still skips a beat when i think of it.

miss squish wasn't the only one on the move recently! remington hasn't used his swing in quite a while, but for a little variety, i put him in it the other day. the batteries were dead so i was hoping he'd just entertain himself with the toys on the tray... he did one better.
he dug his little toes into the tray, started moving his upper body from side to side and got the swing moving. all.by.himself. i wouldn't have believed it if i saw it myself- not bad for 6 months, huh?
after much practice, remington's confident enough to give a short visual tutorial: eating your toys, 101.
step 1: mentally prepare yourself as you give the toys a pointed stare. (the stare is key; your face must show that you mean business. raise an eyebrow for added effectiveness if needed.)

step 2: make your move. opening your mouth *just* before reaching your prey is essential- too soon and your fist might wind up in there instead; too late and you'll have an owie.

step 3: chomp. (this step is pretty self-explanatory)

and i realize that rem's sweatshirt is too big. it's a 9-month size but he's not reached that quite yet. i dug it out for convention because it was so chilly and if it's layered on top of something else, it stays in place better; by itself, his shoulders fit through the neck, no stretching required. the matching pants are even worse- i have to roll the waistband over (they're lined athletic pants, so they're super comfy) and they still fall off.

at least now we have the beginning of an answer to remington's lack of growth: his 6-month well-baby visit was on tuesday. he weighed in at 10 lbs, 10 oz and is 24 1/2 "... less than 0% on both counts. our doctor was out (he had back surgery and will be out for two months yet) so we saw a physician's assistant, who said that remington is the smallest 6-month-old he's ever seen and immediately referred him to a peds specialist in appleton. we have an appointment there on monday. in the meantime, he's been diagnosed with "failure to thrive", or ftt. as far as development goes, he's right on track. if he's just a tiny person who grows slower than other babies his age, his development shouldn't be affected; however, if there's an underlying cause that's impeding his growth, his development could be affected eventually. that's where the pediatrician comes in. we'll know more (hopefully!!) after monday's appointment. i have mixed feelings about it... everyone's got their own opinion and preferences when it comes to health, and my first choice is to keep it as natural as possible. that said, i also won't deny medical care when it's necessary. it's something i'm really having a struggle with right now, but that's also because there's a lot of questions that haven't been answered yet. as this unfolds (whether he's a completely healthy mini-baby or there really is something else going on that needs to be addressed), we'll be more and more informed and able to make decisions. in the meantime, though, we've been given the use of an infant scale for as long as we need in order to weigh remington before and after nursing to get a better idea of how much he's taking in (seems to be within the normal range!) and i've been making his oatmeal with coconut milk and a good-sized glob of coconut oil and add a little homemade pear-applesauce or a few slices of banana (mashed, of course) to it for good measure. he doesn't mind squash, but seems to despise mashed potatoes. we're working more into his diet, but even with the coconut oil at least twice a day, it'll take a little time to see results.

so, that's where we are with rem. he's tiny but smart... i mean, he got his swing going all on his own. no delays there, eh?