It was a great day, again! It was nice because our little 2 year old was his happy old self and he was very easygoing and conversational. He made great eye contact and initiated a lot of interaction. Gotta love it!
Everyone else seemed to be doing very well, too. We have all the meats and veggies cooked to get us through tomorrow, so we will not have to stay up late tonight picking chicken off of the bones or straining broth through cheesecloth and bottling it into mason jars. We had company today, Mommy's Playdate, who came with her little 2 year old. We had a lovely visit and the kids played well!
We increased the amount of probiotic everyone is taking and it seemed to be going well. Then we had some ghee with our casserole for dinner. All seemed well. Then, all of a sudden I felt very tired and weak. Our 11 year old teared up when he thought he wasn't going to get to have 3rds and 4ths for dinner (I didn't cook the veggies soft enough in the second casserole). I figured out that he could eat as much as he wanted of the second casserole so long as he put all of the undercooked veggies in a pot so I can put them in a soup for tomorrow. No problem. He got enough to eat. Our 8 year old looked sad and began to cry this evening when we finally had a little one on one time to sit down and talk. It turns out that she is lonely and really needs a friend that she can talk to and play with on a regular basis. I will see if I can work this out for her. It's true. An 8 year old girl needs a best friend to share her struggles and her dreams with.
I thought, "Whoa! What's going on here?" Then I remembered that we all had 1 tsp more sauerkraut juice than yesterday. Amazing that one little spoonful of a living food can make such an extreme difference. I can hardly hold my head up. I am so tired. I feel a bit achy and nauseous.
We all had Epsom Salt baths tonight. Maybe it helped, maybe not. No dramatic changes to see. I'm still tired, but then again I have had little sleep between all of the cooking and the baby's irregular sleep patterns. I keep reminding myself that this, too, will pass. It is a season in our lives. We will get through it. One day I will sleep again.
We only have one child out of 5 who does not wear a diaper or a pullup at night. (Not that we haven't tried everything!) Since we started GAPS, everyone is peeing a lot, especially at night. Diapers are full in the morning and are often overflowing. We have had a lot of extra laundry to do as of late. Even the one NOT in a pullup has had an accident here and there. I guess this is a good thing that everyone is peeing so much, but wow!!! you really just would not believe it!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mmm. I just LOVE sugarsnap peas! I only want sugarsnap peas for my veggies today for breakfast." (5 year old who absolutely hated sugarsnap peas just a few short months ago)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
sauerkraut juice
chicken
sugarsnap peas
carrots and squash
chicken soup all afternoon
blended squash and carrots with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
green beans
egg whites
Casserole with some ghee drizzled on top
First day of ghee for the 2 year old.
I plan to have some fried eggs a little later.
Back to work. I have to get everything ready for tomorrow.
September 30, 2009
September 29, 2009
Day 25 - Stage 2 of Intro - Great Day!
Today was a GREAT day!
The best thing about today is that our 2 year old was most like his old self today, before he regressed. He was in a good mood all day. He did not tantrum at the table over food and having to have everything 'just so', at least not much. He was very conversational and made great eye contact. I felt like I was in heaven all day. He listened and obeyed. He answered questions. He initiated conversation and he initiated play. He was cooperative!
Our 11 year old and our 5 year old who have had a couple of rough days of die-off, since we upped the probiotic, had a wonderful day today, too. They woke up cheerful and had good attitudes throughout the day. They were considerate and helpful and played well with others. Delightful!
Our 8 year old was in a great mood, too! She did a lot around the house, of her own initiative, to clean up. What a blessing! She has also been telling me how she goes off to pray whenever things get stressful or frustrating for her and how that helps her a lot to calm down and get back in the game. I love to hear these kinds of things. It's true, that she has a glow about her these days.
We did a lot of cooking today. Go figure. Everybody helped! I LOVE that part. I love that we are all working together and it is fun! Our family is laughing and playing together like we have never been able to do before! Since we were going to have ghee with our dinner tonight and my girls wanted to race to get the veggies prepared, I proposed a contest. They each had a 5 pound bag of carrots to peel. The 2 year old and I had a 5 pound bag of green beans to snap. If they could get their carrots peeled before I got all of the green beans snapped, then they could have more ghee than me. They won! Then they helped me to snap the rest of the beans. Children really are a blessing from the Lord!
My 11 year old has been getting his schoolwork done, washing folding and putting the laundry away (ALL on his own), helping out with the baby, helping out with the cooking, helping serve in the kitchen, helping where needed (without complaining) and he has still found the time to play Legos, talk to a friend on the phone, play outside, read books for fun, and watch a favorite PBS show. None of this was possible a year ago. Even on days where he isn't feeling his best, since we started GAPS, he has kept up with his responsibilities. Amazing! I am so proud of him!
All are fed. All are bathed. All are in bed.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
sauerkraut
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
green beans
chicken soup
blended veggies and fats for the 2 year old
He ate more green beans today!
pork ribs
peas (the organic peas are the best ever!)
artichokes with ghee to dip the leaves in - YUM!!!
I did not get my eggs last night, but I WILL get my eggs tonight!
The best thing about today is that our 2 year old was most like his old self today, before he regressed. He was in a good mood all day. He did not tantrum at the table over food and having to have everything 'just so', at least not much. He was very conversational and made great eye contact. I felt like I was in heaven all day. He listened and obeyed. He answered questions. He initiated conversation and he initiated play. He was cooperative!
Our 11 year old and our 5 year old who have had a couple of rough days of die-off, since we upped the probiotic, had a wonderful day today, too. They woke up cheerful and had good attitudes throughout the day. They were considerate and helpful and played well with others. Delightful!
Our 8 year old was in a great mood, too! She did a lot around the house, of her own initiative, to clean up. What a blessing! She has also been telling me how she goes off to pray whenever things get stressful or frustrating for her and how that helps her a lot to calm down and get back in the game. I love to hear these kinds of things. It's true, that she has a glow about her these days.
We did a lot of cooking today. Go figure. Everybody helped! I LOVE that part. I love that we are all working together and it is fun! Our family is laughing and playing together like we have never been able to do before! Since we were going to have ghee with our dinner tonight and my girls wanted to race to get the veggies prepared, I proposed a contest. They each had a 5 pound bag of carrots to peel. The 2 year old and I had a 5 pound bag of green beans to snap. If they could get their carrots peeled before I got all of the green beans snapped, then they could have more ghee than me. They won! Then they helped me to snap the rest of the beans. Children really are a blessing from the Lord!
My 11 year old has been getting his schoolwork done, washing folding and putting the laundry away (ALL on his own), helping out with the baby, helping out with the cooking, helping serve in the kitchen, helping where needed (without complaining) and he has still found the time to play Legos, talk to a friend on the phone, play outside, read books for fun, and watch a favorite PBS show. None of this was possible a year ago. Even on days where he isn't feeling his best, since we started GAPS, he has kept up with his responsibilities. Amazing! I am so proud of him!
All are fed. All are bathed. All are in bed.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
sauerkraut
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
green beans
chicken soup
blended veggies and fats for the 2 year old
He ate more green beans today!
pork ribs
peas (the organic peas are the best ever!)
artichokes with ghee to dip the leaves in - YUM!!!
I did not get my eggs last night, but I WILL get my eggs tonight!
September 28, 2009
Day 24 - Stage 2 of Intro - Getting it All Together
Yesterday I tried to get ahead by cooking 5 pounds of carrots and about 10-15 zucchini, as well as a whole two pounds of freshly snapped green beans. This was after breakfast and lunch were over. To my amazement, it was only enough to make the casserole for our dinner and the pureed vegetables for our 2 year old's dinner. Most of the meat had been cooked on Saturday, but we still had to boil two more chickens to have enough for breakfast today.
We only had one quart size container of cooked carrots to serve for breakfast today, so we cooked a bag of frozen peas when the carrots were gone because the kids were still hungry. There were no tantrums about not wanting to eat what was served. In fact, there was much discussion about how yummy it is to have chicken, broth, and vegetables for breakfast.
This is quite remarkable, especially when you consider 2 things: The first thing to consider is that I used to serve rice, a meat and a veggie (about 1 pound) for dinner almost every night to a family of 7 (6 and a baby) and we would always have veggies leftover, but rarely any rice or meat. The second thing is that we used to have crying and tantrums almost every night from our 5 year old over the 1/8th of a cup of veggies that we required her to eat. She is the one who threw screaming fits during the first weeks of GAPS.
My brain is having a hard time adjusting to this new reality. Five of us consumed about 2 pounds of veggies at breakfast time. We cooked another 25 pounds (???) of veggies for lunch, snack, dinner, and to have leftovers. We put 3 quart size containers into the refridgerator for tomorrow. I suspect that will get us through breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Oh, and we have some leftover casserole, which is almost enough for dinner, but not quite. So...2 pounds + 25 pounds + 3 pound (???) = 30 pounds for 2 days worth of meals = 15 pounds of veggies a day??? Are we really eating this much???
Oooo, I almost forgot! Our two year old ate a few cooked green beans yesterday. Today he ate about 25 green beans during dinner time. Finger food!!! Not pureed!!! This is truly exciting!
So I am forming a plan: There is no room in my gigantic refridgerator to thaw out frozen meat and store all of the fresh and cooked veggies (I am not joking!) so I can maybe thaw out the meat in a cooler with some ice (I don't care for this idea too much) or I can purchase, cook, cut and store the meat all in one day, or two days. Actually, the beef, pork and lamb from the farmers are purchased frozen, but the ducks and chickens purchased from Whole Foods or Kroger are purchased fresh. If I purchased all of the meat on Saturday morning, then I could cook the birds on Saturday, package and label for distribution throughout the week. We could eat the duck meat on Sundays. Mondays we could cook the other meats, as they should be sufficiently thawed, and package and label for distribution throughout the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays we could cut and cook the fresh veggies, package and label for distribution throughout the week. Wednesdays we could puree, package and label the veggies for the 2 year old, the baby (who is about ready to start solid food), and for sauces to pour over casseroles. This could work...It might help us to rotate the foods we eat a little better, too, so we don't develop any additional sensitivities by having any particular food too often. That is a concern.
Today went well. Our 11 year old and 5 year old still seemed to be having some die-off reaction, but were better than yesterday. The 8 year old and I had some ghee today, but we decided that the others should wait another day. Hopefully they will be better tomorrow. They will enjoy the new flavor. It went lovely on the casserole.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
carrots
peas
chicken soup (broth, chicken, green beans, carrots, zucchini, sea salt)
blended squash with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
leftover hamburger soup
leftover beef casserole
hard boiled egg whites
pork casserole (pork, green beans, squash and carrots, rendered beef fat, sea salt, squash and carrot blend, more beef fat drizzled on top and sprinkled with sea salt)
I will have my usual fried egg whites and will nibble on the chicken as I pick the meat off of the bones for tomorrow. It is a nice late night snack! I am full, satisfied, and holding steady on my weight! WooHoo! AND I feel great!
We only had one quart size container of cooked carrots to serve for breakfast today, so we cooked a bag of frozen peas when the carrots were gone because the kids were still hungry. There were no tantrums about not wanting to eat what was served. In fact, there was much discussion about how yummy it is to have chicken, broth, and vegetables for breakfast.
This is quite remarkable, especially when you consider 2 things: The first thing to consider is that I used to serve rice, a meat and a veggie (about 1 pound) for dinner almost every night to a family of 7 (6 and a baby) and we would always have veggies leftover, but rarely any rice or meat. The second thing is that we used to have crying and tantrums almost every night from our 5 year old over the 1/8th of a cup of veggies that we required her to eat. She is the one who threw screaming fits during the first weeks of GAPS.
My brain is having a hard time adjusting to this new reality. Five of us consumed about 2 pounds of veggies at breakfast time. We cooked another 25 pounds (???) of veggies for lunch, snack, dinner, and to have leftovers. We put 3 quart size containers into the refridgerator for tomorrow. I suspect that will get us through breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Oh, and we have some leftover casserole, which is almost enough for dinner, but not quite. So...2 pounds + 25 pounds + 3 pound (???) = 30 pounds for 2 days worth of meals = 15 pounds of veggies a day??? Are we really eating this much???
Oooo, I almost forgot! Our two year old ate a few cooked green beans yesterday. Today he ate about 25 green beans during dinner time. Finger food!!! Not pureed!!! This is truly exciting!
So I am forming a plan: There is no room in my gigantic refridgerator to thaw out frozen meat and store all of the fresh and cooked veggies (I am not joking!) so I can maybe thaw out the meat in a cooler with some ice (I don't care for this idea too much) or I can purchase, cook, cut and store the meat all in one day, or two days. Actually, the beef, pork and lamb from the farmers are purchased frozen, but the ducks and chickens purchased from Whole Foods or Kroger are purchased fresh. If I purchased all of the meat on Saturday morning, then I could cook the birds on Saturday, package and label for distribution throughout the week. We could eat the duck meat on Sundays. Mondays we could cook the other meats, as they should be sufficiently thawed, and package and label for distribution throughout the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays we could cut and cook the fresh veggies, package and label for distribution throughout the week. Wednesdays we could puree, package and label the veggies for the 2 year old, the baby (who is about ready to start solid food), and for sauces to pour over casseroles. This could work...It might help us to rotate the foods we eat a little better, too, so we don't develop any additional sensitivities by having any particular food too often. That is a concern.
Today went well. Our 11 year old and 5 year old still seemed to be having some die-off reaction, but were better than yesterday. The 8 year old and I had some ghee today, but we decided that the others should wait another day. Hopefully they will be better tomorrow. They will enjoy the new flavor. It went lovely on the casserole.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
carrots
peas
chicken soup (broth, chicken, green beans, carrots, zucchini, sea salt)
blended squash with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
leftover hamburger soup
leftover beef casserole
hard boiled egg whites
pork casserole (pork, green beans, squash and carrots, rendered beef fat, sea salt, squash and carrot blend, more beef fat drizzled on top and sprinkled with sea salt)
I will have my usual fried egg whites and will nibble on the chicken as I pick the meat off of the bones for tomorrow. It is a nice late night snack! I am full, satisfied, and holding steady on my weight! WooHoo! AND I feel great!
September 27, 2009
Day 23 - Stage 2 of Intro
Die-off! We had a bit of die-off today from increasing the kraut juice very gradually over the past four days. Our 11 year old and our 5 year old woke up achy and were very lethargic and emotionally reactive. They both have had more solid BMs, which is not at all normal for them, but is often associated with die-off.
All day, our 5 year old kept getting into it with the other children. Our 11 year old just didn't feel like being nice. When someone asked him to get them a spoon while he was up, he very bluntly said no and got his own spoon and sat down. That is not how we treat people in this house! Our 8 year old seemed fine most of the day, but in the afternoon she started to get very angry with her siblings and later with me. Could be die-off, or it could just be the stress of having to deal with the "stuff" we have to deal with when the others are reacting/detoxing.
So I kept them busy and seperate or under my watchful eye most of the day. We had a great time cooking together. When it appeared that they were not going to play happily together, I called them all to the kitchen to help prepare the veggies we would need for our casserole tonight. Our 11 year old peeled and cut 5 pounds of carrots (something he would not have been able to accomplish before starting the GAPS diet) and only got one small cut, for which I am thankful he will recover quickly. Our 8 year old peeled and cut up 10-12 yellow squash and zucchini. Our 5 year old did a fantastic job of snapping the tiniest bit off of the ends of the fresh green beans so as not to waste any of the good food. Our 2 year old helped cut a few pieces of zucchini with his toddler knife and he helped by breaking the green beans in half and putting them back in the bowl. I think it is so much fun to have our 5 year old and our 2 year old "help" in the kitchen.
Casseroles were a big hit again! Everyone ate too much! Our 11 year old and 5 year old had tummy aches and became burpy/nauseous, but soon recovered. I will have to watch them to make sure they don't overdo it on favorite foods. However, I am very happy that they like the food.
We did not try avocado yet, or ghee, because of the obvious die-off reactions. If everyone looks well in the morning, we will introduce ghee. It has been 6 weeks since any of us have had any dairy. I am hopeful. I will keep the kraut juice at 1 teaspoon for at least a few more days.
Everyone had ACV baths today. Our 2 year old went to bed without a fuss. That is always nice. My dear sweet husband is putting the other children to bed as I am holding the baby. It sounds as if all is going well. The baby cut his 2nd tooth today! WooHoo! Maybe, maybe he will sleep a little better for a while.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "I can't believe we are real chefs cooking real food!" (5 year old as we were snapping beans for dinner) "My forehead is cold and stiff. It got that way while I was finishing my chores." (5 year old - I have no idea what this feels like to have a cold and stiff forehead.) "Mommy, these vegetables look deeeelicious!" (8 year old) "Daddy, more water! Green cup! Right here!" (2 year old) "Ooooooh! I think I ate too much." (11 year old) "Everyone at co-op keeps telling me how sorry they are for me that I can't eat all of the stuff that they are eating. I try to tell them that it's not that bad and that you don't crave that sugary stuff when you are not addicted to it. They just don't seem to get it." (8 year old girl)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
chicken
carrots
chicken and vegetable soup - it was a hit! (Chicken broth, carrots, zucchini, chicken, and sea salt)
sauerkraut juice
leftover hamburger soup
casserole - 1 chicken and one beef
I plan to have some fried eggs later.
LESSONS LEARNED:
We do not love the flavor of the beef shanks from the FM at Erma's. We will try some shanks from other sources to see if we like beef shanks at all. They are inexpensive and full of all that we need for healing. I do hope we can find some we like.
It might work to cook lots of meat on one day and lots of veggies on another day and have a bit of a rest on the third day. I am still working to streamline the cooking and make it more manageable. It will come. It has to, because we are in this for the long haul.
All day, our 5 year old kept getting into it with the other children. Our 11 year old just didn't feel like being nice. When someone asked him to get them a spoon while he was up, he very bluntly said no and got his own spoon and sat down. That is not how we treat people in this house! Our 8 year old seemed fine most of the day, but in the afternoon she started to get very angry with her siblings and later with me. Could be die-off, or it could just be the stress of having to deal with the "stuff" we have to deal with when the others are reacting/detoxing.
So I kept them busy and seperate or under my watchful eye most of the day. We had a great time cooking together. When it appeared that they were not going to play happily together, I called them all to the kitchen to help prepare the veggies we would need for our casserole tonight. Our 11 year old peeled and cut 5 pounds of carrots (something he would not have been able to accomplish before starting the GAPS diet) and only got one small cut, for which I am thankful he will recover quickly. Our 8 year old peeled and cut up 10-12 yellow squash and zucchini. Our 5 year old did a fantastic job of snapping the tiniest bit off of the ends of the fresh green beans so as not to waste any of the good food. Our 2 year old helped cut a few pieces of zucchini with his toddler knife and he helped by breaking the green beans in half and putting them back in the bowl. I think it is so much fun to have our 5 year old and our 2 year old "help" in the kitchen.
Casseroles were a big hit again! Everyone ate too much! Our 11 year old and 5 year old had tummy aches and became burpy/nauseous, but soon recovered. I will have to watch them to make sure they don't overdo it on favorite foods. However, I am very happy that they like the food.
We did not try avocado yet, or ghee, because of the obvious die-off reactions. If everyone looks well in the morning, we will introduce ghee. It has been 6 weeks since any of us have had any dairy. I am hopeful. I will keep the kraut juice at 1 teaspoon for at least a few more days.
Everyone had ACV baths today. Our 2 year old went to bed without a fuss. That is always nice. My dear sweet husband is putting the other children to bed as I am holding the baby. It sounds as if all is going well. The baby cut his 2nd tooth today! WooHoo! Maybe, maybe he will sleep a little better for a while.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "I can't believe we are real chefs cooking real food!" (5 year old as we were snapping beans for dinner) "My forehead is cold and stiff. It got that way while I was finishing my chores." (5 year old - I have no idea what this feels like to have a cold and stiff forehead.) "Mommy, these vegetables look deeeelicious!" (8 year old) "Daddy, more water! Green cup! Right here!" (2 year old) "Ooooooh! I think I ate too much." (11 year old) "Everyone at co-op keeps telling me how sorry they are for me that I can't eat all of the stuff that they are eating. I try to tell them that it's not that bad and that you don't crave that sugary stuff when you are not addicted to it. They just don't seem to get it." (8 year old girl)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
chicken
carrots
chicken and vegetable soup - it was a hit! (Chicken broth, carrots, zucchini, chicken, and sea salt)
sauerkraut juice
leftover hamburger soup
casserole - 1 chicken and one beef
I plan to have some fried eggs later.
LESSONS LEARNED:
We do not love the flavor of the beef shanks from the FM at Erma's. We will try some shanks from other sources to see if we like beef shanks at all. They are inexpensive and full of all that we need for healing. I do hope we can find some we like.
It might work to cook lots of meat on one day and lots of veggies on another day and have a bit of a rest on the third day. I am still working to streamline the cooking and make it more manageable. It will come. It has to, because we are in this for the long haul.
September 26, 2009
Day 22 - Stage 2 of Intro
I'm sleepy. I need MORE sleep. Really! More sleep would do wonders.
The baby cut his first tooth today! Hooray!
We continue to do a lot of cooking. The kids are not as ravenous as they were and things seem to have settled out a bit. We did not try the avocado today. I guess tomorrow will be good. Then, ghee on Monday. That is like adding 2 things at once, but I am so ready to add dairy.
I am holding steady between 110 and 115 pounds. This is normal weight for me for the past 12 years, so I feel good about this, but I prefer to weigh around 120 pounds. I am hoping that if I can add dairy soon, that I may be able to put on this extra little cushion of weight. However, I realize that I need to be patient, because if I don't tolerate it, then it will not be beneficial to add it in. I won't be able to get what I need from the dairy if it causes inflamation and slows healing in my gut. Sigh! I hope I am ready for dairy. I hope our little baby is ready. He used to get all congested before I took the dairy out of my diet. If he gets congested, then he will not sleep as well and I will get even less sleep. Heavenly Father, please let us be ready for dairy!
Our 5 year old has had a few gas pains these past few days after meals. I suspect it was because I was not peeling the squash. I hope and pray that it gets better in a day or so.
Our little 2 year old is atill very rigid about routines these days. His eye contact is minimal, but there is some if you are not too close to his face. He let me cut his fingernails and toenails today! That is huge! They were getting so long because he would cry that it hurt and he would not let me cut them. I tried! Today, no problem. He said, "Ow" with every snip, but he let me cut them.
I know we are not doing this intro quite perfectly. We are not consuming enough of the soft tissues and bone marrow that is supposed to be so very healing, too far out there for the time being, but we are seeing a good measure of healing as it is. We could have just done full GAPS, but I suspect that even an imperfect intro diet can help speed up the introduction of foods we have not been able to tolerate. We are so looking forward to adding foods back in to our diet. Apples is one we are particularly excited about. Nuts are another food we hope to add in soon. Lots to look forward to.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth (all day)
chicken
green beans
egg whites
leftover casserole
blended veggies (squash, carrots, broth, chicken pate)
hamburger soup - ground beef, broth, carrots, peas, sea salt
french artichokes
I am going to have some egg whites fried in beef fat.
Tomorrow - avocado
Monday - ghee
The baby cut his first tooth today! Hooray!
We continue to do a lot of cooking. The kids are not as ravenous as they were and things seem to have settled out a bit. We did not try the avocado today. I guess tomorrow will be good. Then, ghee on Monday. That is like adding 2 things at once, but I am so ready to add dairy.
I am holding steady between 110 and 115 pounds. This is normal weight for me for the past 12 years, so I feel good about this, but I prefer to weigh around 120 pounds. I am hoping that if I can add dairy soon, that I may be able to put on this extra little cushion of weight. However, I realize that I need to be patient, because if I don't tolerate it, then it will not be beneficial to add it in. I won't be able to get what I need from the dairy if it causes inflamation and slows healing in my gut. Sigh! I hope I am ready for dairy. I hope our little baby is ready. He used to get all congested before I took the dairy out of my diet. If he gets congested, then he will not sleep as well and I will get even less sleep. Heavenly Father, please let us be ready for dairy!
Our 5 year old has had a few gas pains these past few days after meals. I suspect it was because I was not peeling the squash. I hope and pray that it gets better in a day or so.
Our little 2 year old is atill very rigid about routines these days. His eye contact is minimal, but there is some if you are not too close to his face. He let me cut his fingernails and toenails today! That is huge! They were getting so long because he would cry that it hurt and he would not let me cut them. I tried! Today, no problem. He said, "Ow" with every snip, but he let me cut them.
I know we are not doing this intro quite perfectly. We are not consuming enough of the soft tissues and bone marrow that is supposed to be so very healing, too far out there for the time being, but we are seeing a good measure of healing as it is. We could have just done full GAPS, but I suspect that even an imperfect intro diet can help speed up the introduction of foods we have not been able to tolerate. We are so looking forward to adding foods back in to our diet. Apples is one we are particularly excited about. Nuts are another food we hope to add in soon. Lots to look forward to.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth (all day)
chicken
green beans
egg whites
leftover casserole
blended veggies (squash, carrots, broth, chicken pate)
hamburger soup - ground beef, broth, carrots, peas, sea salt
french artichokes
I am going to have some egg whites fried in beef fat.
Tomorrow - avocado
Monday - ghee
September 25, 2009
Day 21 - Stage 2 of Intro - More New Discoveries
I spent an hour peeling the skin off of yellow squash that had already been cut and cooked because I figured out that we were all having issues because of the fiber. We are not yet ready for fiber.
I am shopping around now looking for the best prices on everything because real food costs real money.
I am looking for ways to get things done more efficiently and see if I can arrange some help in filling our freezer.
Chicken liver is pretty tasty. Tastes kind of like liverwurst. Go figure!
Beef fat from grass fed beef at Whole Foods is free (for now) until they catch on that some people actually want the stuff. I came home with at least 30 pounds of beef fat to render. So exciting! Really!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, watch your 'postraphy!" (5 year old reminding me about my posture) "I can't believe we are eating God's food!" (5 year old)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
beef
green beans
boiled egg whites
casserole
squash soup with carrots and green beans added
acorn squash blended with other stuff for the 2 year old
I plan to have fried egg whites later tonight
Tomorrow we will add avocado!!!
I am shopping around now looking for the best prices on everything because real food costs real money.
I am looking for ways to get things done more efficiently and see if I can arrange some help in filling our freezer.
Chicken liver is pretty tasty. Tastes kind of like liverwurst. Go figure!
Beef fat from grass fed beef at Whole Foods is free (for now) until they catch on that some people actually want the stuff. I came home with at least 30 pounds of beef fat to render. So exciting! Really!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, watch your 'postraphy!" (5 year old reminding me about my posture) "I can't believe we are eating God's food!" (5 year old)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
beef
green beans
boiled egg whites
casserole
squash soup with carrots and green beans added
acorn squash blended with other stuff for the 2 year old
I plan to have fried egg whites later tonight
Tomorrow we will add avocado!!!
* Why I Cried Today
I was traveling home from Whole Foods today so I had about 40 minutes to just think and pray. My older kids were at co-op and went to friend’s houses and the baby was with my dad, so I was traveling with my 2 year old. He loves to go places. He is a joy and even since he has become very ill from the vaccine (I realize he was ill to begin with and the vaccine simply pushed him off the edge) he still loves to ride in his car seat, his stroller and in shopping carts. He sits so calm and just takes it all in wherever we go.
I was listening to him talk to himself in the backseat and I started to cry because I miss the eye contact. I miss the connection. I miss the easygoing, go-with-the-flow temperament that has characterized him for 2 years. I told God that I missed my child and that I was grieving the loss of his full potential, then I realized that God knew this was going to happen and that nothing was lost. This is all a part of who this child is and who he is to become. I was grieving what I thought I had lost, but I have lost nothing since he simply is who he is and this is what we have to go through and God is working it all out for our good. I arrived home with a smile.
I was listening to him talk to himself in the backseat and I started to cry because I miss the eye contact. I miss the connection. I miss the easygoing, go-with-the-flow temperament that has characterized him for 2 years. I told God that I missed my child and that I was grieving the loss of his full potential, then I realized that God knew this was going to happen and that nothing was lost. This is all a part of who this child is and who he is to become. I was grieving what I thought I had lost, but I have lost nothing since he simply is who he is and this is what we have to go through and God is working it all out for our good. I arrived home with a smile.
September 24, 2009
Day 20 - Stage 2 of Intro - New Discoveries
Wow! Another good day! Everyone is happy and feeling pretty good. Our 2 year old seems to be more conversational. Boy, he knows the routines and he really tries to keep us all in line. I pull out the squash and he goes and gets the cutting board and orders me to get the knife. He is right there, helping with literally everything in the kitchen. I have to say that I really love having him help in the kitchen.
The girls have been very helpful in the kitchen and my oldest, too! My 11 year old had to carry the baby around a lot today, as we were on our own. We had lots of extra laundry to do because everyone is peeing more and we are having lots of bedwetting issues. We had lots of food to cook, too!
Grandpa does not come to help out until 2 PM on Thursdays, so we had to do it all on our own. Their other grandpa usually comes about 10 AM, but he had a doctor's appointment today and couldn't make it. We did amazingly well and the schedule for eating certain foods and doing certain activities at specific times really helped. Everything was accomplished with a smile. Everyone had enough to eat and we actually have food to store in the fridge for the weekend. What a great feeling!
No baths today! Too much to do and we ran out of time. Dinner was late, but that's OK. No one was complaining, as they were all welcome to have broths or soups at any time so they couldn't say they were starving.
No leg pain. No bedtime tantrums. No bad moods. No regression. It was a good day!
Oh, our oldest had a BM that fell apart in the potty. Several of us are more gassy. Could be the increase in probiotic, but I stopped peeling the squash and zucchini and I have a hunch it is the extra fiber. I don't think we are quite ready for that yet. If it continues, I will go back to peeling the squash for a while. We shall see.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, I think I am going to be a missionary when I grow up." (8 year old) "I love helping you in the kitchen." (5 year old) "Mommy, are you almost done? The baby is getting fussy." (11 year old) "knife!knife!knife!cut!cut!cut!put in!put in!put in trash!mommy cooking!" (2 year old telling me what to do in the kitchen)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice (1/2 tsp for kids and 3 tsp for me)
chicken broth
pork roast
green beans
squash and carrots
casseroles
squash soup thinned with lots of broth
hard boiled egg whites
lamb
spinach
squash, zucchini, and carrots cooked in the squash soup from earlier
blended for the 2 year old
fried egg whites for me cooked in beef fat
The girls have been very helpful in the kitchen and my oldest, too! My 11 year old had to carry the baby around a lot today, as we were on our own. We had lots of extra laundry to do because everyone is peeing more and we are having lots of bedwetting issues. We had lots of food to cook, too!
Grandpa does not come to help out until 2 PM on Thursdays, so we had to do it all on our own. Their other grandpa usually comes about 10 AM, but he had a doctor's appointment today and couldn't make it. We did amazingly well and the schedule for eating certain foods and doing certain activities at specific times really helped. Everything was accomplished with a smile. Everyone had enough to eat and we actually have food to store in the fridge for the weekend. What a great feeling!
No baths today! Too much to do and we ran out of time. Dinner was late, but that's OK. No one was complaining, as they were all welcome to have broths or soups at any time so they couldn't say they were starving.
No leg pain. No bedtime tantrums. No bad moods. No regression. It was a good day!
Oh, our oldest had a BM that fell apart in the potty. Several of us are more gassy. Could be the increase in probiotic, but I stopped peeling the squash and zucchini and I have a hunch it is the extra fiber. I don't think we are quite ready for that yet. If it continues, I will go back to peeling the squash for a while. We shall see.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, I think I am going to be a missionary when I grow up." (8 year old) "I love helping you in the kitchen." (5 year old) "Mommy, are you almost done? The baby is getting fussy." (11 year old) "knife!knife!knife!cut!cut!cut!put in!put in!put in trash!mommy cooking!" (2 year old telling me what to do in the kitchen)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice (1/2 tsp for kids and 3 tsp for me)
chicken broth
pork roast
green beans
squash and carrots
casseroles
squash soup thinned with lots of broth
hard boiled egg whites
lamb
spinach
squash, zucchini, and carrots cooked in the squash soup from earlier
blended for the 2 year old
fried egg whites for me cooked in beef fat
September 23, 2009
Day 19 - Stage 2 of Intro - Casserole Day
Today was a good day!
Chicken and veggies for breakfast, squash soup and egg whites for a snack, casseroles for lunch, soups for snacks and more casserole for dinner! We implemented the plan to eat certain foods during certain times of the day. The kids followed the schedule and did their chores and schoolwork accordingly. Everything went very smoothly today. Praise the Lord! I pray we have more days like today!
We visted a neighbor. We had some company. We had a mini movie night as I was informed that today is the 60th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz movie. We didn't have that one available, so we watched the Veggie Tales version of The Wizard of Ha's. We will watch the original movie for our Movie Night on Friday.
We think we may have discovered a cause of our 5 year old's leg pain. I made her eat broccoli and cauliflower today and she had a stomach ache before lunch was over. A few hours later, her leg hurt her, then her arm, then her other leg hurt, too. She cried so much! It took us a while to remember to give her a detox bath. We put ACV in the bath and after 30 minutes, her pain was completely gone! Amazing! We will try to remember this sooner the next time.
Our 2 year old had a great day and seemed much improved since we have taken away all of the sulphur foods. We will introduce them more slowly in the future. The CT scan results are in: Normal! WooHoo! I figured, as I believe what is happening to him is because of toxicity. He went to bed without a fuss. Just like old times!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice (a very little bit)
chicken
carrots and squash
green beans
chicken broth
egg whites (2 each)
squash soup (some of us)
casseroles (recipes on previous post)
I am going to have some fried eggs for a snack. YUM!
Chicken and veggies for breakfast, squash soup and egg whites for a snack, casseroles for lunch, soups for snacks and more casserole for dinner! We implemented the plan to eat certain foods during certain times of the day. The kids followed the schedule and did their chores and schoolwork accordingly. Everything went very smoothly today. Praise the Lord! I pray we have more days like today!
We visted a neighbor. We had some company. We had a mini movie night as I was informed that today is the 60th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz movie. We didn't have that one available, so we watched the Veggie Tales version of The Wizard of Ha's. We will watch the original movie for our Movie Night on Friday.
We think we may have discovered a cause of our 5 year old's leg pain. I made her eat broccoli and cauliflower today and she had a stomach ache before lunch was over. A few hours later, her leg hurt her, then her arm, then her other leg hurt, too. She cried so much! It took us a while to remember to give her a detox bath. We put ACV in the bath and after 30 minutes, her pain was completely gone! Amazing! We will try to remember this sooner the next time.
Our 2 year old had a great day and seemed much improved since we have taken away all of the sulphur foods. We will introduce them more slowly in the future. The CT scan results are in: Normal! WooHoo! I figured, as I believe what is happening to him is because of toxicity. He went to bed without a fuss. Just like old times!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice (a very little bit)
chicken
carrots and squash
green beans
chicken broth
egg whites (2 each)
squash soup (some of us)
casseroles (recipes on previous post)
I am going to have some fried eggs for a snack. YUM!
Casserole Day - It Was a HUGE Success!
The kids were so excited because today we were going to make a casserole after more than two weeks of soups, broths, meats and veggies. I made two small casseroles for lunch because I was experimenting. I didn't want to make one big casserole that everyone hated and then have nothing to eat for lunch. That would not do!
As it turned out, the kids loved, I mean LOVED both of the casseroles! The said, and I quote, "I am at Olive Garden! This is the best you have ever made!" (8 year old girl) "This reminds me of Olive Garden!" (5 year old girl) Note: We ate at Olive Garden as a treat several weeks before we started our GAPS adventure. They absolutely LOVE to eat at Olive Garden, so this was truly the best compliment they could ever give me. I have posted the recipes below:
I am not a cook, really! It is so plain and simple, but to us it was wonderful!
I put a layer of leftover roast in the bottom of the casserole dish. I cut the roast into small pieces.
I cooked green beans in one pot with some chicken broth and sea salt and layered these over the meat.
I cooked carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash in another pot with just water and sea salt. I took about half of these and layered them over the green beans.
I poured a little broth and about a cup of rendered beef fat over this and sprinkled with a little salt.
I pureed the rest of the carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash with some of the broth and poured this over the top of the casserole and drizzled more beef fat on top. Then I added a touch more salt on top.
I baked it at 350 F for 30 minutes. That’s it! I made it up today using the very few foods my family can actually tolerate.
The other casserole was basically the same, but it was…
Meat
Green beans
Broccoli and cauliflower
Rendered fat and sea salt
Blended cauliflower drizzled with more rendered fat and sprinkled with sea salt
I only served the second casserole to two children, but they loved it! It made the 5 year old sick. Apparently she can’t tolerate the broccoli or the cauliflower. None of us can eat the broccoli or the cauliflower except our 11 year old. He ate most of the small casserole for lunch and he is just fine. Go figure. Enjoy!
As it turned out, the kids loved, I mean LOVED both of the casseroles! The said, and I quote, "I am at Olive Garden! This is the best you have ever made!" (8 year old girl) "This reminds me of Olive Garden!" (5 year old girl) Note: We ate at Olive Garden as a treat several weeks before we started our GAPS adventure. They absolutely LOVE to eat at Olive Garden, so this was truly the best compliment they could ever give me. I have posted the recipes below:
I am not a cook, really! It is so plain and simple, but to us it was wonderful!
I put a layer of leftover roast in the bottom of the casserole dish. I cut the roast into small pieces.
I cooked green beans in one pot with some chicken broth and sea salt and layered these over the meat.
I cooked carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash in another pot with just water and sea salt. I took about half of these and layered them over the green beans.
I poured a little broth and about a cup of rendered beef fat over this and sprinkled with a little salt.
I pureed the rest of the carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash with some of the broth and poured this over the top of the casserole and drizzled more beef fat on top. Then I added a touch more salt on top.
I baked it at 350 F for 30 minutes. That’s it! I made it up today using the very few foods my family can actually tolerate.
The other casserole was basically the same, but it was…
Meat
Green beans
Broccoli and cauliflower
Rendered fat and sea salt
Blended cauliflower drizzled with more rendered fat and sprinkled with sea salt
I only served the second casserole to two children, but they loved it! It made the 5 year old sick. Apparently she can’t tolerate the broccoli or the cauliflower. None of us can eat the broccoli or the cauliflower except our 11 year old. He ate most of the small casserole for lunch and he is just fine. Go figure. Enjoy!
September 22, 2009
Day 18 - Stage 2 of Intro - A Plan Falls Into Place
Things went pretty smoothly today. I had to plan ahead since we were going to be gone for a while this morning. It worked out very well. I think we will do this on a daily basis in order to have some sanity around here.
Our schedule looks something like this:
Get up and drink lemon water, then go do morning chores. Come back to the kitchen and drink broth, then eat veggies and meat. Bite for bite for the two year old or give it to him all at once, depending on the state of his condition at the time. This morning it was bite for bite.
The next part of our day is chores and schoolwork. They were told they could drink water, tea (ginger, peppermint, or chamomile), or broth. They could have soups and boiled egg whites (yolks are out for a while) for snacks if they got hungry. Also, we try to get them out in the sun for a bit during this time if possible. We call it recess.
Lunch was broth and leftover meat and veggies from yesterday. Simple.
Then it is time to finish up any schoolwork and chores. They should drink water, tea, or broth and if they get hungry, then they can have soup. This is per the directions for the GAPS diet protocol. They should have broth and soup all day long, as much as they want.
Something new is cooked for dinner. Tonight we had a feast!!! It was the best meal we have had since we started intro. There was something for everyone and we all enjoyed it immensly. I know it will sound odd, but we LOVED it! We had chicken broth, of course. I cooked pork ribs for several hours on the stove, boiled, of course, because this is intro. We cooked 24 little artichokes that I found at Whole Foods on Saturday and we ate them plain or sometimes dipping them in a little salt. I cooked french style green beans in the pork broth. We boiled brocolli, which was largely ignored in favor of the other choices. We also had some boiled orange roughy fish because it looked fresh and oh so yummy when I went to the store today. Pork and fish: it is a weird combo, I know, but what can I say? It was all good food. Our two year old had meat, fish and blended squash and green beans with pork broth. Everyone was happy. And true to form, if I make more, they eat more. It is near to impossible to cook ahead for this crew.
Then we did baths and bedtimes, which are all staggered. Bath for the 2 year old. Bath for the 5 year old while the 2 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 8 year old while the 5 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 11 year old while the 8 year old reads or draws. Sit down and read history and literature, then put the older two to bed. It takes two of us to do all of this because one of us has to care for the baby who doesn't yet go off to sleep on his own. We have not had time to think on that for a while, but he is content enough to go with the flow. Thank the Lord that this gift of a child is so easygoing.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: Our 8 year old said, "My ideas about food are changing. When we went to the grocery store today I saw all of the packaged food and it didn't even look like food to me. It is just junk." Our 11 year old said, "It still looks like food to me because you can put it in your mouth." I said, "I can think of all kinds of things you could put into your mouth that are not food."
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
leftover roast
chicken broth
squash and carrots cooked in broth
hard boiled egg whites (no yolks)
squash soup (butternut, broth, salt)
leftover buffalo burger soup (a favorite cold or hot - it's gone!)
pork ribs cooked in water with salt
orange roughy fish
artichokes
green beans cooked in pork broth
brocolli and leftover cauliflower
kraut juice - only mommy, we start every one else with a little bit tomorrow
Tomorrow we will bake a casserole.
The kids are very excited about this!
Our schedule looks something like this:
Get up and drink lemon water, then go do morning chores. Come back to the kitchen and drink broth, then eat veggies and meat. Bite for bite for the two year old or give it to him all at once, depending on the state of his condition at the time. This morning it was bite for bite.
The next part of our day is chores and schoolwork. They were told they could drink water, tea (ginger, peppermint, or chamomile), or broth. They could have soups and boiled egg whites (yolks are out for a while) for snacks if they got hungry. Also, we try to get them out in the sun for a bit during this time if possible. We call it recess.
Lunch was broth and leftover meat and veggies from yesterday. Simple.
Then it is time to finish up any schoolwork and chores. They should drink water, tea, or broth and if they get hungry, then they can have soup. This is per the directions for the GAPS diet protocol. They should have broth and soup all day long, as much as they want.
Something new is cooked for dinner. Tonight we had a feast!!! It was the best meal we have had since we started intro. There was something for everyone and we all enjoyed it immensly. I know it will sound odd, but we LOVED it! We had chicken broth, of course. I cooked pork ribs for several hours on the stove, boiled, of course, because this is intro. We cooked 24 little artichokes that I found at Whole Foods on Saturday and we ate them plain or sometimes dipping them in a little salt. I cooked french style green beans in the pork broth. We boiled brocolli, which was largely ignored in favor of the other choices. We also had some boiled orange roughy fish because it looked fresh and oh so yummy when I went to the store today. Pork and fish: it is a weird combo, I know, but what can I say? It was all good food. Our two year old had meat, fish and blended squash and green beans with pork broth. Everyone was happy. And true to form, if I make more, they eat more. It is near to impossible to cook ahead for this crew.
Then we did baths and bedtimes, which are all staggered. Bath for the 2 year old. Bath for the 5 year old while the 2 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 8 year old while the 5 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 11 year old while the 8 year old reads or draws. Sit down and read history and literature, then put the older two to bed. It takes two of us to do all of this because one of us has to care for the baby who doesn't yet go off to sleep on his own. We have not had time to think on that for a while, but he is content enough to go with the flow. Thank the Lord that this gift of a child is so easygoing.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: Our 8 year old said, "My ideas about food are changing. When we went to the grocery store today I saw all of the packaged food and it didn't even look like food to me. It is just junk." Our 11 year old said, "It still looks like food to me because you can put it in your mouth." I said, "I can think of all kinds of things you could put into your mouth that are not food."
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
leftover roast
chicken broth
squash and carrots cooked in broth
hard boiled egg whites (no yolks)
squash soup (butternut, broth, salt)
leftover buffalo burger soup (a favorite cold or hot - it's gone!)
pork ribs cooked in water with salt
orange roughy fish
artichokes
green beans cooked in pork broth
brocolli and leftover cauliflower
kraut juice - only mommy, we start every one else with a little bit tomorrow
Tomorrow we will bake a casserole.
The kids are very excited about this!
CT Scan
Our 2 year old had the CT scan done today. All in all, he did very well. He cried, but they were very good with him and he was not traumatized by it.
The technician came out and talked with him. They talked as we walked down the hall to the room. We met another nice lady, the one who works the computer and does the measurements or whatever it is that they do with the images. Then another lady came in with a toy to distract him and a blue and purple giraffe for him to keep. She had a color book, too, with pictures, and they talked about what they were going to do. They showed him everything they were going to do by using the giraffe as the patient.
When it was his turn, of course he did not want to do it. He cried when they laid him down and when they wrapped him up tight like a papoose. Daddy was right there with him the entire time. He cried when they put soft wedges on either side of his head and taped his head in place. They kept their voices sweet and cheerful and they encouraged him to say cheese for the camera. Mark said he did say cheese. They were very quick and unwrapped him as soon as they were done. Then we went out into the lobby and he ate an egg. You know how he loves to eat and you know how he loves his eggs!
During his bath tonight, I brought up the hospital and having pictures taken of his head and he said, “cheese.” Then he talked about it as if it were just another event in the day. He went to bed with his giraffe by his side and I am thankful that all is well.
They said the doctor would receive the report in a few days and then we would hear from him.
The technician came out and talked with him. They talked as we walked down the hall to the room. We met another nice lady, the one who works the computer and does the measurements or whatever it is that they do with the images. Then another lady came in with a toy to distract him and a blue and purple giraffe for him to keep. She had a color book, too, with pictures, and they talked about what they were going to do. They showed him everything they were going to do by using the giraffe as the patient.
When it was his turn, of course he did not want to do it. He cried when they laid him down and when they wrapped him up tight like a papoose. Daddy was right there with him the entire time. He cried when they put soft wedges on either side of his head and taped his head in place. They kept their voices sweet and cheerful and they encouraged him to say cheese for the camera. Mark said he did say cheese. They were very quick and unwrapped him as soon as they were done. Then we went out into the lobby and he ate an egg. You know how he loves to eat and you know how he loves his eggs!
During his bath tonight, I brought up the hospital and having pictures taken of his head and he said, “cheese.” Then he talked about it as if it were just another event in the day. He went to bed with his giraffe by his side and I am thankful that all is well.
They said the doctor would receive the report in a few days and then we would hear from him.
September 21, 2009
Day 17 - Stage 2 of Intro
Today was a pretty good day, however several of us were a wee bit moody. Nothing major like Saturday when I just bawled and bawled all afternoon. Looking back, I think that I reacted to the smells in the healthfood store, not just my 2 year old.
If I am right about the sulphur foods, then it makes sense that we have been moody because we keep eating sulphur foods. We have been eating onions, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. We quit the egg yolks, but we continue to eat these other foods because we were wanting variety and the onion makes the soups so very yummy.
My plan is to finish off the leftover soup, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower tomorrow and then NOT buy those veggies again for a while and see if the moodiness and constipation goes away. I should mention that our 2 year old, also, is not making great eye contact, is throwing fits about wanting things 'just so', is difficult to understand, and is loud, and someone, somewhere called it 'sensory seeking': leaning on me, rubbing on me like a cat, crashing into me and rolling all over me. These are not behaviors we are used to seeing in this child.
We are enjoying the egg whites. Hope these are OK because we really love eggs!
I did a better job of planning in the kitchen today and actually made enough food to keep everyone happy and full AND we have food to put in the refridgerator for tomorrow. WooHoo! I think tomorrow should go fairly smoothly. I hope so. Tomorrow is the CAT scan for our 2 year old. That will be an experience to be sure! I am not sure what we hope or expect to find. Hmm.
I took a picture today of our 5 year old with a plate just FULL of veggies and meat and a glass of broth. She had a HUGE smile on her face. I can't get over the fact that she likes veggies now and she doesn't have tummy aches now and she doesn;t throw tantrums at the table anymore! It is like a miracle! Everyday now she tells me she loves me and that I am the best GAPS cooker there is. These are wonderful words!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
chicken broth
chicken
carrots and squash cooked in yesterday's pork broth
2 year old ate blended squash, carrots, and cauliflower with broth and chicken pate for extra fat
squash soup
buffalo hamburger soup (ground meat, onions, carrots, sea salt)
This was a HUGE success!
peas and carrots
brussel sprouts
cauliflower
our 2, 5, and 8 year old children had detox baths with Apple Cider Vinegar
If I am right about the sulphur foods, then it makes sense that we have been moody because we keep eating sulphur foods. We have been eating onions, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. We quit the egg yolks, but we continue to eat these other foods because we were wanting variety and the onion makes the soups so very yummy.
My plan is to finish off the leftover soup, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower tomorrow and then NOT buy those veggies again for a while and see if the moodiness and constipation goes away. I should mention that our 2 year old, also, is not making great eye contact, is throwing fits about wanting things 'just so', is difficult to understand, and is loud, and someone, somewhere called it 'sensory seeking': leaning on me, rubbing on me like a cat, crashing into me and rolling all over me. These are not behaviors we are used to seeing in this child.
We are enjoying the egg whites. Hope these are OK because we really love eggs!
I did a better job of planning in the kitchen today and actually made enough food to keep everyone happy and full AND we have food to put in the refridgerator for tomorrow. WooHoo! I think tomorrow should go fairly smoothly. I hope so. Tomorrow is the CAT scan for our 2 year old. That will be an experience to be sure! I am not sure what we hope or expect to find. Hmm.
I took a picture today of our 5 year old with a plate just FULL of veggies and meat and a glass of broth. She had a HUGE smile on her face. I can't get over the fact that she likes veggies now and she doesn't have tummy aches now and she doesn;t throw tantrums at the table anymore! It is like a miracle! Everyday now she tells me she loves me and that I am the best GAPS cooker there is. These are wonderful words!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
chicken broth
chicken
carrots and squash cooked in yesterday's pork broth
2 year old ate blended squash, carrots, and cauliflower with broth and chicken pate for extra fat
squash soup
buffalo hamburger soup (ground meat, onions, carrots, sea salt)
This was a HUGE success!
peas and carrots
brussel sprouts
cauliflower
our 2, 5, and 8 year old children had detox baths with Apple Cider Vinegar
September 20, 2009
Day 16 - Stage 2 of Intro
It's Sunday. We didn't make it to church today. I am totally bummed about that, but we are totally wiped out! Late nights cleaning up after a full day of cooking, waking in the night with fussy kids (less often now than before GAPS), waking in the night with hungry/teething baby, and waking early to start all over again takes its toll on a body.
It was a fairly relaxing day in between meals, but we barely seemed to have enough to feed this crew. Right now they eat so much it is unbelievable. I read many posts that said this was the case for a period of time, but it is hard to really get a feel for it or understand what it's like until you are going through it for yourself. I eat all day long and my children eat a lot whenever they sit down for meals. Our oldest is constantly in the kitchen looking for something to eat.
It's all about balance. I keep telling them this. At first they just wanted to eat meat, only meat. The ones who ate mostly meat were the sickest at the beginning. When they balance the meat, broth and veggies, they seem to do much better. Today my oldest ate lots of green beans. I mean that he ate LOTS of green beans. We cooked enough green beans for today and tomorrow, I thought, but the green beans are gone! He did not feel so good between lunch and dinner. He says that he thinks that he ate too many green beans. I think so, too.
Our 8 year old girl woke up on the grumpy side. She was grumpy all morning. Then we noticed that she still had marker on her hands from some art she had been working on at her grandma's house the day before. We sent her to take a bath with some Epsom Salt. It cleaned the ink right off AND she was in a more agreeable mood the rest of the day. Amazing!
Our two year old had a pretty good day over all. Eye contact was on and off, not great. He conversed some, but also did some repeating. He was a bit difficult to understand and he got frustrated often trying to get things done a particular way. I miss the easygoing, take-it-as-it-comes little boy that he used to be. *sigh* He was a neat eater today. That's a good sign. We only had a little bit of fussing at bedtime. He wanted matching top and pants pajamas, but would only pick shirts or bottoms that don't have a match. That is a problem. We got through that and he went to bed quite easily and fell asleep quickly.
Fish soup! I made my first fish stock last night with red snapper. I made soup today with the stock, the meat, carrots, onions, yellow and green squash, and celtic sea salt. It was good. Everyone ate at least two bowls, except for the two year old. He had some fish and broth from my bowl of soup, but none of the veggies. I was transported back to Japan as the smell and taste reminded me of breakfast during my first week of orientation when I went to Japan about 18 years ago to teach English in a Christian Church there through LIFE Ministries. Ahh! Good memories.
At dinner we polished off more veggies, we are out and I will have to make a late night run to the store. They ate all of the stew meat and all of the pork chops the we cooked in a seperate crockpot. Amazing! I need to cook twice as much as I think we will be able to eat. I am just scared that if I cook double that they will simply eat double. You think???
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
pork roast
spinach
egg whites from hard boiled eggs
fish soup (red snapper)
green beans (too many)
cauliflower
squash blended with broth and fat (2 year old only)
chicken stock
peas
Stew meat and broth
pork chops cooked in the crockpot
3 kids had detox baths
It was a fairly relaxing day in between meals, but we barely seemed to have enough to feed this crew. Right now they eat so much it is unbelievable. I read many posts that said this was the case for a period of time, but it is hard to really get a feel for it or understand what it's like until you are going through it for yourself. I eat all day long and my children eat a lot whenever they sit down for meals. Our oldest is constantly in the kitchen looking for something to eat.
It's all about balance. I keep telling them this. At first they just wanted to eat meat, only meat. The ones who ate mostly meat were the sickest at the beginning. When they balance the meat, broth and veggies, they seem to do much better. Today my oldest ate lots of green beans. I mean that he ate LOTS of green beans. We cooked enough green beans for today and tomorrow, I thought, but the green beans are gone! He did not feel so good between lunch and dinner. He says that he thinks that he ate too many green beans. I think so, too.
Our 8 year old girl woke up on the grumpy side. She was grumpy all morning. Then we noticed that she still had marker on her hands from some art she had been working on at her grandma's house the day before. We sent her to take a bath with some Epsom Salt. It cleaned the ink right off AND she was in a more agreeable mood the rest of the day. Amazing!
Our two year old had a pretty good day over all. Eye contact was on and off, not great. He conversed some, but also did some repeating. He was a bit difficult to understand and he got frustrated often trying to get things done a particular way. I miss the easygoing, take-it-as-it-comes little boy that he used to be. *sigh* He was a neat eater today. That's a good sign. We only had a little bit of fussing at bedtime. He wanted matching top and pants pajamas, but would only pick shirts or bottoms that don't have a match. That is a problem. We got through that and he went to bed quite easily and fell asleep quickly.
Fish soup! I made my first fish stock last night with red snapper. I made soup today with the stock, the meat, carrots, onions, yellow and green squash, and celtic sea salt. It was good. Everyone ate at least two bowls, except for the two year old. He had some fish and broth from my bowl of soup, but none of the veggies. I was transported back to Japan as the smell and taste reminded me of breakfast during my first week of orientation when I went to Japan about 18 years ago to teach English in a Christian Church there through LIFE Ministries. Ahh! Good memories.
At dinner we polished off more veggies, we are out and I will have to make a late night run to the store. They ate all of the stew meat and all of the pork chops the we cooked in a seperate crockpot. Amazing! I need to cook twice as much as I think we will be able to eat. I am just scared that if I cook double that they will simply eat double. You think???
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
pork roast
spinach
egg whites from hard boiled eggs
fish soup (red snapper)
green beans (too many)
cauliflower
squash blended with broth and fat (2 year old only)
chicken stock
peas
Stew meat and broth
pork chops cooked in the crockpot
3 kids had detox baths
* This is NOT What I Signed Up For!
I am NOT complaining. It is just NOT what I expected to be doing.
When we got married, we planned on having two kids and maybe adopt two kids, but God changed our hearts and our plans. He had other ideas.
I thought we might be missionaries in Japan, or somewhere in Asia, with two biological children and two adopted children and that we would be eating whatever was typical for the culture and speaking two or more languages. We can't even eat the Standard American Diet without getting sick, so just traveling anywhere in the United States is difficult for the time being.
It took me six years to finally figure out what was going on with my oldest child and why he was so sick and unhappy and why everything was so very hard for him. It has taken me 5 years since to finally get to know this incredible person and accept who he is as he is. I am still working on it a bit.
I thought that I was learning all kinds of stuff about autism and Asperger's Syndrome to help my oldest child and my friend's with children on the spectrum. I NEVER expected to see my happy, healthy, easygoing, joyful, rough and tumble little 2 year old suffering with the symptoms of autism. He only had a few vaccines. He never ate artificial stuff. He never drank milk or ate wheat. He had dairy in the form of cheese and he had Ezekiel Bread, which are healthy choices. Who could have guessed that this could happen?
I thought we were going to put the older three children and myself on the GAPS diet to heal our food intolerances, and ended up starting the 2 year old two weeks before the planned start date.
I thought I was ready for the GAPS diet, but I have to admit it is a lot of work (at least at first) for a family of seven. The learning curve is huge. I know it will get easier, but...Whew!
I am more motivated than ever! I prayed for healing for my older children and myself. I prayed for answers. The GAPS diet is the answer that God gave me. I have every confidence that we will find healing on this diet. Our specific prayer was that we would be able to eat and enjoy all of God's food and that it would be nourishing to our bodies and not harmful. This is what we will receive. We did not ask to be able to eat junk food, and that is what it is, "junk" food, and I believe the "food" part of that phrase is questionable. We will be able to eat good food and be nourished by it and will not suffer from all of the physical, mental, and social pains we are suffering from now.
God is good and He is good all the time! He has prepared us for our current crisis and he is preparing us for whatever may come. I love to remember the life of Joseph. Things didn't look so good for him when he was beaten by his brothers and thrown in a pit. Being sold into slavery and carried off to a foreign land didn't look too promising either. He had an excellent character and a deep faith in God and he seemed to be making the best of the situation as a master slave in the house of a prominent man named Potiphor, but then he was thrown in prison unjustly. One might argue that God is not good and that God was not with Joseph, but all of these things prepared him for the time to come and physically placed him in the position where God had told him he would be, ruler over his own father and all of his older brothers. He was second in command over all of Egypt and God saved the lives of His own people and many others through Joseph.
I don't expect to be used of God in such a profound way as Joseph. He never gave me dreams that prophesied what my future would be. I DO expect God to use me for His glory and I will strive to continually improve my character and grow in faith in whatever circumstances I find myself in, like Joseph. I will trust that God is working ALL things out for my good and for the good of my children and my family. His plan is so much greater than mine. His thoughts are NOT my thoughts! His ways are NOT my ways! This is NOT what I signed up for, but I am certain it is where I need to be!
Have faith in God and in His goodness and you will find peace and a joy that you never thought was possible!
I want people to know about the GAPS diet because I believe it could be the path to healing for many who are sick from this toxic world we live in, but even more so I want people to know God who made our bodies to work the way they do. We are fearfully and wonderfully made! Only God knows how it all works and what makes it or breaks it. He is the one who heals! If we find healing through this diet, and I believe we will, then ALL the Glory goes to God because He knows what our bodies need and He showed me where to go. He gave Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride the knowledge to put the pieces together and figure this out to bring healing to her own son and so many others. God is the one to be praised!
When we got married, we planned on having two kids and maybe adopt two kids, but God changed our hearts and our plans. He had other ideas.
I thought we might be missionaries in Japan, or somewhere in Asia, with two biological children and two adopted children and that we would be eating whatever was typical for the culture and speaking two or more languages. We can't even eat the Standard American Diet without getting sick, so just traveling anywhere in the United States is difficult for the time being.
It took me six years to finally figure out what was going on with my oldest child and why he was so sick and unhappy and why everything was so very hard for him. It has taken me 5 years since to finally get to know this incredible person and accept who he is as he is. I am still working on it a bit.
I thought that I was learning all kinds of stuff about autism and Asperger's Syndrome to help my oldest child and my friend's with children on the spectrum. I NEVER expected to see my happy, healthy, easygoing, joyful, rough and tumble little 2 year old suffering with the symptoms of autism. He only had a few vaccines. He never ate artificial stuff. He never drank milk or ate wheat. He had dairy in the form of cheese and he had Ezekiel Bread, which are healthy choices. Who could have guessed that this could happen?
I thought we were going to put the older three children and myself on the GAPS diet to heal our food intolerances, and ended up starting the 2 year old two weeks before the planned start date.
I thought I was ready for the GAPS diet, but I have to admit it is a lot of work (at least at first) for a family of seven. The learning curve is huge. I know it will get easier, but...Whew!
I am more motivated than ever! I prayed for healing for my older children and myself. I prayed for answers. The GAPS diet is the answer that God gave me. I have every confidence that we will find healing on this diet. Our specific prayer was that we would be able to eat and enjoy all of God's food and that it would be nourishing to our bodies and not harmful. This is what we will receive. We did not ask to be able to eat junk food, and that is what it is, "junk" food, and I believe the "food" part of that phrase is questionable. We will be able to eat good food and be nourished by it and will not suffer from all of the physical, mental, and social pains we are suffering from now.
God is good and He is good all the time! He has prepared us for our current crisis and he is preparing us for whatever may come. I love to remember the life of Joseph. Things didn't look so good for him when he was beaten by his brothers and thrown in a pit. Being sold into slavery and carried off to a foreign land didn't look too promising either. He had an excellent character and a deep faith in God and he seemed to be making the best of the situation as a master slave in the house of a prominent man named Potiphor, but then he was thrown in prison unjustly. One might argue that God is not good and that God was not with Joseph, but all of these things prepared him for the time to come and physically placed him in the position where God had told him he would be, ruler over his own father and all of his older brothers. He was second in command over all of Egypt and God saved the lives of His own people and many others through Joseph.
I don't expect to be used of God in such a profound way as Joseph. He never gave me dreams that prophesied what my future would be. I DO expect God to use me for His glory and I will strive to continually improve my character and grow in faith in whatever circumstances I find myself in, like Joseph. I will trust that God is working ALL things out for my good and for the good of my children and my family. His plan is so much greater than mine. His thoughts are NOT my thoughts! His ways are NOT my ways! This is NOT what I signed up for, but I am certain it is where I need to be!
Have faith in God and in His goodness and you will find peace and a joy that you never thought was possible!
I want people to know about the GAPS diet because I believe it could be the path to healing for many who are sick from this toxic world we live in, but even more so I want people to know God who made our bodies to work the way they do. We are fearfully and wonderfully made! Only God knows how it all works and what makes it or breaks it. He is the one who heals! If we find healing through this diet, and I believe we will, then ALL the Glory goes to God because He knows what our bodies need and He showed me where to go. He gave Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride the knowledge to put the pieces together and figure this out to bring healing to her own son and so many others. God is the one to be praised!
Tantrums at the Table - Lessons Learned
Tantrums at the table are a fairly common occurance at our house these days. Some days are better than others, depending on whether or not our 2 year old is reacting to some food or chemical or not.
Thankfully, we haven't seen any tantrums from our 5 year old since we got through stage 1 of the intro diet.
HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:
It does no good to get mad or frustrated, in fact it makes things worse.
It helps to stay happy and speak softly and kindly.
We patiently and kindly insist that he eat a bite of veggies (blended with broth and fat) before he can have the meat that he is screaming for. I hold the spoon near him and repeatedly offer, trying not to let him knock the spoon/food out of my hand.
After five minutes or so of me repeatedly saying, "Ready? Have a bite of veggies and you can have a bite of meat." and after five minutes or so of his shouting, "More meat!!", and protesting, refusing, and crying BIG crocodile tears, he takes a bite and gets a piece of meat on his plate. Then he takes another bite and gets another piece of meat. And on and on. When he gets his plate full of meat, he stops and eats it all and starts demanding more meat again.
If you can get through the storm, the rest is easy. The way I stay calm when he throws these big fits is that I remind myself that he is 'sick', not 'bad' or 'naughty'. I remind myself that I know what he needs better than he does. He only knows what he wants. I have enough experience now to know that he will not scream for long unless I lose my temper. When you lose your temper, they lose theirs, too, and they get very stubborn.
The key is to keep your cool and speak softly and gently while continuing to offer the food they need to eat with the promise of being rewarded with the food they want to eat.
I have also learned, for my child, that gritty or lumpy veggies don't go over too well. He will eat it, but he will cry about every bite. If I blend it very smooth, then he eats it happily once he gets over the initial fit.
I posted this because I thought it could be helpful to others. I hope it helps someone who may be struggling with similar feeding issues.
Thankfully, we haven't seen any tantrums from our 5 year old since we got through stage 1 of the intro diet.
HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:
It does no good to get mad or frustrated, in fact it makes things worse.
It helps to stay happy and speak softly and kindly.
We patiently and kindly insist that he eat a bite of veggies (blended with broth and fat) before he can have the meat that he is screaming for. I hold the spoon near him and repeatedly offer, trying not to let him knock the spoon/food out of my hand.
After five minutes or so of me repeatedly saying, "Ready? Have a bite of veggies and you can have a bite of meat." and after five minutes or so of his shouting, "More meat!!", and protesting, refusing, and crying BIG crocodile tears, he takes a bite and gets a piece of meat on his plate. Then he takes another bite and gets another piece of meat. And on and on. When he gets his plate full of meat, he stops and eats it all and starts demanding more meat again.
If you can get through the storm, the rest is easy. The way I stay calm when he throws these big fits is that I remind myself that he is 'sick', not 'bad' or 'naughty'. I remind myself that I know what he needs better than he does. He only knows what he wants. I have enough experience now to know that he will not scream for long unless I lose my temper. When you lose your temper, they lose theirs, too, and they get very stubborn.
The key is to keep your cool and speak softly and gently while continuing to offer the food they need to eat with the promise of being rewarded with the food they want to eat.
I have also learned, for my child, that gritty or lumpy veggies don't go over too well. He will eat it, but he will cry about every bite. If I blend it very smooth, then he eats it happily once he gets over the initial fit.
I posted this because I thought it could be helpful to others. I hope it helps someone who may be struggling with similar feeding issues.
September 19, 2009
Day 13 (15) - Stage 2 of Intro
I can't say how it happened, but I think we are really on Day 15. I must have blanked out a couple of days. Oh, well, we will just go with it.
My dear sweet husband took care of all of the kids this morning and let me sleep in a bit. I was sooooo thankful because I had had a headache for two days and was sick to my stomach and ached all over. It helped! I thank the Lord for the man He gave me. He is a rock and he holds us all together when we are all falling apart. I don't know how he does it, all I know is that I am glad he can.
The day was all broken up. I took the 2 year old to the Farmer's Market with me. The girls went with their Grandma, my mom. The oldest and the youngest stayed home with Daddy and did boy stuff!
We had plenty of food! No one starved! All is well. Oh, and we learned that spending time in a health food store can cause regression. I really think he reacted to the smells in the store, but that is all in a previous post.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
hamburger soup
chicken broth
acorn squash blended with broth and chicken pate (don't ask)
lots of leftover veggies - asparagus, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, sugar snap peas
chicken
spinach
peppermint tea - all but our 8 year old
Kraut Juice - only me
I plan to go have some egg whites in a bit!
Just a little midnight snack to keep me going. *big smile*
My dear sweet husband took care of all of the kids this morning and let me sleep in a bit. I was sooooo thankful because I had had a headache for two days and was sick to my stomach and ached all over. It helped! I thank the Lord for the man He gave me. He is a rock and he holds us all together when we are all falling apart. I don't know how he does it, all I know is that I am glad he can.
The day was all broken up. I took the 2 year old to the Farmer's Market with me. The girls went with their Grandma, my mom. The oldest and the youngest stayed home with Daddy and did boy stuff!
We had plenty of food! No one starved! All is well. Oh, and we learned that spending time in a health food store can cause regression. I really think he reacted to the smells in the store, but that is all in a previous post.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
hamburger soup
chicken broth
acorn squash blended with broth and chicken pate (don't ask)
lots of leftover veggies - asparagus, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, sugar snap peas
chicken
spinach
peppermint tea - all but our 8 year old
Kraut Juice - only me
I plan to go have some egg whites in a bit!
Just a little midnight snack to keep me going. *big smile*
Leg Pain - What to Do? / Rough Night!
We had a rough night last night. Our 5 year old started complaining that her leg was hurting her right around dinnertime. An Epsom Salt bath helped for a while. Then, she ate a second dinner and had some Natural Calm (magnesium citrate). Her legs were bothering her again. At bedtime, she cried and cried. Daddy brought her out to the couch in the living room and she cried and cried. She finally went to sleep, but she was restless and woke up easily and often. This is not new (She has been waking in the night 3-4 times a week since she was an infant.) or GAPS related, it is just that we used to give her the sugar laden very sweet Motrin. Now we are trying to figure out the cause so we can remedy the situation with something natural. Magnesium was obviously not the answer! What to do? I didn't know what to do, so I prayed that God would help me find the answer.
I did some searches on the GAPShelp archive and found several excellent posts on the subject and learned that there needs to be a balance of magnesium, sodium, calcium and potassium. Maybe she was low on one of these other minerals. Someone had posted that they started drinking mineral water and that solved the leg pain, so at a quarter past midnight I went to the drugstore and bought some FIJI water. She woke up again when I came through the front door, so I gave her some of the water. She drank just a little bit and fell asleep again. This time she was resting peacefully. After a bit, I carried her in to her room and put her to bed and she stayed all through the night. I can't say if it was the water or if she just got so tired, but I think I will give her some of the mineral water every day and see if she continues to get leg pain again.
I posted my situation to others on the list and recieved several other suggestions. Drink lots of water. If the leg pain occurs on particularly active days, then it could be structural and she may need orthotics. I will keep my eyes open and pay attention to how much water she drinks and whether or not she is very active on the days she complains of pain in her legs.
Oh, it was a rough night because it started out with the leg pain, then the baby didn't want to stay asleep when I tried to lay him down, and the 2 year old woke up crying at 6 in the morning, but he never really woke up, just cried and cried in his sleep. Daddy and I were quite tired today.
I did some searches on the GAPShelp archive and found several excellent posts on the subject and learned that there needs to be a balance of magnesium, sodium, calcium and potassium. Maybe she was low on one of these other minerals. Someone had posted that they started drinking mineral water and that solved the leg pain, so at a quarter past midnight I went to the drugstore and bought some FIJI water. She woke up again when I came through the front door, so I gave her some of the water. She drank just a little bit and fell asleep again. This time she was resting peacefully. After a bit, I carried her in to her room and put her to bed and she stayed all through the night. I can't say if it was the water or if she just got so tired, but I think I will give her some of the mineral water every day and see if she continues to get leg pain again.
I posted my situation to others on the list and recieved several other suggestions. Drink lots of water. If the leg pain occurs on particularly active days, then it could be structural and she may need orthotics. I will keep my eyes open and pay attention to how much water she drinks and whether or not she is very active on the days she complains of pain in her legs.
Oh, it was a rough night because it started out with the leg pain, then the baby didn't want to stay asleep when I tried to lay him down, and the 2 year old woke up crying at 6 in the morning, but he never really woke up, just cried and cried in his sleep. Daddy and I were quite tired today.
Quick Regression - Smells Cause Symptoms?
Now this is really interesting. I took our 2 year old to the Farmer's Market with me because he just loves to go places. We had removed the egg yolks two days ago and last night he was making better eye contact and was making some conversation as opposed to just repeating what he heard. He was cooperative this morning and held my hand and stayed with me as I talked to the vendors and purchased the meat. He was a pretty normal looking and happy little boy.
Then, we went into Erma's and shopped around for a while. He started to pull away from me and pick things up and he stopped listening. Just like anyone else, I thought that this is normal for a 2 year old, and it is. However, when I stopped outside the store to purchase some lamb and pork from another vendor, I noticed he was more into everything. He was clinging on my leg and pulling on my arm and investigating things under the table. He was getting loud. He didn't want me to pick him up until I asked if I could hold him like a baby. That is when I noticed that he would not look at me. His eyes were off again. I tried several times to get him to look at me, but he looked everywhere but at my face.
When it was time to go, he tried to drag me away. He kept pulling on my arm as I tried to manuever the stroller which was now weighed down with meats and veggies. He would not listen and he became more interested in the rocks on the ground. We got to the truck and he got distracted by everything as he was getting into his car seat. It took a long time to get him in and buckled into his carseat. He was speaking loudly and repeating the last words of whatever I said or he repeated his own thought over and over and over.
On the way home, he kept telling me, "That way!" all the way home.
It is interesting to note that he went to my parent's house last week for a while in the afternoon, before he started regressing again, and he came back a wild child. He was pulling on his baby brother's hands and feet like he was trying to pull him out of my arms. When I handed the baby to my mom, he wanted up. We went and sat on the couch a bit and he was rolling all over me and falling all over me and he was talking really loud. My mother said he was very loud in the car on the way home. I told her this was not the same child I sent over to her house earlier in the afternoon.
Two days ago, my mother took him with her to the art store for art class. (The girls are taking art.) He loved it there and he did fine, but afterward he was talking very loudly and he had issues at dinner and he threw a huge screaming fit at bedtime.
It seems as if the chemicals and smells in other places are affecting him. I will continue to keep an eye open and pay attention to this.
Then, we went into Erma's and shopped around for a while. He started to pull away from me and pick things up and he stopped listening. Just like anyone else, I thought that this is normal for a 2 year old, and it is. However, when I stopped outside the store to purchase some lamb and pork from another vendor, I noticed he was more into everything. He was clinging on my leg and pulling on my arm and investigating things under the table. He was getting loud. He didn't want me to pick him up until I asked if I could hold him like a baby. That is when I noticed that he would not look at me. His eyes were off again. I tried several times to get him to look at me, but he looked everywhere but at my face.
When it was time to go, he tried to drag me away. He kept pulling on my arm as I tried to manuever the stroller which was now weighed down with meats and veggies. He would not listen and he became more interested in the rocks on the ground. We got to the truck and he got distracted by everything as he was getting into his car seat. It took a long time to get him in and buckled into his carseat. He was speaking loudly and repeating the last words of whatever I said or he repeated his own thought over and over and over.
On the way home, he kept telling me, "That way!" all the way home.
It is interesting to note that he went to my parent's house last week for a while in the afternoon, before he started regressing again, and he came back a wild child. He was pulling on his baby brother's hands and feet like he was trying to pull him out of my arms. When I handed the baby to my mom, he wanted up. We went and sat on the couch a bit and he was rolling all over me and falling all over me and he was talking really loud. My mother said he was very loud in the car on the way home. I told her this was not the same child I sent over to her house earlier in the afternoon.
Two days ago, my mother took him with her to the art store for art class. (The girls are taking art.) He loved it there and he did fine, but afterward he was talking very loudly and he had issues at dinner and he threw a huge screaming fit at bedtime.
It seems as if the chemicals and smells in other places are affecting him. I will continue to keep an eye open and pay attention to this.
Day 13 - Stage 2 of Intro
Today was a hectic and difficult day, but I can't say that it was bad. I am too tired to go into details. It is 2AM and I have not been to bed yet. This is not because of GAPS. Our 5 year old has had leg cramps several times a week since she was an infant and the baby is teething and will not stay asleep when I put him down. I am hoping for a good 4 hour stretch of sleep. I could sure use it!
I woke up at 7 to feed the baby. We got the kids up and fed and out the door to co-op.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Pretty much the same as the past few days, but no egg yolks.
Actually the 5 and 11 year old children had egg yolks, but we realized that the 11 year old has been clearing his throat constantly since we started egg yolks, so we will take them out again and see what happens.
That's all for now!
I woke up at 7 to feed the baby. We got the kids up and fed and out the door to co-op.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Pretty much the same as the past few days, but no egg yolks.
Actually the 5 and 11 year old children had egg yolks, but we realized that the 11 year old has been clearing his throat constantly since we started egg yolks, so we will take them out again and see what happens.
That's all for now!
September 18, 2009
Regression: There and Back Again - Update on Our 2 Year Old
It has been a difficult week and our 2 year old regressed again so that by Thursday we couldn’t understand his words, no more eye contact, very rigid, tantrums over just about everything (not all day, but you just don't know what will set him off). The only thing we had added back in to his diet was eggs/yolks, so we pulled those back out of his diet yesterday and by bedtime, he was making some eye contact and conversing some and was laughing and giggling again. He threw horrific tantrums at bedtime for the past three nights, literally screaming at the top of his lungs. Tonight, he climbed into bed on his own and went right to sleep after I sang to him, kissed him, and walked away saying "Goodnight." Apparently, there is some connection between sulfur foods and mercury and autism. All I can say is “Wow!” and it sure is nice to be getting him back again.
I posted all of my research and ponderings in an earlier post. I just wanted to update that he is doing better already. We finally scheduled the CATscan that the Neurologist ordered. It will be next Tuesday, four days from today.
I posted all of my research and ponderings in an earlier post. I just wanted to update that he is doing better already. We finally scheduled the CATscan that the Neurologist ordered. It will be next Tuesday, four days from today.
Day 12 - Stage 2 of Intro
Let's see. Hmm. Today went pretty well all in all. Our 2 year old is continuing to regress, but Praise the Lord, I think I know why and can do something about it. Our 8 year old and I are still battling constipation and irritability. Our 8 year old also has some signs of yeast (we will skip the details). Our 5 year old and 11 year old seem to be doing pretty good for the time being.
Everyone got up and ate and did their chores. The older two didn't have any issues with their schoolwork today. I just LOVE how responsible and independent they have become. Thank you, Jesus. The timing could not have been more perfect. Last year at this time, we were struggling with learning to be independent.
All morning and early afternoon, the older three children helped out wherever needed and worked on their schoolwork and their chores a little here and a little there and they still got it all done by lunch around 2PM. That was the earliest we could pull it all together, but they snacked all along the way so it was really no big deal to eat so late. We had lots of messes and lots of stuff to take care of, but we did some recreational stuff, too. We went for a walk around the block with my loved one's dad who comes over every day at 10AM to play with the 2 year old or whoever. We raced. We found acorns. We studied a fairy ring with giant mushrooms. One was 8 inches in diameter. Huge! We looked at crepe myrtle flowers and discussed how the bees had pollinated them and looked at the 'fruit' that was produced as a result. We felt the cool breeze (cool for Houston, Texas in September) and enjoyed the beauty of the blue sky with the soft white clouds blowing by. Ahhh! That was nice.
We changed diapers. We cleaned up messes. We cooked. We scraped spaghetti squash. We washed and dried squash seeds. (We are thinking that we can roast them later or grind them up for flour.) We blended soups. We folded laundry. We cleaned the table and the floor and we loaded the dishwasher. I am sure that there is more.
By three, I put a video on for the little two year old and retired to the back to put the very tired baby down for a nap and get a little rest for myself. I think the older kids played and watched TV and just vegged out for a while, too. They earned a break. My dad came over (He helps out every day.) and thought it looked like everything was under control. Everyone looked happy.
Quotes for the day: "I love living in this house." (11 year old boy as he was helping me with chores in the kitchen) "I drank all my broth. Will someone please pass me the asparagus?" (5 year old, formerly picky eater, at dinner tonight) "I love Mommy! I love Mommy! I love Mommy!" (Chant started by my 5 year old and copied by my 2 year old. You have to put your finger in your mouth and pull your lip down on the left side while saying it to get the actual effect of the chant. The 2 year old copied every detail of the 5 year old's mantra.)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
chicken or brisket
squash and carrots
chicken broth
squash soup (butternut squash, broth, chicken pate, sea salt)
leftover hamburger soup
spaghetti squash
roast beef
cauliflower
sugar snap peas
asparagus
magnesium tea - the girls and I
We all skipped the eggs today as I was processing what I learned last night.
Everyone got up and ate and did their chores. The older two didn't have any issues with their schoolwork today. I just LOVE how responsible and independent they have become. Thank you, Jesus. The timing could not have been more perfect. Last year at this time, we were struggling with learning to be independent.
All morning and early afternoon, the older three children helped out wherever needed and worked on their schoolwork and their chores a little here and a little there and they still got it all done by lunch around 2PM. That was the earliest we could pull it all together, but they snacked all along the way so it was really no big deal to eat so late. We had lots of messes and lots of stuff to take care of, but we did some recreational stuff, too. We went for a walk around the block with my loved one's dad who comes over every day at 10AM to play with the 2 year old or whoever. We raced. We found acorns. We studied a fairy ring with giant mushrooms. One was 8 inches in diameter. Huge! We looked at crepe myrtle flowers and discussed how the bees had pollinated them and looked at the 'fruit' that was produced as a result. We felt the cool breeze (cool for Houston, Texas in September) and enjoyed the beauty of the blue sky with the soft white clouds blowing by. Ahhh! That was nice.
We changed diapers. We cleaned up messes. We cooked. We scraped spaghetti squash. We washed and dried squash seeds. (We are thinking that we can roast them later or grind them up for flour.) We blended soups. We folded laundry. We cleaned the table and the floor and we loaded the dishwasher. I am sure that there is more.
By three, I put a video on for the little two year old and retired to the back to put the very tired baby down for a nap and get a little rest for myself. I think the older kids played and watched TV and just vegged out for a while, too. They earned a break. My dad came over (He helps out every day.) and thought it looked like everything was under control. Everyone looked happy.
Quotes for the day: "I love living in this house." (11 year old boy as he was helping me with chores in the kitchen) "I drank all my broth. Will someone please pass me the asparagus?" (5 year old, formerly picky eater, at dinner tonight) "I love Mommy! I love Mommy! I love Mommy!" (Chant started by my 5 year old and copied by my 2 year old. You have to put your finger in your mouth and pull your lip down on the left side while saying it to get the actual effect of the chant. The 2 year old copied every detail of the 5 year old's mantra.)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
chicken or brisket
squash and carrots
chicken broth
squash soup (butternut squash, broth, chicken pate, sea salt)
leftover hamburger soup
spaghetti squash
roast beef
cauliflower
sugar snap peas
asparagus
magnesium tea - the girls and I
We all skipped the eggs today as I was processing what I learned last night.
September 17, 2009
Sulphur Foods and Mercury
[As of 12/20/14, we have been off GAPS for more than three years and are enjoying freedom from the fear of food and toxins. You can be free, too! I want you to be free! Please go to http://gapsfamily.blogspot.com/2014/12/our-story.html to find links that will guide you through our story. Be encouraged!]
I was trying to figure out why our 8 year old and I have been constipated and irritable. I prayed all day yesterday for help about this and last night I read a post on the GAPShelp group that made me remember something about sulphur foods and mercury. Incidentally, I discovered that our 2 year old's issues may be related to sulphur food, not the sauerkraut, as previously thought. It pays to pray!!! Thank you, Jesus!
I have mercury amalgam fillings and I have had 11 rogam shots during and after 6 pregnancies. I have had a few flu shots over the years, though none recently. My children have all had vaccines, except for the baby. His exposure to mercury would only be through me. Rogam shots, flu shots and childhood vaccines all have thimerosal in them as an ingredient. Granted, they have taken it out of 'some' of these vaccines in recent years, but it is still in the majority of vaccines to this day. God help us!
"Q: How dangerous is mercury?
Very. Mercury is the second most toxic element on earth, second only to plutonium. The amount of mercury found in one mercury thermometer is enough to pollute a small lake. Mercury toxicity has been linked to a large number of diseases, including arthritis, altzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, learning disabilities and ADHD." (from the 3rd link below)
It is extremely poisonous even in the smallest amounts. Our bodies, if they are working properly, can naturally chelate heavy metals and other toxic substances in small quantities, but some people are not well enough to naturally chelate these metals and they build up and poison the body.
OK, so I have established that my children and I have all been exposed to mercury in one way or another. I did a Google search on 'sulphur food and mercury' and found some very interesting material that helped to answer many questions. I will go through some of what I found and provide the links.
"In his excellent book “Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment”, Andy Cutler informs us that many mercury-toxic people are intolerant to certain foods, commonly known as ’sulfur foods’, which have a high free thiol content. Consuming foods high in thiols raises the circulating thiol levels which in turn mobilizes mercury and creates symptoms." (from the 1st link below)
I have read the list and we have already taken out most of the foods listed because they made one or all of us feel YUCK after eating it.
We just introduced eggs this week. Egg yolks are a sulphur food. We have been eating only egg whites, for the most part, for years because the yolks used to give me asthma. When we started the Feingold diet 4 years ago and took out all of the artificial stuff and the natural salycilates, I could tolerate egg yolks on occasion and baked into things. Most recently, when I started eating the yolks, I got really tired, but no asthma. It is the same time frame that I started getting irritated at everything and everyone. We started the kids on egg yolks on the 9th. Looking back, I see that our 2 year old started to regress again after this. We noticed it on the 13th. I posted it on the 14th. Also, this is when our 8 year old started to get constipated and irritable. She also told me that she, too, has been very tired lately. Hmm.
"He notes, “You typically get a couple of hours of feeling good, energized, happy, and then libidinous, then you feel tired, draggy and depressed, which goes on for a day to a week. Of course if you are eating sulfur foods at each meal these all get stacked up and you can never figure out what is happening.” " (from the 1st link below)
"Until the body regains its ability to oxidize sulfur, it may help to limit high sulfur containing foods (cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, onions, garlic, turnips, eggs, red meat, turkey, dairy products)" (from the 2nd link below)
We have already removed most of those foods.
"Supplying any of these sulfur foods may be a problem to some of these kids who do not oxidize sulfur well. One indicator may be fatigue after eating these." (from the 2nd link below)
Again, our 8 year old and I have been very tired.
"Q: If mercury poisoning is caused by vaccines, then why don't aren't all kids mercury toxic?
Sensitivity to mercury varies widely from person to person, as does the body's natural ability to detoxify. Some children can get rid of the mercury quickly, while in others, the toxin remains in the body longer, allowing it time to bind tightly in the brain and other organs." (from the 3rd link below)
This makes sense. We have a family history of depression, anger, schizophrenia (1), autism (1), and Asperger's Syndrome (undiagnosed, but looking back at all of the quirky people in my family)
"Q: I've started chelating and my child is having bad side effects. What can I do?
Some side effects that listmembers have reported include increased urination, redness of the face and extremities, rash, heartburn, and diarrhea. Your child may also show an increase in autistic symptoms (may become more "stimmy" or show more oppositional behavior). If the side effects are severe or difficult to deal with, stop the cycle and allow a rest time, then start the next cycle with a lower dosage. You may also want to try a shorter chelation cycle, with a larger rest period in between."
Yes!!! Since we started the egg yolks, we have had to wash lots of sheets from leaky diapers and pull-ups. We have seen the redness in the face. Our 2 year old's BMs are better than before GAPS, but in the last week they have been wettish and leak out of the diaper onto his clothes. Our 2 year old, 8 year old and I have been very irritable/oppositional this week. Our 2 year old is regressing more and more daily, eye contact is less and less. He grabs at his eyes. He is a mess at the table and dropping things all over. He is falling a lot, again. He repeats words or phrases instead of conversing, I think this is called echolalia? He has become more "stimmy" waving things over his head or next to his head.
Do you see how far down things have gone since we added the egg yolks??? Last night we added onions and went to the store to buy more onions and garlic, but now I am not so sure if I should use them or not.
I do know that we will avoid these foods for at least a week and see if we can recover our 2 year old yet again. This is why we started with the Intro diet - to be able to pinpoint specific foods that cause specific problems for specific people within our family. I am glad we did!
When we started full GAPS on the 17th of August, it was Stage one foods plus egg whites, and raw fruits and veggies.
http://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list
http://www.healthyawareness.com/articles/about-autism/foods-high-in-sulfur-and-whey.aspx
http://www.detoxmychild.org/mercury_autism_faq.htm
Another excellent source about the toxicity of Mercury, sources of exposure and symptoms of toxicity:
http://www.daytonmedical.com/metal_toxicity.htm
Article on immune reactive conditions - a MUST READ - very descriptive with many credible references!
http://www.cqs.com/immune.htm
I was trying to figure out why our 8 year old and I have been constipated and irritable. I prayed all day yesterday for help about this and last night I read a post on the GAPShelp group that made me remember something about sulphur foods and mercury. Incidentally, I discovered that our 2 year old's issues may be related to sulphur food, not the sauerkraut, as previously thought. It pays to pray!!! Thank you, Jesus!
I have mercury amalgam fillings and I have had 11 rogam shots during and after 6 pregnancies. I have had a few flu shots over the years, though none recently. My children have all had vaccines, except for the baby. His exposure to mercury would only be through me. Rogam shots, flu shots and childhood vaccines all have thimerosal in them as an ingredient. Granted, they have taken it out of 'some' of these vaccines in recent years, but it is still in the majority of vaccines to this day. God help us!
"Q: How dangerous is mercury?
Very. Mercury is the second most toxic element on earth, second only to plutonium. The amount of mercury found in one mercury thermometer is enough to pollute a small lake. Mercury toxicity has been linked to a large number of diseases, including arthritis, altzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, learning disabilities and ADHD." (from the 3rd link below)
It is extremely poisonous even in the smallest amounts. Our bodies, if they are working properly, can naturally chelate heavy metals and other toxic substances in small quantities, but some people are not well enough to naturally chelate these metals and they build up and poison the body.
OK, so I have established that my children and I have all been exposed to mercury in one way or another. I did a Google search on 'sulphur food and mercury' and found some very interesting material that helped to answer many questions. I will go through some of what I found and provide the links.
"In his excellent book “Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment”, Andy Cutler informs us that many mercury-toxic people are intolerant to certain foods, commonly known as ’sulfur foods’, which have a high free thiol content. Consuming foods high in thiols raises the circulating thiol levels which in turn mobilizes mercury and creates symptoms." (from the 1st link below)
I have read the list and we have already taken out most of the foods listed because they made one or all of us feel YUCK after eating it.
We just introduced eggs this week. Egg yolks are a sulphur food. We have been eating only egg whites, for the most part, for years because the yolks used to give me asthma. When we started the Feingold diet 4 years ago and took out all of the artificial stuff and the natural salycilates, I could tolerate egg yolks on occasion and baked into things. Most recently, when I started eating the yolks, I got really tired, but no asthma. It is the same time frame that I started getting irritated at everything and everyone. We started the kids on egg yolks on the 9th. Looking back, I see that our 2 year old started to regress again after this. We noticed it on the 13th. I posted it on the 14th. Also, this is when our 8 year old started to get constipated and irritable. She also told me that she, too, has been very tired lately. Hmm.
"He notes, “You typically get a couple of hours of feeling good, energized, happy, and then libidinous, then you feel tired, draggy and depressed, which goes on for a day to a week. Of course if you are eating sulfur foods at each meal these all get stacked up and you can never figure out what is happening.” " (from the 1st link below)
"Until the body regains its ability to oxidize sulfur, it may help to limit high sulfur containing foods (cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, onions, garlic, turnips, eggs, red meat, turkey, dairy products)" (from the 2nd link below)
We have already removed most of those foods.
"Supplying any of these sulfur foods may be a problem to some of these kids who do not oxidize sulfur well. One indicator may be fatigue after eating these." (from the 2nd link below)
Again, our 8 year old and I have been very tired.
"Q: If mercury poisoning is caused by vaccines, then why don't aren't all kids mercury toxic?
Sensitivity to mercury varies widely from person to person, as does the body's natural ability to detoxify. Some children can get rid of the mercury quickly, while in others, the toxin remains in the body longer, allowing it time to bind tightly in the brain and other organs." (from the 3rd link below)
This makes sense. We have a family history of depression, anger, schizophrenia (1), autism (1), and Asperger's Syndrome (undiagnosed, but looking back at all of the quirky people in my family)
"Q: I've started chelating and my child is having bad side effects. What can I do?
Some side effects that listmembers have reported include increased urination, redness of the face and extremities, rash, heartburn, and diarrhea. Your child may also show an increase in autistic symptoms (may become more "stimmy" or show more oppositional behavior). If the side effects are severe or difficult to deal with, stop the cycle and allow a rest time, then start the next cycle with a lower dosage. You may also want to try a shorter chelation cycle, with a larger rest period in between."
Yes!!! Since we started the egg yolks, we have had to wash lots of sheets from leaky diapers and pull-ups. We have seen the redness in the face. Our 2 year old's BMs are better than before GAPS, but in the last week they have been wettish and leak out of the diaper onto his clothes. Our 2 year old, 8 year old and I have been very irritable/oppositional this week. Our 2 year old is regressing more and more daily, eye contact is less and less. He grabs at his eyes. He is a mess at the table and dropping things all over. He is falling a lot, again. He repeats words or phrases instead of conversing, I think this is called echolalia? He has become more "stimmy" waving things over his head or next to his head.
Do you see how far down things have gone since we added the egg yolks??? Last night we added onions and went to the store to buy more onions and garlic, but now I am not so sure if I should use them or not.
I do know that we will avoid these foods for at least a week and see if we can recover our 2 year old yet again. This is why we started with the Intro diet - to be able to pinpoint specific foods that cause specific problems for specific people within our family. I am glad we did!
When we started full GAPS on the 17th of August, it was Stage one foods plus egg whites, and raw fruits and veggies.
http://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list
http://www.healthyawareness.com/articles/about-autism/foods-high-in-sulfur-and-whey.aspx
http://www.detoxmychild.org/mercury_autism_faq.htm
Another excellent source about the toxicity of Mercury, sources of exposure and symptoms of toxicity:
http://www.daytonmedical.com/metal_toxicity.htm
Article on immune reactive conditions - a MUST READ - very descriptive with many credible references!
http://www.cqs.com/immune.htm
September 16, 2009
The Poop on the Poop
Our 2 year old has had normal brown poops since starting him on GAPS about 4 weeks ago. He has had diarrhea and lots of undigested food in his diapers all of his life since starting solid food.
Our 5 year old has had her first normal poops since starting her on GAPS about 4 weeks ago. She has had tummy aches and chronic diarrhea all of her life. No more tummy aches!
Our 8 year old has always been prone to constipation and had some normal poops at the beginning of Intro and is now constipated again.
Our 11 year old has had normal brown poops for 5-6 days now. Today he had 4 normal poops. He has had tummy aches and chronic diarrhea all of his life. No more tummy aches!
I have always been prone to constipation. I am struggling with it during intro.
I find it interesting that the 5 and 11 year old who have always had the tummy aches and diarrhea are the ones who fall apart emotionally. Our 8 year old and I have always struggled with constipation and we are the ones who tend to get frustrated and angry. Do you think there could be some sort of connection?
Most of the kids are doing great today, but our 8 year old and I, who are constipated, had an awful day!
Our 5 year old has had her first normal poops since starting her on GAPS about 4 weeks ago. She has had tummy aches and chronic diarrhea all of her life. No more tummy aches!
Our 8 year old has always been prone to constipation and had some normal poops at the beginning of Intro and is now constipated again.
Our 11 year old has had normal brown poops for 5-6 days now. Today he had 4 normal poops. He has had tummy aches and chronic diarrhea all of his life. No more tummy aches!
I have always been prone to constipation. I am struggling with it during intro.
I find it interesting that the 5 and 11 year old who have always had the tummy aches and diarrhea are the ones who fall apart emotionally. Our 8 year old and I have always struggled with constipation and we are the ones who tend to get frustrated and angry. Do you think there could be some sort of connection?
Most of the kids are doing great today, but our 8 year old and I, who are constipated, had an awful day!
Day 11 - Stage 2 of Intro
I just realized that I missed a few things about the intro diet. On the website, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride says that it is very important to consume the bone marrow and the soft tissue around the bone. Eew! I knew this, but put it out of my mind and hoped that I could just get in lots of fats and work up to that down the road. When I went back and read the website for stage one, it was clear that it is a very important part of the healing program, so I guess we will get to it!!! Eew!
I must really love my kids to go through all of this, but I am sure they don't see it that way when I tell them they have to eat it, too. Eew!
Today was hard for me! I really DO need more sleep! I can't focus at all and I get frustrated so easily. I would not want to live with me on days like today. When I have days like this where I have so much trouble focusing, I get real bothered by clutter. I realized that too many words and too much information is overwhelming for me as well. I coined a new word: "verbal clutter" - all of the little stuff kids want to tell you all day long that you don't need to know and all of the questions that you shouldn't have to answer because you already gave them the answers. On a good day, I can handle it, no problem. But today...
Our 2 year old was a bit better today, but threw a number of tantrums over clothes, helping with chores, food, and bedtime. He was much less messy at the table today. He did not grab at his eyes or ears today. There was lots of repeating words and phrases rather than answering and conversing and he seemed bothered about making eye contact for long. He enjoyed going places with Grandpa and with Mommy. We will wait another day or two before we add the sauerkraut back in.
Our 5 year old did absolutely great today. She ate everything we gave her without complaining a bit! Lots of smiles and "I love you!"s all day long. So wonderful!
Our 11 year old was very responsible about his schoolwork and his chores. He was also very helpful wherever help was needed. What a blessing!
Our 8 year old had a difficult day. She is usually such a blessing, but today she was grumpy all day.
We had hamburger soup for dinner with an egg yolk in each bowl.. It was made with ground beef, brisket broth, peas, carrots, green beans, onions, and sea salt. It was soooo good. Everyone loved it except for our 8 year old who hated it. Funny, because she is the one who is NOT picky. She said it was the onions that made it taste bad. This is the first time we have had onions since we started GAPS.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water water with lemon
leftover meat - chicken, pork, brisket
chicken broth
soft boiled eggs
carrots and squash
squash blended with broth and fat for the 2 year old
Our 5 year old wanted some, too.
hamburger soup - recipe given above
I must really love my kids to go through all of this, but I am sure they don't see it that way when I tell them they have to eat it, too. Eew!
Today was hard for me! I really DO need more sleep! I can't focus at all and I get frustrated so easily. I would not want to live with me on days like today. When I have days like this where I have so much trouble focusing, I get real bothered by clutter. I realized that too many words and too much information is overwhelming for me as well. I coined a new word: "verbal clutter" - all of the little stuff kids want to tell you all day long that you don't need to know and all of the questions that you shouldn't have to answer because you already gave them the answers. On a good day, I can handle it, no problem. But today...
Our 2 year old was a bit better today, but threw a number of tantrums over clothes, helping with chores, food, and bedtime. He was much less messy at the table today. He did not grab at his eyes or ears today. There was lots of repeating words and phrases rather than answering and conversing and he seemed bothered about making eye contact for long. He enjoyed going places with Grandpa and with Mommy. We will wait another day or two before we add the sauerkraut back in.
Our 5 year old did absolutely great today. She ate everything we gave her without complaining a bit! Lots of smiles and "I love you!"s all day long. So wonderful!
Our 11 year old was very responsible about his schoolwork and his chores. He was also very helpful wherever help was needed. What a blessing!
Our 8 year old had a difficult day. She is usually such a blessing, but today she was grumpy all day.
We had hamburger soup for dinner with an egg yolk in each bowl.. It was made with ground beef, brisket broth, peas, carrots, green beans, onions, and sea salt. It was soooo good. Everyone loved it except for our 8 year old who hated it. Funny, because she is the one who is NOT picky. She said it was the onions that made it taste bad. This is the first time we have had onions since we started GAPS.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water water with lemon
leftover meat - chicken, pork, brisket
chicken broth
soft boiled eggs
carrots and squash
squash blended with broth and fat for the 2 year old
Our 5 year old wanted some, too.
hamburger soup - recipe given above
Day 10 - Stage 2 of Intro
Wow! We made it through another day! Busy, busy, busy!
The day started with our 2 year old waking up very distressed. We had to go through all of the routine morning activities 'in order'. "Light on!" "Fan off!" "Open (blind)!" "Get dressed!" "New diaper!" "Pajama off!" "Shorts on!" "Shirt on!" "Drink water!" You get the idea. Yesterday and today he has regressed a bit and he has become VERY rigid and specific about the way things have to be. We are having a hard time understanding him and he is throwing tantrums over little stuff that just didn't bother him a few days ago. Also, he grabbed at his eye again this morning and put my hand on it to get me to comfort him. The poor child did not feel well today. I think it was from the sauerkraut juice. We are going to pull it for a few days, up his intake of broth and fats, and reintroduce the sauerkraut juice that he tolerated before we started the intro.
All of the older kids felt well today and ate well. They really seem to get it about balancing their foods. They are all taking proportionate quantities of broths, veggies and meats. They like the taste of the food now. This is particularly phenominal concerning our 5 year old. She took several hours to eat each meal, but she was cheerful, proud of herself, and threw NO tantrums. She ate broth, veggies, meat, broth, veggies, meat, etc. and then went off to play. She actually tells me that she likes the food now!!!
Our 2 year old was having some regression, so meals were a bit stressful for him. He cried a lot. He demanded food and would not say please. He wanted food in his bowl, but screamed when I picked it up to get him more. I think that I was supposed to leave the bowl where it was and bring the meat to the bowl. If I gave him two pieces of meat, he would cry for more and wouldn't touch them. Everything had to be just so, but you never knew what just so looked like until you messed it up. Very difficult. We had to go back to bite for bite feeding to make sure he ate more than just meat. After one bite of veggies, we gave him one bite of meat.
We noticed that he has been a mess these past two days, getting food all over him from head to toe. We were just commenting a few days ago about what a neat eater he was. He had been feeding himself and was staying very clean. We were so pleased. He has definitely gone back a few steps. Also, he threw several major tantrums getting ready for bed and going to bed. Whew!
Our 5 year old complained of leg cramps this evening. This has been a problem for her since she was a baby. We gave her Natural Calm (magnesium citrate) and an epsom salt bath. It really helped and she looked and acted fine until bedtime when she threw a fit about her legs hurting again, but she did go to sleep.
Our new freezer arrived today. Now we have a place to store meat and broth and veggies, etc. so we will not have to make quite so many trips to the store to feed 7 people. WooHoo!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
chicken
softboiled eggs - 2 each
orange roughy (boiled last night)
only our 5 year old wouldn't try it. The rest couldn't get enough.
lamb broth
brisket
squash and carrots cooked in broth and served cold
leftover cauliflower, asparagus (blended together with broth and fat for the 2 year old - surprisingly good - once I could get him to take a bite, he liked it)
chicken broth
squash soup with egg yolk
green beans
peas and carrots
pork roast with spinach and sea salt
I had sauerkraut juice. The girls and I all had 'magnesium tea'.
Everyone, including the baby, had an epsom salt bath today.
The day started with our 2 year old waking up very distressed. We had to go through all of the routine morning activities 'in order'. "Light on!" "Fan off!" "Open (blind)!" "Get dressed!" "New diaper!" "Pajama off!" "Shorts on!" "Shirt on!" "Drink water!" You get the idea. Yesterday and today he has regressed a bit and he has become VERY rigid and specific about the way things have to be. We are having a hard time understanding him and he is throwing tantrums over little stuff that just didn't bother him a few days ago. Also, he grabbed at his eye again this morning and put my hand on it to get me to comfort him. The poor child did not feel well today. I think it was from the sauerkraut juice. We are going to pull it for a few days, up his intake of broth and fats, and reintroduce the sauerkraut juice that he tolerated before we started the intro.
All of the older kids felt well today and ate well. They really seem to get it about balancing their foods. They are all taking proportionate quantities of broths, veggies and meats. They like the taste of the food now. This is particularly phenominal concerning our 5 year old. She took several hours to eat each meal, but she was cheerful, proud of herself, and threw NO tantrums. She ate broth, veggies, meat, broth, veggies, meat, etc. and then went off to play. She actually tells me that she likes the food now!!!
Our 2 year old was having some regression, so meals were a bit stressful for him. He cried a lot. He demanded food and would not say please. He wanted food in his bowl, but screamed when I picked it up to get him more. I think that I was supposed to leave the bowl where it was and bring the meat to the bowl. If I gave him two pieces of meat, he would cry for more and wouldn't touch them. Everything had to be just so, but you never knew what just so looked like until you messed it up. Very difficult. We had to go back to bite for bite feeding to make sure he ate more than just meat. After one bite of veggies, we gave him one bite of meat.
We noticed that he has been a mess these past two days, getting food all over him from head to toe. We were just commenting a few days ago about what a neat eater he was. He had been feeding himself and was staying very clean. We were so pleased. He has definitely gone back a few steps. Also, he threw several major tantrums getting ready for bed and going to bed. Whew!
Our 5 year old complained of leg cramps this evening. This has been a problem for her since she was a baby. We gave her Natural Calm (magnesium citrate) and an epsom salt bath. It really helped and she looked and acted fine until bedtime when she threw a fit about her legs hurting again, but she did go to sleep.
Our new freezer arrived today. Now we have a place to store meat and broth and veggies, etc. so we will not have to make quite so many trips to the store to feed 7 people. WooHoo!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
chicken
softboiled eggs - 2 each
orange roughy (boiled last night)
only our 5 year old wouldn't try it. The rest couldn't get enough.
lamb broth
brisket
squash and carrots cooked in broth and served cold
leftover cauliflower, asparagus (blended together with broth and fat for the 2 year old - surprisingly good - once I could get him to take a bite, he liked it)
chicken broth
squash soup with egg yolk
green beans
peas and carrots
pork roast with spinach and sea salt
I had sauerkraut juice. The girls and I all had 'magnesium tea'.
Everyone, including the baby, had an epsom salt bath today.
September 15, 2009
Day 9 - Stage 2 of intro
I don't know if it is lack of sleep, reaction to a new food, or die off, but I was a bit irritable today. I didn't let it show TOO much, but on the inside I was just irritated about everything. OK, not everything. Actually, it was a pretty good day overall.
Everyone woke up feeling fine. Chores were done cheerfully and breakfast was eaten at a reasonable time. The older kids got their school work completed in a reasonable amount of time, too. Gotta love that! They have learned to be very independent and responsible over the past year. I am so proud of them.
There were no huge tantrums over food and everyone ate lots of veggies, broth and meats. They were very balanced about it all. We couldn't be happier.
Our two year old had a rough day. Not enough fat over the weekend? Maybe it was the sauerkraut. He definitely wasn't feeling as well as he had been. Lots of regression.
MY big problem was that I could hear people talking to me, but none of what they were saying was going in. Those are the days that I get frustrated with everyone. I can't think clearly and no one makes any sense. It is a good thing that I struggle with some of the same things as my kids (to a lesser degree) or I would NOT understand at all what life is like for them. It is only because I have my own struggles that I believe what they tell me about their struggles.
Midnight, and we are still cooking/preparing food for tomorrow. It WILL get easier when we figure out what we are doing. It HAS gotten easier.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
leftover roast
soft boiled eggs - the kids were in heaven
carrots and squash
brisket
chicken broth - lots
lamb roast
lamb broth
small bowl of squash soup with egg yolk
green beans
cauliflower
asparagus
2 year old and I had sauerkraut juice
I had boiled orange roughy fish with a bit of salt and more squash and carrots after the kids went to bed. YUM!!! They can have the leftovers tomorrow. I simply ran out of time to cook it earlier in the day and fish is best when it is fresh.
Everyone woke up feeling fine. Chores were done cheerfully and breakfast was eaten at a reasonable time. The older kids got their school work completed in a reasonable amount of time, too. Gotta love that! They have learned to be very independent and responsible over the past year. I am so proud of them.
There were no huge tantrums over food and everyone ate lots of veggies, broth and meats. They were very balanced about it all. We couldn't be happier.
Our two year old had a rough day. Not enough fat over the weekend? Maybe it was the sauerkraut. He definitely wasn't feeling as well as he had been. Lots of regression.
MY big problem was that I could hear people talking to me, but none of what they were saying was going in. Those are the days that I get frustrated with everyone. I can't think clearly and no one makes any sense. It is a good thing that I struggle with some of the same things as my kids (to a lesser degree) or I would NOT understand at all what life is like for them. It is only because I have my own struggles that I believe what they tell me about their struggles.
Midnight, and we are still cooking/preparing food for tomorrow. It WILL get easier when we figure out what we are doing. It HAS gotten easier.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
leftover roast
soft boiled eggs - the kids were in heaven
carrots and squash
brisket
chicken broth - lots
lamb roast
lamb broth
small bowl of squash soup with egg yolk
green beans
cauliflower
asparagus
2 year old and I had sauerkraut juice
I had boiled orange roughy fish with a bit of salt and more squash and carrots after the kids went to bed. YUM!!! They can have the leftovers tomorrow. I simply ran out of time to cook it earlier in the day and fish is best when it is fresh.
September 14, 2009
* Recovered, But NOT Healed YET
I praise my God for the GAPS diet and for Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride who figured all of this out (even if it isn’t perfect). I am thankful for Donna Gates and also for doctors who are using diet and other natural methods to help the body heal. I am thankful for all of the science and scientists who discovered all of the background information that led Dr. NCM and Donna Gates to discover a way to recover autistic children from autism. I am soooo thankful for all of the people who risk their credibility to get information out that goes against the common and accepted beliefs about health and healthcare. I am just so very thankful that I knew about GAPS when my 2 year old got so very sick.
I knew that the diet was an answer to our family’s prayer for healing. I believed it. Then CKS got sick. Then we put him on the diet and he started to recover. He is 90% recovered while continuing on the diet. There are some who wonder if the diet really had anything to do with it. Maybe it is coincidence. Maybe he was going to get better anyway.
Well, He stopped waking in the night as soon as we put him on full GAPS. We started to see improvements within a few days of starting. He progressed quickly.
Over the weekend, we were not as diligent about getting the fats into him as we had been. Maybe it is because he was doing so well and we were not as driven. Maybe it was because we were trying to provide a little normalcy for our other children and we got too busy. Today, CKS is unhappy and very rigid in everything. We are having a difficult time understanding him. He is repeating words and phrases over and over in a distressed way like he wants to communicate something other than what we are understanding. He is uncooperative and will not say “please” when he wants something. He is not his happy-go-lucky self today. Also, he had a BM that was more reminiscent of his pre-GAPS days. Mushy and wet and leaks out of the diaper. Yuck!
So, what do you think? Does diet have anything to do with it? Was he just going to get better anyway? Is this just another coincidence that he is having a bad day after we slacked off on the fats?
We know that we will have to keep him on the diet for two years or so to really recover him completely. We haven’t done a lot of probiotics yet. So far he has only had sauerkraut juice and we are increasing it. In a few weeks we will introduce dairy and see how that goes. I am looking forward to everyone being able to have butter, yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese. I want to rush into full GAPS, but with all of our food allergies to begin with, I think it is best to take it low and slow.
I knew that the diet was an answer to our family’s prayer for healing. I believed it. Then CKS got sick. Then we put him on the diet and he started to recover. He is 90% recovered while continuing on the diet. There are some who wonder if the diet really had anything to do with it. Maybe it is coincidence. Maybe he was going to get better anyway.
Well, He stopped waking in the night as soon as we put him on full GAPS. We started to see improvements within a few days of starting. He progressed quickly.
Over the weekend, we were not as diligent about getting the fats into him as we had been. Maybe it is because he was doing so well and we were not as driven. Maybe it was because we were trying to provide a little normalcy for our other children and we got too busy. Today, CKS is unhappy and very rigid in everything. We are having a difficult time understanding him. He is repeating words and phrases over and over in a distressed way like he wants to communicate something other than what we are understanding. He is uncooperative and will not say “please” when he wants something. He is not his happy-go-lucky self today. Also, he had a BM that was more reminiscent of his pre-GAPS days. Mushy and wet and leaks out of the diaper. Yuck!
So, what do you think? Does diet have anything to do with it? Was he just going to get better anyway? Is this just another coincidence that he is having a bad day after we slacked off on the fats?
We know that we will have to keep him on the diet for two years or so to really recover him completely. We haven’t done a lot of probiotics yet. So far he has only had sauerkraut juice and we are increasing it. In a few weeks we will introduce dairy and see how that goes. I am looking forward to everyone being able to have butter, yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese. I want to rush into full GAPS, but with all of our food allergies to begin with, I think it is best to take it low and slow.
Detox Baths
I know nothing about detox baths or why they work, but they do.
I put an achy child in the bath with some Apple Cider Vinegar, or Epsom Salt, or Baking Soda and they feel much better for a while.
I put a cranky child in the bath and they cheer up for a while.
Our 5 month old baby had some rough dry skin around his ankles and I had washed them with soap, rubbed them with olive oil and soaked in plain water, but nothing helped. He was not uncomfortable, so I wasn't too worried, but one bath with a little Apple Cider Vinegar and the rough patches just rubbed right off. I was able to rub away his cradle cap, too. Pretty nifty!
Our 5 year old came home from church today with black ink all around her feet. They had traced the children's feet with what looked like permanent marker. It didn't come off with wipes or soap and water. We gave her a bath with some Epsom Salt and she rubbed all of the ink right off. Completely GONE!
There is something good about these baths.
Don't know how they work, but they do.
I put an achy child in the bath with some Apple Cider Vinegar, or Epsom Salt, or Baking Soda and they feel much better for a while.
I put a cranky child in the bath and they cheer up for a while.
Our 5 month old baby had some rough dry skin around his ankles and I had washed them with soap, rubbed them with olive oil and soaked in plain water, but nothing helped. He was not uncomfortable, so I wasn't too worried, but one bath with a little Apple Cider Vinegar and the rough patches just rubbed right off. I was able to rub away his cradle cap, too. Pretty nifty!
Our 5 year old came home from church today with black ink all around her feet. They had traced the children's feet with what looked like permanent marker. It didn't come off with wipes or soap and water. We gave her a bath with some Epsom Salt and she rubbed all of the ink right off. Completely GONE!
There is something good about these baths.
Don't know how they work, but they do.
Day 8 - Stage 2 of intro
Today went very well, I am glad to say. From all that I had read on the GAPShelp forum, the first week can be pretty difficult because of the die-off that happens when you stop eating the food that feeds the bad bacteria and yeast in your gut. We got through the first week and everyone is doing much better.
Also, like many others on the forum, our picky eaters are coming around and they are beginning to actually like the food we are eating. Our 11 year old, 8 year old, and 5 year old really hated the squash soup at first. I have been giving them one small bowl a day because it is a high carb veggie and I wanted to make sure they have the energy they need.
The 11 year old says he really likes the squash soup now. Our 8 year old says it is growing on her. Our 5 year old, who has many food aversions and who holds food in her mouth indefinitely, took an hour to eat her little bowl of soup. She didn't complain about one bite and she showed me her progress all along the way with a smile. She seemed to be proud that she was accomplishing it. She took such tiny bites and held each bite in her mouth for a long time. This is much improved from the screaming fits we had all last week. I think she likes the taste OK, but has trouble with the texture. I am proud of her that she overcame it and ate it with such a cheerful attitude.
My husband and I have not been getting up in the night with crying children since we started this intro diet. Praise the Lord for small miracles. A little more sleep helps everyone, especially Daddy. I am still up in the night with the baby, but I am hopeful that he will start sleeping longer once he cuts those two bottom teeth. They are almost through.
All of the children are having normal BMs, at least once a day! This is huge! I haven't heard any complaints about tummy aches in the past few days. That is a miracle. Tummy aches were chronic in this house.
So everyone is having at least one egg yolk in their bowl of soup and everyone is now having at least one soft boiled egg a day. They love eggs and are all very excited about this. They want to gorge on eggs, but they are learning about moderation.
Oh, that's another thing! Our 5 year old must eat her squash soup, then she can have veggies, then a proportional amount of meat, then more veggies, then more meat. We told the older ones to eat more veggies than meat or at least equal. They are getting it! This will save on the cost of meat and we can be sure they are getting their carbs.
They all ate TONS of food tonight with LOTS of veggies!!! This is a first EVER!!! We polished off a two pound bag of green beans, one bunch of brocolli, some squash and carrots and a one pound bag of peas and carrots. And of course, they had their little bowl of squash soup. In the past, I would cook rice, a meat and a one pound bag of veggies. The rice and the meat would be gone and half of the veggies would go in the refrigerator for the next day. Today, in one meal, they polished off more than 4 pounds of veggies. WooHoo! Thank you, Lord Jesus!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered lemon water
leftover chicken
squash and carrots cooked in broth (cold)
soft boiled eggs
squash soup with egg yolk
leftover hamburger soup (brisket broth, hamburger, green beans, sea salt)
chicken broth (lots)
The kids are drinking more and more.
I actually like it now. I didn't really care for it at first.
roast for dinner
green beans
brocolli
peas and carrots
more squash and carrots
The two year old and I had some sauerkraut juice.
I think we will start the others on the juice tomorrow.
Also, like many others on the forum, our picky eaters are coming around and they are beginning to actually like the food we are eating. Our 11 year old, 8 year old, and 5 year old really hated the squash soup at first. I have been giving them one small bowl a day because it is a high carb veggie and I wanted to make sure they have the energy they need.
The 11 year old says he really likes the squash soup now. Our 8 year old says it is growing on her. Our 5 year old, who has many food aversions and who holds food in her mouth indefinitely, took an hour to eat her little bowl of soup. She didn't complain about one bite and she showed me her progress all along the way with a smile. She seemed to be proud that she was accomplishing it. She took such tiny bites and held each bite in her mouth for a long time. This is much improved from the screaming fits we had all last week. I think she likes the taste OK, but has trouble with the texture. I am proud of her that she overcame it and ate it with such a cheerful attitude.
My husband and I have not been getting up in the night with crying children since we started this intro diet. Praise the Lord for small miracles. A little more sleep helps everyone, especially Daddy. I am still up in the night with the baby, but I am hopeful that he will start sleeping longer once he cuts those two bottom teeth. They are almost through.
All of the children are having normal BMs, at least once a day! This is huge! I haven't heard any complaints about tummy aches in the past few days. That is a miracle. Tummy aches were chronic in this house.
So everyone is having at least one egg yolk in their bowl of soup and everyone is now having at least one soft boiled egg a day. They love eggs and are all very excited about this. They want to gorge on eggs, but they are learning about moderation.
Oh, that's another thing! Our 5 year old must eat her squash soup, then she can have veggies, then a proportional amount of meat, then more veggies, then more meat. We told the older ones to eat more veggies than meat or at least equal. They are getting it! This will save on the cost of meat and we can be sure they are getting their carbs.
They all ate TONS of food tonight with LOTS of veggies!!! This is a first EVER!!! We polished off a two pound bag of green beans, one bunch of brocolli, some squash and carrots and a one pound bag of peas and carrots. And of course, they had their little bowl of squash soup. In the past, I would cook rice, a meat and a one pound bag of veggies. The rice and the meat would be gone and half of the veggies would go in the refrigerator for the next day. Today, in one meal, they polished off more than 4 pounds of veggies. WooHoo! Thank you, Lord Jesus!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered lemon water
leftover chicken
squash and carrots cooked in broth (cold)
soft boiled eggs
squash soup with egg yolk
leftover hamburger soup (brisket broth, hamburger, green beans, sea salt)
chicken broth (lots)
The kids are drinking more and more.
I actually like it now. I didn't really care for it at first.
roast for dinner
green beans
brocolli
peas and carrots
more squash and carrots
The two year old and I had some sauerkraut juice.
I think we will start the others on the juice tomorrow.
September 12, 2009
Day 7 - Stage 2 of intro
Well, today went well. Everyone got up and ate right away and felt fine. They did their chores and scattered to play.
I took two of the kids to the farmer's market with me today at Erma's off of NASA Road 1. Law Ranch Cattle Company sells grass fed beef. We are going to buy a side of beef for $3.50/lb. No joke! That is an amazing price. They are Christians, too. If anyone in the Houston area wants to check them out, their website is http://lawranchcattlecompanytx.farming.officelive.com/default.aspx and they are at Erma's every Saturday.
We all went in different directions today. No one starved. Food was good!
Oh, I am cooking oxtail tonight. It has a very strong smell and our 5 year old doesn't want to breath. It is supposed to be very yummy and it smells good but I am totally grossed out. It just looks so gross. I am going to get over it. I am going to eat it because I know it will be yummy. I don't know. We will see.
No tantrums today over food. Yeah!
Everyone but our oldest has had soft boiled eggs as of today, but he will get one tomorrow. We never ate soft boiled eggs before GAPS so we never knew how good they are. We are in heaven.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water
chicken and chicken broth
squash and carrots
soft boiled eggs
leftover pork
leftover hamburger soup
squash soup with egg yolk
more chicken and chicken broth
peas
brussell sprouts
I am such the gourmet cook, don't you think?
I took two of the kids to the farmer's market with me today at Erma's off of NASA Road 1. Law Ranch Cattle Company sells grass fed beef. We are going to buy a side of beef for $3.50/lb. No joke! That is an amazing price. They are Christians, too. If anyone in the Houston area wants to check them out, their website is http://lawranchcattlecompanytx.farming.officelive.com/default.aspx and they are at Erma's every Saturday.
We all went in different directions today. No one starved. Food was good!
Oh, I am cooking oxtail tonight. It has a very strong smell and our 5 year old doesn't want to breath. It is supposed to be very yummy and it smells good but I am totally grossed out. It just looks so gross. I am going to get over it. I am going to eat it because I know it will be yummy. I don't know. We will see.
No tantrums today over food. Yeah!
Everyone but our oldest has had soft boiled eggs as of today, but he will get one tomorrow. We never ate soft boiled eggs before GAPS so we never knew how good they are. We are in heaven.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water
chicken and chicken broth
squash and carrots
soft boiled eggs
leftover pork
leftover hamburger soup
squash soup with egg yolk
more chicken and chicken broth
peas
brussell sprouts
I am such the gourmet cook, don't you think?
September 11, 2009
Day 6 - Stage 2 of Intro
I am tired and need to go to bed soon, so I will TRY to be brief.
Today started out much better than the last few. We skipped the lemon water because we were in a hurry and it makes a few of the kids feel sick still. I gave the older three children each a piece of chicken before they ever got out of bed. That seemed to do the trick.
Our 2 Year old eats whatever I put in front of him now and I am really enjoyingall of the food. I am totally satisfied. I feel great! (tired and cranky from lack of sleep - teething baby - but physically I feel great)
Our 5 year old is still struggling to swallow foods with certain tastes or textures. Every meal takes hours or it is a battle. I am hopeful. Believe it or not, she is doing better. We have had battles with her over eating her veggies since she was three. We have been giving her small portions of veggies at every meal for years, but now we are asking her to eat larger amounts because, without the rice and potatoes, she has to get her carbohydrates from other vegetables.
The older kids are still missing some of their favorite foods, but theyy are beginning to enjoy some of the GAPS foods that they didn't like at first. The squash soup is growing on them. In time they will be satisfied with all of the yummy food we will be learning how to prepare. I just know it!
No one was sick today and everyone seemed to have more energy. WooHoo!
We have moved everyone into stage two of the intro by adding egg yolk to their soups. They are looking forward to adding new food every few days. Me, too!
I am thankful that everything seems to be going well and we have made it through what I believe was the hardest part of this whole program. We will be careful to increase the probiotics very slowly so we do not create too much die-off.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water (no lemon)
chicken
yellow squash and carrots cooked in broth
chicken broth at every meal
leftover pork roast - lots
squash soup with egg yolk
cauliflower
hamburger and green beans cooked in brisket broth with sea salt - YUM
I had 2 soft boiled eggs. My dad had several boiled eggs as we experimented to learn how to make the perfect soft boiled egg. Here is what we did: Bring the water to a boil. Warm egg with water from the sink. Dip the egg partially into the boiling water several times and remove it. (I do not know if we need to do this, but we did not want the cold egg to crack when put into the boiling water.) Place the egg in the boiling water for 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Remove and dip in cold water to stop the cooking of the yolk by the hot egg whites. (We learened that if you take two eggs out of the water and set one on the counter while you cool and peel the other that the 2nd egg yolk gets cook through because of the very hot white part. Hmm.) We were scientists today doing egg experiments. FUN!
Today started out much better than the last few. We skipped the lemon water because we were in a hurry and it makes a few of the kids feel sick still. I gave the older three children each a piece of chicken before they ever got out of bed. That seemed to do the trick.
Our 2 Year old eats whatever I put in front of him now and I am really enjoyingall of the food. I am totally satisfied. I feel great! (tired and cranky from lack of sleep - teething baby - but physically I feel great)
Our 5 year old is still struggling to swallow foods with certain tastes or textures. Every meal takes hours or it is a battle. I am hopeful. Believe it or not, she is doing better. We have had battles with her over eating her veggies since she was three. We have been giving her small portions of veggies at every meal for years, but now we are asking her to eat larger amounts because, without the rice and potatoes, she has to get her carbohydrates from other vegetables.
The older kids are still missing some of their favorite foods, but theyy are beginning to enjoy some of the GAPS foods that they didn't like at first. The squash soup is growing on them. In time they will be satisfied with all of the yummy food we will be learning how to prepare. I just know it!
No one was sick today and everyone seemed to have more energy. WooHoo!
We have moved everyone into stage two of the intro by adding egg yolk to their soups. They are looking forward to adding new food every few days. Me, too!
I am thankful that everything seems to be going well and we have made it through what I believe was the hardest part of this whole program. We will be careful to increase the probiotics very slowly so we do not create too much die-off.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water (no lemon)
chicken
yellow squash and carrots cooked in broth
chicken broth at every meal
leftover pork roast - lots
squash soup with egg yolk
cauliflower
hamburger and green beans cooked in brisket broth with sea salt - YUM
I had 2 soft boiled eggs. My dad had several boiled eggs as we experimented to learn how to make the perfect soft boiled egg. Here is what we did: Bring the water to a boil. Warm egg with water from the sink. Dip the egg partially into the boiling water several times and remove it. (I do not know if we need to do this, but we did not want the cold egg to crack when put into the boiling water.) Place the egg in the boiling water for 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Remove and dip in cold water to stop the cooking of the yolk by the hot egg whites. (We learened that if you take two eggs out of the water and set one on the counter while you cool and peel the other that the 2nd egg yolk gets cook through because of the very hot white part. Hmm.) We were scientists today doing egg experiments. FUN!
September 10, 2009
Update On Our 2 Year Old
Our 2 year old started the GAPS diet on the 17th of August, I think. It may have been a day or two after that, but I think it was the 17th. He has made steady progress each and every day.
He fought us at every meal for the first two weeks and it took time because we had to give him a bit of meat for every spoonful of veggie/broth/fat puree that we could get in him. Now, we give him a bowl of the puree and he spoons it in his mouth all by himself and asks for seconds and he likes to help scrape more veggies into his bowl as I pour it in. How cool is that!?!
He is doing fine on the intro diet without the eggs and the fruit we had eaten when we first started. In fact, he is thriving. He loves his food.
He has dropped his nap! He sleeps through the night!
He is happy and laughing and playing and helping in the kitchen all day long.
He plays puzzles and sorts shapes and stacks cups and blocks.
Today he brought us one book after another to read to him.
He makes eye contact! His eyes are not as off as they were, maybe only slightly, if at all.
He is talking very BIG for his age. One example is as he placed the colored pegs in the foam board this afternoon he was saying, "Red one right here. Blue one right here. Green one right here..." Clear as day!
Praise the Lord!
All Glory to Him who made us and takes care of us!
Our little boy is back!
He fought us at every meal for the first two weeks and it took time because we had to give him a bit of meat for every spoonful of veggie/broth/fat puree that we could get in him. Now, we give him a bowl of the puree and he spoons it in his mouth all by himself and asks for seconds and he likes to help scrape more veggies into his bowl as I pour it in. How cool is that!?!
He is doing fine on the intro diet without the eggs and the fruit we had eaten when we first started. In fact, he is thriving. He loves his food.
He has dropped his nap! He sleeps through the night!
He is happy and laughing and playing and helping in the kitchen all day long.
He plays puzzles and sorts shapes and stacks cups and blocks.
Today he brought us one book after another to read to him.
He makes eye contact! His eyes are not as off as they were, maybe only slightly, if at all.
He is talking very BIG for his age. One example is as he placed the colored pegs in the foam board this afternoon he was saying, "Red one right here. Blue one right here. Green one right here..." Clear as day!
Praise the Lord!
All Glory to Him who made us and takes care of us!
Our little boy is back!
Day 6 - stage 2 of the intro diet
Everyone is officially in stage two. WooHoo! It was a rough day. Apparently we are still going through die-off. I probably should have waited to introduce eggs, but I am anxious to move on and have a little more variety in our diet.
I am actually very satisfied by the foods. I love them all (well, most), and I just eat all day because I am nursing all day. I am not feeling hungry, I just know that I should eat and it tastes SO good!
The kids all have their favorite foods, and they all have at least one food that they really hate. We are working through this and they have to eat a little of every food offered before they can have lots of what they love to eat.
Our five year old spent three hours eating a bowl of butternut squash soup. When she finally got hungry enough, she ate it up rather quickly at the end of the third hour. Then she totally gobbled up the last of the chicken that we saved for her and she ate tons of cold squash and carrots that we cooked in broth the night before. She fought us on the squash and carrots a few days ago and now she loves them as her favorite snack. By the time she was done eating lunch, it was dinner time. She ate lots of spinach and tons of pork roast and even drank broth. Almost every meal is a battle with her, but you can see that she is making some real improvements. There IS hope yet.
Our 8 year old was the sickest today. We thought that she was going to make it through stage 1 without getting very sick, but today she woke up feeling weak and just awful. We put her in the tub and gave her some lemon water, which looking back I would not do again. The lemon water made her stomach upset and she lost it. She was afraid to eat or drink for a while, but after a talk about what is going on inside and why these yuck feelings are happening, she chose to trust me and she ate a little chicken and a little more and a little more. Pretty soon she was feeling much better and was eating better.
All of the kids are beginning to understand the importance of eating a balance of foods, even if all of the foods are healthy and whole foods. Too much meat without fats and vegetables is NOT a good thing. They need the carbohydrates from the vegetables, so they need to eat lots of them. The meat provides protein. The gelatin and the fats are the healing agent, so they need lots and lots of good fats. Getting them to eat the fats and drink the broths are the hardest part right now. They are coming around, FINALLY. We are adding egg yolks to our soups now. Yolks provide a lot of good nutrition with little digestion. Soon we will add soft boiled eggs. Prior to GAPS, they ate LOTS of white rice, LOTS of Ezekiel bread, LOTS of meat, and a little bit of veggies.
They did eat lots of fruit, too. We are working towards a diet that is made up of LOTS of veggies, LOTS of fermented foods for the probiotics, LOTS of good fats, SOME meat, a small amount of nuts and a small amount of fruits.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
boiled chicken
carrots and squash cooked in chicken broth
leftover chicken and vegetable soup (just me)
butternut squash soup with egg yolk (squash, broth and salt)
pork roast
spinach (cooked with the pork)
green beens
I am actually very satisfied by the foods. I love them all (well, most), and I just eat all day because I am nursing all day. I am not feeling hungry, I just know that I should eat and it tastes SO good!
The kids all have their favorite foods, and they all have at least one food that they really hate. We are working through this and they have to eat a little of every food offered before they can have lots of what they love to eat.
Our five year old spent three hours eating a bowl of butternut squash soup. When she finally got hungry enough, she ate it up rather quickly at the end of the third hour. Then she totally gobbled up the last of the chicken that we saved for her and she ate tons of cold squash and carrots that we cooked in broth the night before. She fought us on the squash and carrots a few days ago and now she loves them as her favorite snack. By the time she was done eating lunch, it was dinner time. She ate lots of spinach and tons of pork roast and even drank broth. Almost every meal is a battle with her, but you can see that she is making some real improvements. There IS hope yet.
Our 8 year old was the sickest today. We thought that she was going to make it through stage 1 without getting very sick, but today she woke up feeling weak and just awful. We put her in the tub and gave her some lemon water, which looking back I would not do again. The lemon water made her stomach upset and she lost it. She was afraid to eat or drink for a while, but after a talk about what is going on inside and why these yuck feelings are happening, she chose to trust me and she ate a little chicken and a little more and a little more. Pretty soon she was feeling much better and was eating better.
All of the kids are beginning to understand the importance of eating a balance of foods, even if all of the foods are healthy and whole foods. Too much meat without fats and vegetables is NOT a good thing. They need the carbohydrates from the vegetables, so they need to eat lots of them. The meat provides protein. The gelatin and the fats are the healing agent, so they need lots and lots of good fats. Getting them to eat the fats and drink the broths are the hardest part right now. They are coming around, FINALLY. We are adding egg yolks to our soups now. Yolks provide a lot of good nutrition with little digestion. Soon we will add soft boiled eggs. Prior to GAPS, they ate LOTS of white rice, LOTS of Ezekiel bread, LOTS of meat, and a little bit of veggies.
They did eat lots of fruit, too. We are working towards a diet that is made up of LOTS of veggies, LOTS of fermented foods for the probiotics, LOTS of good fats, SOME meat, a small amount of nuts and a small amount of fruits.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
boiled chicken
carrots and squash cooked in chicken broth
leftover chicken and vegetable soup (just me)
butternut squash soup with egg yolk (squash, broth and salt)
pork roast
spinach (cooked with the pork)
green beens
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