I have questions that can't be answered satisfactorily on a yahoo group. I need a doctor, a nutritionist, someone who is knowledgeable about these things to work with, to learn from.
I have questions like:
"What causes the severe leg cramps in my daughter when she eats certain foods and when she gets more sun than usual?
"What causes all of the nighttime accidents?" & "Is there a test to confirm what could be causing it?" & "Could we do a test?" & "Is it a problem? Do we need to do something about it?"
"Are we getting enough vitamins? Do we need any additional supplements?" & "Is there a test for that?"
"Why do egg yolks cause regressions when CKS has more than a little?"
I think I may have found the one to help me. I hope so. I prayed that God would make it obvious to me about whether this doctor is the right one to help us or not. He has his own Brain Healing Diet that is VERY similar to the GAPS diet. He is familiar with the GAPS diet. He is supportive of us continuing on GAPS because it is working. He suggested some testing and several supplements that are probably needed. He will work with me and with what I need for my son (family). Now that CKS is a patient, I can e-mail him with questions. Maybe I will finally get some answers. I hope so.
I won't post his name until I know for sure and only with his permission, so if you are wondering who, you will have to wait.
August 28, 2010
August 27, 2010
Thank You, my God, for many good things
Hi All,
I am so happy about many things.
My period has returned after 16 months and I didn't even see it coming. No PMS symptoms! WooHoo!
I used to have bad PMS symptoms. I had lots of hormonal ups and downs while nursing, but not this time. I usually have the worst PMS and the longest, most painful cycle when my menstruation resumes after having a baby. I always had overabundant milk supply and had to be careful not to nurse too often, but not this time. I can nurse on demand. Too, cool. Letdown used to be obvious and painful, but not since GAPS.
I read on WebMD "Even common disorders like thyroid disease can cause abnormalities in the nail beds, producing dry, brittle nails that crack and split easily."
I was in the process of testing for thyroid problems when I became pregnant this last time. My nails used to be dry and brittle and they split easily. No more!!!
All itchy places on my body are gone now for months. I keep waiting for a return, but nothing.
I think I may have found a doctor to help us on this journey. He's 30-40 minutes away. He's familiar with GAPS and he came up with his own Brain Healing Diet on his own before the GAPS book came out and it is very, very similar. He was familiar and knowledgable about everything I discussed with him. He agreed that we should not change what is working.
CKS is a perfect 3 year old today!!! Perfect!!! Eye contact. Clear words. Makes sense, as much as any 3 year old does. No tantrums. No rigidity. No repeating phrases over and over and over ad nauseum. No sloppy eating. Perfect! A delight!
O happy day!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! AMEN!!!!!
I am so happy about many things.
My period has returned after 16 months and I didn't even see it coming. No PMS symptoms! WooHoo!
I used to have bad PMS symptoms. I had lots of hormonal ups and downs while nursing, but not this time. I usually have the worst PMS and the longest, most painful cycle when my menstruation resumes after having a baby. I always had overabundant milk supply and had to be careful not to nurse too often, but not this time. I can nurse on demand. Too, cool. Letdown used to be obvious and painful, but not since GAPS.
I read on WebMD "Even common disorders like thyroid disease can cause abnormalities in the nail beds, producing dry, brittle nails that crack and split easily."
I was in the process of testing for thyroid problems when I became pregnant this last time. My nails used to be dry and brittle and they split easily. No more!!!
All itchy places on my body are gone now for months. I keep waiting for a return, but nothing.
I think I may have found a doctor to help us on this journey. He's 30-40 minutes away. He's familiar with GAPS and he came up with his own Brain Healing Diet on his own before the GAPS book came out and it is very, very similar. He was familiar and knowledgable about everything I discussed with him. He agreed that we should not change what is working.
CKS is a perfect 3 year old today!!! Perfect!!! Eye contact. Clear words. Makes sense, as much as any 3 year old does. No tantrums. No rigidity. No repeating phrases over and over and over ad nauseum. No sloppy eating. Perfect! A delight!
O happy day!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below! Praise Him above ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! AMEN!!!!!
August 2, 2010
A Puzzle - Putting the Pieces Together
So we are having some major die-off issues after a week on Intro (2nd time through). We are stage two, as in soups with a little egg yolk in their broth once a day. The sauerkraut juice is a new batch every 5 days or so, as we use it up so fast. Everyone is up to a sixth of a capsule of Bio-Kult.
Baby and three year old are sleeping fitfully. Older kids are going to bed late: can't fall asleep. Six year old itches. Youngest two have diaper rashes. Three year old is regressing, but not too much. He is also coughing and looking fatigued and ill. Six year old can't yawn. Eleven year old is achey, tired and has a headache. He has taken 3-4 baths a day for several days now. Three year old is rigid. His eye contact is poor. He is messy. Language is beginning to slur a bit. Six year old is easily upset. Nine year old seems to be doing fine.
The question is...coughing, hiccups, and the inability to yawn (can't get enough air), are these symptoms that mean they have an intolerance for this food (eggs?) and it should be taken out and tried again later? OR is this a healing reaction? Will they adjust if we hold at this level for a bit?
What about regressions? Egg yolks made our little three year old regress before. He is regressing again, but only a little so far. Is it a healing reaction or is it bad? I just don't know for sure.
In Dr. NCMs book, she does say that during die-off or when eating a healing food (salicylates/phenols) the person will have symptoms typical for him or her until the body clears it out. My thinking is that the BK and the SKJ and the eggs are all healing foods and the body is detoxing, which is why we are seeing these symptoms. I think we should keep everything at the same level to see if it all evens out.
Lord, please guide us. Please keep us on track and help me to remember the things I need to know. Lead me to the things I need to know. Thank You for healing us. Thank You for bringing peace to this home. Thank You for all of these beautiful children. May they all choose You as their own personal Lord and Savior and serve You all the days of their lives. Draw all of us closer to You, my King, my All in All, my Everything. AMEN
Baby and three year old are sleeping fitfully. Older kids are going to bed late: can't fall asleep. Six year old itches. Youngest two have diaper rashes. Three year old is regressing, but not too much. He is also coughing and looking fatigued and ill. Six year old can't yawn. Eleven year old is achey, tired and has a headache. He has taken 3-4 baths a day for several days now. Three year old is rigid. His eye contact is poor. He is messy. Language is beginning to slur a bit. Six year old is easily upset. Nine year old seems to be doing fine.
The question is...coughing, hiccups, and the inability to yawn (can't get enough air), are these symptoms that mean they have an intolerance for this food (eggs?) and it should be taken out and tried again later? OR is this a healing reaction? Will they adjust if we hold at this level for a bit?
What about regressions? Egg yolks made our little three year old regress before. He is regressing again, but only a little so far. Is it a healing reaction or is it bad? I just don't know for sure.
In Dr. NCMs book, she does say that during die-off or when eating a healing food (salicylates/phenols) the person will have symptoms typical for him or her until the body clears it out. My thinking is that the BK and the SKJ and the eggs are all healing foods and the body is detoxing, which is why we are seeing these symptoms. I think we should keep everything at the same level to see if it all evens out.
Lord, please guide us. Please keep us on track and help me to remember the things I need to know. Lead me to the things I need to know. Thank You for healing us. Thank You for bringing peace to this home. Thank You for all of these beautiful children. May they all choose You as their own personal Lord and Savior and serve You all the days of their lives. Draw all of us closer to You, my King, my All in All, my Everything. AMEN
The Funny Things That Kids Say
Not necessarily GAPS related, but funny.
Our six year old was in hysterics and was throwing a big tantrum because she couldn't yawn. She complained, "I can't yawn! I need to yawn, but it won't come out." We finally figured out that she was having trouble catching her breath. It may be asthma related from the egg yolks because this was always my reaction to yolks and it was the reason we took them out several years ago, before we ever heard of GAPS.
Our three year old saw his shadow on the ground while he was swinging and said, "Look, Mommy. There's a picture of me on the grass." Love it!!! Only it sounded more like this: "Hook, Mommy. 'ere's a picture of me on du gass."
He can't say "L" and he always says "my" instead of "I".
Everyday he says, "My hove you."
He likes to sing "Maywee had a hittle ham, hittle ham, hittle ham. Maywee had a hittle ham. Its fweece was white as snow."
Our six year old was in hysterics and was throwing a big tantrum because she couldn't yawn. She complained, "I can't yawn! I need to yawn, but it won't come out." We finally figured out that she was having trouble catching her breath. It may be asthma related from the egg yolks because this was always my reaction to yolks and it was the reason we took them out several years ago, before we ever heard of GAPS.
Our three year old saw his shadow on the ground while he was swinging and said, "Look, Mommy. There's a picture of me on the grass." Love it!!! Only it sounded more like this: "Hook, Mommy. 'ere's a picture of me on du gass."
He can't say "L" and he always says "my" instead of "I".
Everyday he says, "My hove you."
He likes to sing "Maywee had a hittle ham, hittle ham, hittle ham. Maywee had a hittle ham. Its fweece was white as snow."
August 1, 2010
Bio-Kult and Egg Yolks
I was afraid to try the Bio-Kult because of the additives and because of hearing how powerful it can be, but we are now introducing it. We started stage one of intro 8 days ago and started everyone on 1/12 of a capsule. I have since increased it to 1/6 of a capsule.
I started the week without the Baby Biotic/Gut-Pro, but increased it to half and then back to their previous dose, as I saw very little die-off. I don't want to go slower than we need to go.
We also added a very small amount of egg yolk to everyone's broth at dinner time. I dip a table spoon into some egg yolk twice and stir it into their broth mug. Our little 3 year old, the one who regressed every time we have tried to intro egg yolks, only gets one dip.
So we have been two days at the 1/6 of a capsule of Bio-Kult and we are seeing some die-off now. This morning I was mad at the world, or I was bawling and feeling very overwhelmed. I know I am not in a right state of mind when I feel angry at my dear husband. I took an Epsom salt bath and have been absolutely fine the rest of the day. (Note: I was dripping with sweat during my bath. This always happens when I really need to detox.)
Our oldest boy (12 next month) took a bath first thing after breakfast this morning. He reported dripping in sweat during his bath, too. He was weepy off and on all day. He took a total of three baths (baking soda, Epsom salt, and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar). He took his third bath after bedtime and was still up after 11PM.
Our 9 year old girl seemed fine for the most part, but I did put her in the bath after an incident with her younger sister, just to be on the safe side. I asked her about the incident after the bath and it seems the issue was really that her little sister was having a die-off reaction. She had a hard time falling asleep and was up until after 1030PM.
Our 6 year old girl, who reacted to a vaccine a little over a year ago and became angry and hateful and who began throwing hateful temper tantrums whenever things did not go her way, was rather irritable today, to say the least. She over reacted to many things throughout the morning. She cried. She yelled. She made excuses for naughty behavior. She did better after a bath. Daddy says she was still moody, but not as bad. She could not fall asleep and was up until after 11PM.
Our little three year old has some regression: eye contact is different, will look at you in his peripheral vision if you are close, eyes seem off, more tactile, more clumsy, falling, spilling, dropping things, repeats things, talks in a loud and whiney voice, droopy shoulders, coughing a little here and there. No difference noted after his bath. He went to bed right away and that went well. The boy does like to sleep. He always was a good sleeper before the vaccine and then he woke up screaming every night. Now, on GAPS, he sleeps better. He wakes up, but not every night and not screaming inconsolably. He is having periodic bouts of diaper rash.
Our little baby boy (16 months) is more fussy than normal, but still. A pretty easy little guy. He doesn't want to go down for naps or bedtime, but once I walk out he sleeps and he sleeps well. Actually, this morning he cried around 6, which is unusual, but he went back to sleep and woke at his normal time. He is having periodic bouts of diaper rash. He has cradle cap again and a prickly rash all over his face, worse after meals.
They are all having undigested food in their stools. I pray this will improve as we get more probiotic in them. Our six year old had the first perfect poo tonight, brown and formed. WooHoo! I know everyone wanted to know that. All poos are looking better since we started intro again. Yay!
Thank You, My God, for leading us to GAPS, for giving my kids an opportunity to live happy and fruitful lives. Thank You for the improvements that we can see that encourage us to keep moving forward. Thank You for knowledge. Thank You for all of the resources that You have provided. Thank You for the means to do this for all six of us. Thank You for the support You have provided. Please keep me on the right track. Amen.
I started the week without the Baby Biotic/Gut-Pro, but increased it to half and then back to their previous dose, as I saw very little die-off. I don't want to go slower than we need to go.
We also added a very small amount of egg yolk to everyone's broth at dinner time. I dip a table spoon into some egg yolk twice and stir it into their broth mug. Our little 3 year old, the one who regressed every time we have tried to intro egg yolks, only gets one dip.
So we have been two days at the 1/6 of a capsule of Bio-Kult and we are seeing some die-off now. This morning I was mad at the world, or I was bawling and feeling very overwhelmed. I know I am not in a right state of mind when I feel angry at my dear husband. I took an Epsom salt bath and have been absolutely fine the rest of the day. (Note: I was dripping with sweat during my bath. This always happens when I really need to detox.)
Our oldest boy (12 next month) took a bath first thing after breakfast this morning. He reported dripping in sweat during his bath, too. He was weepy off and on all day. He took a total of three baths (baking soda, Epsom salt, and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar). He took his third bath after bedtime and was still up after 11PM.
Our 9 year old girl seemed fine for the most part, but I did put her in the bath after an incident with her younger sister, just to be on the safe side. I asked her about the incident after the bath and it seems the issue was really that her little sister was having a die-off reaction. She had a hard time falling asleep and was up until after 1030PM.
Our 6 year old girl, who reacted to a vaccine a little over a year ago and became angry and hateful and who began throwing hateful temper tantrums whenever things did not go her way, was rather irritable today, to say the least. She over reacted to many things throughout the morning. She cried. She yelled. She made excuses for naughty behavior. She did better after a bath. Daddy says she was still moody, but not as bad. She could not fall asleep and was up until after 11PM.
Our little three year old has some regression: eye contact is different, will look at you in his peripheral vision if you are close, eyes seem off, more tactile, more clumsy, falling, spilling, dropping things, repeats things, talks in a loud and whiney voice, droopy shoulders, coughing a little here and there. No difference noted after his bath. He went to bed right away and that went well. The boy does like to sleep. He always was a good sleeper before the vaccine and then he woke up screaming every night. Now, on GAPS, he sleeps better. He wakes up, but not every night and not screaming inconsolably. He is having periodic bouts of diaper rash.
Our little baby boy (16 months) is more fussy than normal, but still. A pretty easy little guy. He doesn't want to go down for naps or bedtime, but once I walk out he sleeps and he sleeps well. Actually, this morning he cried around 6, which is unusual, but he went back to sleep and woke at his normal time. He is having periodic bouts of diaper rash. He has cradle cap again and a prickly rash all over his face, worse after meals.
They are all having undigested food in their stools. I pray this will improve as we get more probiotic in them. Our six year old had the first perfect poo tonight, brown and formed. WooHoo! I know everyone wanted to know that. All poos are looking better since we started intro again. Yay!
Thank You, My God, for leading us to GAPS, for giving my kids an opportunity to live happy and fruitful lives. Thank You for the improvements that we can see that encourage us to keep moving forward. Thank You for knowledge. Thank You for all of the resources that You have provided. Thank You for the means to do this for all six of us. Thank You for the support You have provided. Please keep me on the right track. Amen.
July 30, 2010
Blessed by Our Three Year Old
Everyday I praise God for the miracle of having our little boy back. He is developing on schedule and amazes me every day with something new.
A few months ago I was delighted when he drew a self portrait. It was a big sloppy circle with some dots and lines scattered about inside. I was so impressed that I wrote his name and the date in the corner and posted it in the kitchen. The day we started intro again, he drew a self portrait with a small circle for the head, which contained two properly placed eyes and one properly placed mouth. It had a straight horizontal line under the circle (the arms), and two vertical lines under that (the legs), and each leg had a foot. When prompted, he added a nose and some fingers. He is 3 yrs and 4 mos. He then drew pictures of his brothers and sisters and me, including noses and fingers. Wow!
You can tell that he doesn't feel well, but even past the drooped shoulders, whiney voice, repetitive questions and statements, and the rigidity resulting in tantrums, he is the sweetest, most loving, tenderhearted little boy. He loves hugs and kisses and melts at the sound of the Barney "I Love You?" song. He loves to sing "Row Row...", "Twinkle Twinkle...", "I'm a Little Teapot", and many more. His lip syncs are the best!!!
Oh, there's so much more! This will do for now. I am so glad that he is healing. He is smart and sweet and wonderful. I hope and pray that God will do mighty things with this little one.
Thank You, God, for giving us our little boy back. Thank You!
A few months ago I was delighted when he drew a self portrait. It was a big sloppy circle with some dots and lines scattered about inside. I was so impressed that I wrote his name and the date in the corner and posted it in the kitchen. The day we started intro again, he drew a self portrait with a small circle for the head, which contained two properly placed eyes and one properly placed mouth. It had a straight horizontal line under the circle (the arms), and two vertical lines under that (the legs), and each leg had a foot. When prompted, he added a nose and some fingers. He is 3 yrs and 4 mos. He then drew pictures of his brothers and sisters and me, including noses and fingers. Wow!
You can tell that he doesn't feel well, but even past the drooped shoulders, whiney voice, repetitive questions and statements, and the rigidity resulting in tantrums, he is the sweetest, most loving, tenderhearted little boy. He loves hugs and kisses and melts at the sound of the Barney "I Love You?" song. He loves to sing "Row Row...", "Twinkle Twinkle...", "I'm a Little Teapot", and many more. His lip syncs are the best!!!
Oh, there's so much more! This will do for now. I am so glad that he is healing. He is smart and sweet and wonderful. I hope and pray that God will do mighty things with this little one.
Thank You, God, for giving us our little boy back. Thank You!
Die-off Tales
One week on intro, second time 'round, and we have not had too many reactions. A little tired, a little achey, a headache, but not much else, so I have been increasing the probiotic and I introduced a small bit of egg yolk.
All is well overall, but yesterday, when I increased the probiotic, the two that had reacted to their vaccines had die-off reactions.
Our six year old threw several tantrums, got mad at her sister, cried like the end of the world when it was time for our neighbor to go home, cried at bath time, and cried at bedtime because she wanted Mommy, not Daddy, to put her to bed.
Our three year old became very tactile, lost eye-contact, talked in a whiney voice, spilled things and dropped things, cried at bedtime, woke once in the night and was up for the day in a grouchy mood at 630 in the morning. His little fingers are always by his face, scratching his nose, eye, or ear. He repeats questions over and over and over. He also woke up with a croupy cough, which seems to happen with die-off. It was gone by the time everyone else got up for the day. He seems generally off today, but not too bad.
Baths help and we will hold at the same level of probiotic and the same amount of egg yolk for these two little ones until things settle out for them. This is about the pace I am comfortable with. It has been and can get much worse. I don't want to go there. I will continue to increase and add things for the others.
Oh, yeah. The baby is a bit crankier than usual. He says no a lot and cries at nap and bedtime. Could be die-off or the fact that he is cutting six teeth. Hmmm.
Thank You, Lord, for the healing that You are bringing to our family. Thank You for giving my kids an opportunity to live healthy and happy lives. May they give You honor and glory all the days of their lives. May they live for You in all they say and do. May they be mighty warriors in You Kingdom. Amen!
All is well overall, but yesterday, when I increased the probiotic, the two that had reacted to their vaccines had die-off reactions.
Our six year old threw several tantrums, got mad at her sister, cried like the end of the world when it was time for our neighbor to go home, cried at bath time, and cried at bedtime because she wanted Mommy, not Daddy, to put her to bed.
Our three year old became very tactile, lost eye-contact, talked in a whiney voice, spilled things and dropped things, cried at bedtime, woke once in the night and was up for the day in a grouchy mood at 630 in the morning. His little fingers are always by his face, scratching his nose, eye, or ear. He repeats questions over and over and over. He also woke up with a croupy cough, which seems to happen with die-off. It was gone by the time everyone else got up for the day. He seems generally off today, but not too bad.
Baths help and we will hold at the same level of probiotic and the same amount of egg yolk for these two little ones until things settle out for them. This is about the pace I am comfortable with. It has been and can get much worse. I don't want to go there. I will continue to increase and add things for the others.
Oh, yeah. The baby is a bit crankier than usual. He says no a lot and cries at nap and bedtime. Could be die-off or the fact that he is cutting six teeth. Hmmm.
Thank You, Lord, for the healing that You are bringing to our family. Thank You for giving my kids an opportunity to live healthy and happy lives. May they give You honor and glory all the days of their lives. May they live for You in all they say and do. May they be mighty warriors in You Kingdom. Amen!
July 28, 2010
Poo, Glorious Poo!
How interesting to be so excited about poo. Today, the three youngest kiddos had lovely brown formed poo, the first time in forever. WooHoo! Yay, for intro!
Recently, they have had watery, mushy, orangey poo with bits of undigested food in it and it made their bottoms itch or burn. I couldn't be happier to see such normal poo. They have never had normal poo.
I used to try to always be prepared for the "20 wipe poo" when we went anywhere. One travel wipes box might not do it if one of the kids had one of "those" poos. Our fourth child had occasional sandy poos. We never figured that one out. Recently, it has been suggested that it may have something to do with oxylates. Fall apart poos that are creamy and watery with undigested bits have been the norm around here OR hard black pebbles, like rabbit pellets.
Normal poo wipes up with one wipe. I love it! I always wondered how people ever survived before the advent of disposable diapers because my kids' poos were the worst, but now I get it.
Recently, they have had watery, mushy, orangey poo with bits of undigested food in it and it made their bottoms itch or burn. I couldn't be happier to see such normal poo. They have never had normal poo.
I used to try to always be prepared for the "20 wipe poo" when we went anywhere. One travel wipes box might not do it if one of the kids had one of "those" poos. Our fourth child had occasional sandy poos. We never figured that one out. Recently, it has been suggested that it may have something to do with oxylates. Fall apart poos that are creamy and watery with undigested bits have been the norm around here OR hard black pebbles, like rabbit pellets.
Normal poo wipes up with one wipe. I love it! I always wondered how people ever survived before the advent of disposable diapers because my kids' poos were the worst, but now I get it.
July 27, 2010
Why Intro Is (and is going to be) Better This Time Around
This time around, I know what I am doing.
I know what die-off looks like and how to manage it.
I know how to cook GAPS food and what the kids and I like and don't like.
I am not grossed out by bones and soft tissues anymore and we even love the way the soft stuff all blended up adds so much flavor to the soups and stews.
None of the children are picky eaters anymore.
We are not dealing with the extreme behavioral and emotional issues we were working so hard to recover from the first time around.
[Praise God, our Father in Heaven, who led us to GAPS, because He is recovering our children who had reacted so severely to their vaccines. He is healing all of us through this protocol, but we are extremely grateful that the tantrums and screaming fits are rare these days. We have happy, healthy kids again! (We are getting there.)]
We have all of the necessary supplies to make it easier this time around. We have lots of pots and pans, including four large stock pots. We have a juicer and a food processor and a Vitamix. We have a hand held blender and a Magic Bullet. We have lots of canning jars in various sizes. We have stoneware for baking and lots of cooking and serving utensils. We even have enough plates and bowls and silverware to go around, plus a few extra.
We have excellent resources for good food: grass-fed beef, free-range chicken eggs, ruminant pigs, salt, fish, nuts, oils, probiotics, etc.
We know how to make ferments, like sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, pickles.
We have a good idea of what foods we will be able to add back in fairly quickly without any trouble.
We know that detox is part of the protocol and we understand that we are going to have to have symptoms and feel yuck sometimes. We just need to manage it by going slow.
We have figured out systems and routines for getting all of everything done, and it works most of the time.
Our baby is a year older and he sleeps through the night. The older three kids can, and do, help look after him and our three year old. This is huge!!!
The side of beef that we bought from Farmer Brown is the best tasting grass-fed beef we have had yet. Yum! That helps.
Everyone is drinking more water.
Our 11yo ds (almost 12yo) helps our 3yo ds get up and dressed in the morning, even getting him out of wet pajamas, helping him put pee in the potty, and getting a dry diaper on. This is a miracle and a blessing.
Our girls, ages 6 and 9, often get the baby in the morning while I am running around getting done the things that have to get done. They change him, dress him, and play with him.
All of the older kids are willing participants of GAPS.
We have seen great success over the past year and have much motivation to continue.
So far everyone has done well with a teensy dose of Biokult, even me.
Everyone is finally drinking Ginger tea!!!
We eat three meals a day, no snacks, and no one is hungry! Three days in for the boys and no one is ravenously hungry. We all ate non-stop the first time, we were so hungry.
I have figured out a good way to keep track of food proportions and what has been tried and what to try next.
I am not afraid to do (shhh) enemas, if needed. No big deal.
No need to justify what we are doing to anyone.
No more cravings.
The list goes on. GAPS is good.
I know what die-off looks like and how to manage it.
I know how to cook GAPS food and what the kids and I like and don't like.
I am not grossed out by bones and soft tissues anymore and we even love the way the soft stuff all blended up adds so much flavor to the soups and stews.
None of the children are picky eaters anymore.
We are not dealing with the extreme behavioral and emotional issues we were working so hard to recover from the first time around.
[Praise God, our Father in Heaven, who led us to GAPS, because He is recovering our children who had reacted so severely to their vaccines. He is healing all of us through this protocol, but we are extremely grateful that the tantrums and screaming fits are rare these days. We have happy, healthy kids again! (We are getting there.)]
We have all of the necessary supplies to make it easier this time around. We have lots of pots and pans, including four large stock pots. We have a juicer and a food processor and a Vitamix. We have a hand held blender and a Magic Bullet. We have lots of canning jars in various sizes. We have stoneware for baking and lots of cooking and serving utensils. We even have enough plates and bowls and silverware to go around, plus a few extra.
We have excellent resources for good food: grass-fed beef, free-range chicken eggs, ruminant pigs, salt, fish, nuts, oils, probiotics, etc.
We know how to make ferments, like sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, pickles.
We have a good idea of what foods we will be able to add back in fairly quickly without any trouble.
We know that detox is part of the protocol and we understand that we are going to have to have symptoms and feel yuck sometimes. We just need to manage it by going slow.
We have figured out systems and routines for getting all of everything done, and it works most of the time.
Our baby is a year older and he sleeps through the night. The older three kids can, and do, help look after him and our three year old. This is huge!!!
The side of beef that we bought from Farmer Brown is the best tasting grass-fed beef we have had yet. Yum! That helps.
Everyone is drinking more water.
Our 11yo ds (almost 12yo) helps our 3yo ds get up and dressed in the morning, even getting him out of wet pajamas, helping him put pee in the potty, and getting a dry diaper on. This is a miracle and a blessing.
Our girls, ages 6 and 9, often get the baby in the morning while I am running around getting done the things that have to get done. They change him, dress him, and play with him.
All of the older kids are willing participants of GAPS.
We have seen great success over the past year and have much motivation to continue.
So far everyone has done well with a teensy dose of Biokult, even me.
Everyone is finally drinking Ginger tea!!!
We eat three meals a day, no snacks, and no one is hungry! Three days in for the boys and no one is ravenously hungry. We all ate non-stop the first time, we were so hungry.
I have figured out a good way to keep track of food proportions and what has been tried and what to try next.
I am not afraid to do (shhh) enemas, if needed. No big deal.
No need to justify what we are doing to anyone.
No more cravings.
The list goes on. GAPS is good.
intro Again
It has been eleven months since we started GAPS. We have seen some wonderful progress in terms of cognitive development and behavioral improvements. Yay!
We still have not been able to add a lot of new foods and are still very limited in what we eat, so we are going back to intro to try to heal and seal the gut so we can add more food in sooner. That is our hope.
I am not going to revisit intro, as I am still nursing and it did seem to have a negative effect on the little one the first time around. I couldn't do that to him again. He's doing so well.
Good news: the boys have been on stage one for three days, with a bit of Biokult, and are doing well with no major flu-like die-off symptoms. The girls started today and are doing quite well. I moved two of the boys on to stage two, introducing a bit of egg yolk into their broth. So far, so good. Our 3yo ds is still on stage one due to diarrhea. Maybe tomorrow? I think that the girls will start stage two tomorrow, too. yay!
I am very hopeful that they will all be able to tolerate eggs this time around. We will go very slow and carefully with the eggs since they caused major regressions eight to eleven months ago. I have been chicken to try them again, but now the time is right.
By God's grace, I pray that enough healing has taken place over the past eleven months and that we will all be able to add more and more foods and expand our diets quite a bit. By God's grace, I would be happy if we could add eggs and ghee and butter!
I just know it is going to go well this time around.
Please, Lord, let it be so. Amen!
We still have not been able to add a lot of new foods and are still very limited in what we eat, so we are going back to intro to try to heal and seal the gut so we can add more food in sooner. That is our hope.
I am not going to revisit intro, as I am still nursing and it did seem to have a negative effect on the little one the first time around. I couldn't do that to him again. He's doing so well.
Good news: the boys have been on stage one for three days, with a bit of Biokult, and are doing well with no major flu-like die-off symptoms. The girls started today and are doing quite well. I moved two of the boys on to stage two, introducing a bit of egg yolk into their broth. So far, so good. Our 3yo ds is still on stage one due to diarrhea. Maybe tomorrow? I think that the girls will start stage two tomorrow, too. yay!
I am very hopeful that they will all be able to tolerate eggs this time around. We will go very slow and carefully with the eggs since they caused major regressions eight to eleven months ago. I have been chicken to try them again, but now the time is right.
By God's grace, I pray that enough healing has taken place over the past eleven months and that we will all be able to add more and more foods and expand our diets quite a bit. By God's grace, I would be happy if we could add eggs and ghee and butter!
I just know it is going to go well this time around.
Please, Lord, let it be so. Amen!
June 18, 2010
Back in the Saddle Again -Update
Here we are again. Since my girls have gotten horse crazy recently, I have had a lot of help in the kitchen and around the house. They are working hard because they want horseback riding lessons. It is amazing what a 9 year old is capable of doing in the kitchen. Other than regular headaches, she has been doing great! (Only one recent anger episode in months)
Since I mentioned the 9 year old, I will tell about her first. Her eczema is gone. She can eat fruit without getting itchy "down there", or anywhere for that matter. She can eat nut butter. She can now eat berries. Yay!
Our 11 year old son is doing great, too. I took him to be evaluated for sensory processing and auditory issues and although he still has some issues, I don't think it will be enough to warrant any therapy. I am still waiting for results to come back. But...I do want help. He still has much trouble remembering things and hearing things and understanding them correctly. He still has trouble with basic writing skills, like capital letters, spelling, spacing, indentions, margins, etc. (very basic stuff). At the beginning of the diet, I remember that all of his issues seemed to melt away, but they came back.
Our 6 year old is eating better. She has good days and bad days, mostly good days. Some days she likes the food. Some days, not so much. She always eats it though and we have very few tantrums anymore. She still itches very bad if you give her fruit. She pretty much always itches. (carrots? Winter squash? Peas?). I refuse to limit her diet any more as we are already so limited. She also gets leg cramps occasionally if we eat lots of onions. She had tantrums every weekend after our Friday homeschool co-op. We finally realized, after co-op was over, that she was reacting to the hand sanitizer that her department required upon entry and before snack. Co-op is over. No more tantrums every weekend. It could be why she is not doing as well as her older siblings. Healing seems slower for her.
Our 3 year old is amazing! He is talking non-stop. On good days, he speaks clearly and talks about all kinds of different things. On bad days, he talks very loud, repeats things over and over, and has a whiny sing song lilt to everything he says. On good days, he is cheerful, easy going, and helpful. On bad days, he is grumpy, rigid, and demanding. On good days, he eats well using a fork and a spoon and keeps it all on the plate or in his mouth. On bad days, he eats with his fingers or shovels it in with his fork and ends up wearing a good bit of it in his hair and on his clothes.
Today was good and bad for our 3year old. He pretended to be a cat a lot today (good). He was constantly meowing and rubbing and rolling on everyone (mostly me) all day (nice, but too much). He whined everything he said, but would change it to nice words when prompted. He had to have a bandaid put on his cut, but would pull it off within minutes, and then he would ask for another bandaid (over and over and over). He needed to be held and carried right when I needed to be preparing dinner. Language was pretty clear. Yay!
The baby is doing fine!
Gotta go to bed! G'night.
Since I mentioned the 9 year old, I will tell about her first. Her eczema is gone. She can eat fruit without getting itchy "down there", or anywhere for that matter. She can eat nut butter. She can now eat berries. Yay!
Our 11 year old son is doing great, too. I took him to be evaluated for sensory processing and auditory issues and although he still has some issues, I don't think it will be enough to warrant any therapy. I am still waiting for results to come back. But...I do want help. He still has much trouble remembering things and hearing things and understanding them correctly. He still has trouble with basic writing skills, like capital letters, spelling, spacing, indentions, margins, etc. (very basic stuff). At the beginning of the diet, I remember that all of his issues seemed to melt away, but they came back.
Our 6 year old is eating better. She has good days and bad days, mostly good days. Some days she likes the food. Some days, not so much. She always eats it though and we have very few tantrums anymore. She still itches very bad if you give her fruit. She pretty much always itches. (carrots? Winter squash? Peas?). I refuse to limit her diet any more as we are already so limited. She also gets leg cramps occasionally if we eat lots of onions. She had tantrums every weekend after our Friday homeschool co-op. We finally realized, after co-op was over, that she was reacting to the hand sanitizer that her department required upon entry and before snack. Co-op is over. No more tantrums every weekend. It could be why she is not doing as well as her older siblings. Healing seems slower for her.
Our 3 year old is amazing! He is talking non-stop. On good days, he speaks clearly and talks about all kinds of different things. On bad days, he talks very loud, repeats things over and over, and has a whiny sing song lilt to everything he says. On good days, he is cheerful, easy going, and helpful. On bad days, he is grumpy, rigid, and demanding. On good days, he eats well using a fork and a spoon and keeps it all on the plate or in his mouth. On bad days, he eats with his fingers or shovels it in with his fork and ends up wearing a good bit of it in his hair and on his clothes.
Today was good and bad for our 3year old. He pretended to be a cat a lot today (good). He was constantly meowing and rubbing and rolling on everyone (mostly me) all day (nice, but too much). He whined everything he said, but would change it to nice words when prompted. He had to have a bandaid put on his cut, but would pull it off within minutes, and then he would ask for another bandaid (over and over and over). He needed to be held and carried right when I needed to be preparing dinner. Language was pretty clear. Yay!
The baby is doing fine!
Gotta go to bed! G'night.
April 2, 2010
A Snapshot of Day four Without Daddy
Four days without Daddy, my rock. He has been away and I miss him, but we are managing fine this week. We are doing OK because together we prepared A LOT of food over the weekend to get us through the week. I think we will even have some leftovers when he gets back.
I picked up some more milk from Irene for only $5 a gallon. That just seems like a great price for fresh grass-fed, raw milk in glass jars. I know that God is blessing us and taking care of us.
Farmer Brown stopped by again today and dropped off 6 dozen eggs. They are totally free-range eggs, I believe. It only cost me $12 and two jars of homemade sauerkraut. Again, not a bad price. The organic, free-range eggs at the grocery store cost $4+ and they are not as rich and thick as Farmer Brown's eggs. It is amazing. You can really see the difference.
I finally, successfully, used the anchor hocking glass jar I bought at the beginning of our GAPS journey to make some sauerkraut. Actually, I haven't tasted it yet, but it smells and looks great.
We have had 3 teeth fall out in the last 7 days. Today, our almost 6 year old lost her 3rd tooth. She really has a whole new look. Our older two have multiple loose teeth, too. Our 3 year old is pretending to wiggle his "loose teeth" and the baby, of course, is oblivious.
Our littlest one is getting really close to walking. He will be one year old on Monday. His first year just flew by with all that we have been doing this year.
I just made the most perfect pancakes and pan puffs (gaps bread) from cashews that were dehydrated in my new Excaliber Dehydrator. I added butternut squash, coconut oil, eggs, and sea salt. I spooned the batter onto two Pampered Chef pizza stones to make pan puffs and baked at 350F for 25 minutes. The leftover batter, after my pizza stones were full, was fried in ghee. Yummy! I am enjoying experimenting with food and creating some really wonderful new recipes for our family to enjoy.
I made chicken pancakes last weekend and they were delicious. Everyone loved them except for one child who insists that they make her tummy hurt after a few bites. I am going to experiment with this and see if I can make chicken puffs. It would be nice to have something to grab-n-go. We shall see if it works.
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for what You are doing in our family and what You are doing with our lives. Help me to be more and more like You each and every day. Help me to let go of/heal from all frustration, bitterness, anger, and rage. You are the Great Physician. Heal me, O Lord. Thank You!
I picked up some more milk from Irene for only $5 a gallon. That just seems like a great price for fresh grass-fed, raw milk in glass jars. I know that God is blessing us and taking care of us.
Farmer Brown stopped by again today and dropped off 6 dozen eggs. They are totally free-range eggs, I believe. It only cost me $12 and two jars of homemade sauerkraut. Again, not a bad price. The organic, free-range eggs at the grocery store cost $4+ and they are not as rich and thick as Farmer Brown's eggs. It is amazing. You can really see the difference.
I finally, successfully, used the anchor hocking glass jar I bought at the beginning of our GAPS journey to make some sauerkraut. Actually, I haven't tasted it yet, but it smells and looks great.
We have had 3 teeth fall out in the last 7 days. Today, our almost 6 year old lost her 3rd tooth. She really has a whole new look. Our older two have multiple loose teeth, too. Our 3 year old is pretending to wiggle his "loose teeth" and the baby, of course, is oblivious.
Our littlest one is getting really close to walking. He will be one year old on Monday. His first year just flew by with all that we have been doing this year.
I just made the most perfect pancakes and pan puffs (gaps bread) from cashews that were dehydrated in my new Excaliber Dehydrator. I added butternut squash, coconut oil, eggs, and sea salt. I spooned the batter onto two Pampered Chef pizza stones to make pan puffs and baked at 350F for 25 minutes. The leftover batter, after my pizza stones were full, was fried in ghee. Yummy! I am enjoying experimenting with food and creating some really wonderful new recipes for our family to enjoy.
I made chicken pancakes last weekend and they were delicious. Everyone loved them except for one child who insists that they make her tummy hurt after a few bites. I am going to experiment with this and see if I can make chicken puffs. It would be nice to have something to grab-n-go. We shall see if it works.
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for what You are doing in our family and what You are doing with our lives. Help me to be more and more like You each and every day. Help me to let go of/heal from all frustration, bitterness, anger, and rage. You are the Great Physician. Heal me, O Lord. Thank You!
March 30, 2010
* Therapy?
There are some who say we should look into tharapy for our 3 year old. When they see him on an off day, they see a child who is very rigid about routines and is easily upset by little things.
He looks like he needs some training and discipline, I admit, but on a good day he is easygoing and flexible. He plays nice with others and shares well. He understands about taking turns. He is polite and empathetic. He says, "please," "thank you," and "sorry."
My thinking is this. If he can do these things, even sometimes, than the training is there. He knows what to do and what to say. He knows how he should behave, but on an off day, he is overwhelmed and can't make himself do what he knows is right. He doesn't need training. He needs intervention.
Detox baths work wonders!
I don't have much more to say about this.
He looks like he needs some training and discipline, I admit, but on a good day he is easygoing and flexible. He plays nice with others and shares well. He understands about taking turns. He is polite and empathetic. He says, "please," "thank you," and "sorry."
My thinking is this. If he can do these things, even sometimes, than the training is there. He knows what to do and what to say. He knows how he should behave, but on an off day, he is overwhelmed and can't make himself do what he knows is right. He doesn't need training. He needs intervention.
Detox baths work wonders!
I don't have much more to say about this.
Happy 3rd Birthday to Our 4th Child!
Today (March 29) is our 4th child's birthday. He is 3! He is the reason we jumped into the GAPS diet with both feet before I was quite ready.
Long story short (in case you have not read previous posts), he reacted to a vaccine last May and severely regressed. The neurologist had expected to meet a severely autistic little boy based on my written description of all that happened to my precious child, but because he had been on GAPS for three weeks he was almost his old self again. We at least had language and eye contact back.
When I was putting him down for the night, I realized that he is showing signs of regression. I have been noting them all week: clumsy, spills things more, falls down more, gets hurt more, louder and more agressive than usual, very tactile, always touching something, scattering toys about, stepping on things, rigid and easily upset, language slurred, lots of statements that sound like questions, repeats things over and over, his eyes are off (not tracking the same), eye contact is short in duration, close up he was looking at me out of the sides of his eyes when I asked him to look at me. This, too, was short in duration, like it is uncomfortable to do it.
I don't know what to make of it. At the same time, he is playing make believe. Just this week, he has been playing with a pretend rat that he calls Rattetoui after the movie we watched a few weeks ago. He hands me invisible cards, and cars, and food and he eats invisible monsters when they invade the house (I think our 9 year old started that one). He talks constantly, naming everything and asking questions about things or telling us about things.
He seems very smart. When he tells us these things, we just have to listen carefully to decifer what he is saying. Sometimes I have to get my other kids to help me figure it out. He's unbelievably patient about this. He just keeps repeating his words over and over and over until we get it. Several weeks ago he could say "finger". Today it comes out "hinga". He says, "Ma hinga hoit." for "My finger hurts." or maybe it was "My finger got hurt."
So his language is growing and blossoming, but it comes and goes. I think this is die-off. I think the regression will be temporary and that we should press on with adding more and more of the healing foods that are part of this GAPS protocol. I think it is because we added Cod Liver Oil and have been having more coconut oil and ghee. We added yoghurt, too. Well, anyway, there are some things to think about.
He looked forward to his Birthday Party all last week. He would say, "I'm 2. On my birthday, I be 3, right?" He loved the streamers. The kids wake up to streamers decorating the living room on their birthdays and he knows this, so when he woke up grumpy and his older sister told him about the streamers, he jumped up and ran out to see. When I woke up, the two were sitting together looking at books. Precious!
He hardly cracked a smile throughout his whole party, but I know he loved it. He just didn't look like he felt well. His cheeks were red and his face looked sweaty even though it was not hot. He had everyone else open his presents for him. That's different after the way he tore into the presents at Christmastime.
He is definitely going through a period of regression, but nothing too awful. I pray that this is as bad as it gets. Lord, let's not get any worse with this. 'K?
He loves the Thomas trains and the puzzles that he got for his birthday. He especially likes the tiger puzzle. He does that one over and over. He got puzzles because when he goes to the library he has to do every puzzle they have. The boy loves puzzles!
Thank You, My Father in Heaven, for this precious little boy. Thank You for the gift that he is, for all that he brings to this family, for the joy he brings. Thank You for giving him back to us! He was lost to us for a short while, but he is back. I do not fear losing him again. You led us to the GAPS diet in an answer to my prayers for help. If he steps away again for a bit, I have confidence that he will be back again and again with great gains. He is a sharp little boy. He is a joy! Thank You for the gift of this son. Amen!
Long story short (in case you have not read previous posts), he reacted to a vaccine last May and severely regressed. The neurologist had expected to meet a severely autistic little boy based on my written description of all that happened to my precious child, but because he had been on GAPS for three weeks he was almost his old self again. We at least had language and eye contact back.
When I was putting him down for the night, I realized that he is showing signs of regression. I have been noting them all week: clumsy, spills things more, falls down more, gets hurt more, louder and more agressive than usual, very tactile, always touching something, scattering toys about, stepping on things, rigid and easily upset, language slurred, lots of statements that sound like questions, repeats things over and over, his eyes are off (not tracking the same), eye contact is short in duration, close up he was looking at me out of the sides of his eyes when I asked him to look at me. This, too, was short in duration, like it is uncomfortable to do it.
I don't know what to make of it. At the same time, he is playing make believe. Just this week, he has been playing with a pretend rat that he calls Rattetoui after the movie we watched a few weeks ago. He hands me invisible cards, and cars, and food and he eats invisible monsters when they invade the house (I think our 9 year old started that one). He talks constantly, naming everything and asking questions about things or telling us about things.
He seems very smart. When he tells us these things, we just have to listen carefully to decifer what he is saying. Sometimes I have to get my other kids to help me figure it out. He's unbelievably patient about this. He just keeps repeating his words over and over and over until we get it. Several weeks ago he could say "finger". Today it comes out "hinga". He says, "Ma hinga hoit." for "My finger hurts." or maybe it was "My finger got hurt."
So his language is growing and blossoming, but it comes and goes. I think this is die-off. I think the regression will be temporary and that we should press on with adding more and more of the healing foods that are part of this GAPS protocol. I think it is because we added Cod Liver Oil and have been having more coconut oil and ghee. We added yoghurt, too. Well, anyway, there are some things to think about.
He looked forward to his Birthday Party all last week. He would say, "I'm 2. On my birthday, I be 3, right?" He loved the streamers. The kids wake up to streamers decorating the living room on their birthdays and he knows this, so when he woke up grumpy and his older sister told him about the streamers, he jumped up and ran out to see. When I woke up, the two were sitting together looking at books. Precious!
He hardly cracked a smile throughout his whole party, but I know he loved it. He just didn't look like he felt well. His cheeks were red and his face looked sweaty even though it was not hot. He had everyone else open his presents for him. That's different after the way he tore into the presents at Christmastime.
He is definitely going through a period of regression, but nothing too awful. I pray that this is as bad as it gets. Lord, let's not get any worse with this. 'K?
He loves the Thomas trains and the puzzles that he got for his birthday. He especially likes the tiger puzzle. He does that one over and over. He got puzzles because when he goes to the library he has to do every puzzle they have. The boy loves puzzles!
Thank You, My Father in Heaven, for this precious little boy. Thank You for the gift that he is, for all that he brings to this family, for the joy he brings. Thank You for giving him back to us! He was lost to us for a short while, but he is back. I do not fear losing him again. You led us to the GAPS diet in an answer to my prayers for help. If he steps away again for a bit, I have confidence that he will be back again and again with great gains. He is a sharp little boy. He is a joy! Thank You for the gift of this son. Amen!
March 29, 2010
Doing it Without Dad
Daddy is gone for the week. When we work together on getting it all done we are up late as it is. Without my partner in crime, I imagine being up all day and night without any sleep. Cooking for such a large family without convenience foods takes a lot of time, not to mention clean up, but I can't imagine doing anything differently. I am learning all of this from books and internet sources. It is a lot to learn while going about the business of daily life.
Today was a pretty good day, all in all. My hubby and I had a marathon weekend of food prep and the refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets are full. I am praising God for this! We are severely lacking in sleep, but it was worth it. Hopefully my sweetheart will get some much needed sleep while he is away. I hope to get some extra sleep, too, if I don't squander my time away on the computer. (I'm taking a detox bath right now - TMI, I know...but it's a great time and place to have a little private time to do what I enjoy. I like to write!)
Sad to say that I got a bit grumpy at the end of the day. It was such a beautiful day outside that I couldn't bear to call the kids in to help me, but I need help. It's a lot to do alone and as a result, dinner was served at 8PM. Bedtimes didn't start until 9PM. All children were finally asleep by 1030PM. Not ideal!
The kitchen didn't get cleaned up. The playroom didn't get cleaned up. The living room is a mess. Schoolwork has yet to be graded. I really need that extra time at the end of the day to wrap things up. Now it's late and I am tired and achey, hence the bath. I am debating whether to rush around and clean up and prepare for tomorrow or go to bed after this and tackle it all in the morning. I need my sleep, but I have never done well to wake up to a messy house. Hmmm. Difficult choice. Opinions? Anyone?
Lord, I thank You for being with me and for helping me through this day on such a little amount of sleep. Help me to have a good attitude. Help me to trust in You to take care of the big stuff. Help me to make good and responsible choices. Thank You, Lord, for hearing my prayer. You are a good and a Great God! Amen!
Today was a pretty good day, all in all. My hubby and I had a marathon weekend of food prep and the refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets are full. I am praising God for this! We are severely lacking in sleep, but it was worth it. Hopefully my sweetheart will get some much needed sleep while he is away. I hope to get some extra sleep, too, if I don't squander my time away on the computer. (I'm taking a detox bath right now - TMI, I know...but it's a great time and place to have a little private time to do what I enjoy. I like to write!)
Sad to say that I got a bit grumpy at the end of the day. It was such a beautiful day outside that I couldn't bear to call the kids in to help me, but I need help. It's a lot to do alone and as a result, dinner was served at 8PM. Bedtimes didn't start until 9PM. All children were finally asleep by 1030PM. Not ideal!
The kitchen didn't get cleaned up. The playroom didn't get cleaned up. The living room is a mess. Schoolwork has yet to be graded. I really need that extra time at the end of the day to wrap things up. Now it's late and I am tired and achey, hence the bath. I am debating whether to rush around and clean up and prepare for tomorrow or go to bed after this and tackle it all in the morning. I need my sleep, but I have never done well to wake up to a messy house. Hmmm. Difficult choice. Opinions? Anyone?
Lord, I thank You for being with me and for helping me through this day on such a little amount of sleep. Help me to have a good attitude. Help me to trust in You to take care of the big stuff. Help me to make good and responsible choices. Thank You, Lord, for hearing my prayer. You are a good and a Great God! Amen!
March 19, 2010
The Carrot Mustache
We have our mornings worked out like clockwork now. I wash, cut, and juice carrots and celery, while the kids help to set the table, put on broth and veggies, divide chicken, and pour water, kraut juice and lemon water. The baby is on my back or is watched by one of the older children.
Everyone gets a large cup of juice in the morning as soon as we can get it together, but first they must swallow a spoonful of codliver oil. This is going well. The toddler takes his codliver oil in his juice. We say it is like tuna salad in a cup. This works for him.
Then, we all take our probiotic. We use GUT-Pro. It tastes like candy to us. So we say that we get candy for breakfast everyday. :O)
After about 20 minutes or so, we sit down to eat chicken, veggies, and broth for breakfast. Everyone starts with some sauerkraut juice and a little lemon water to help with digestion. Even the baby gets sauerkraut juice with his pureed food and little bits of meat.
So I look at my kids in the mornings and they have orange mustaches. Too, cute!
Everyone gets a large cup of juice in the morning as soon as we can get it together, but first they must swallow a spoonful of codliver oil. This is going well. The toddler takes his codliver oil in his juice. We say it is like tuna salad in a cup. This works for him.
Then, we all take our probiotic. We use GUT-Pro. It tastes like candy to us. So we say that we get candy for breakfast everyday. :O)
After about 20 minutes or so, we sit down to eat chicken, veggies, and broth for breakfast. Everyone starts with some sauerkraut juice and a little lemon water to help with digestion. Even the baby gets sauerkraut juice with his pureed food and little bits of meat.
So I look at my kids in the mornings and they have orange mustaches. Too, cute!
A Dairy Farm and Farmer Brown
Oh, I wish I could find (make) the time to write everyday, but life is so very full and busy these days, which of course is why I have so much to say. So on with it...
It is Spring Break for all of the school kids around here (and the cousins), so we decided to take a break, too. The cousins are in town, so there is fun to be had all around.
Today, we went to visit the dairy farm where we buy our raw milk so we could see how the cows are milked. Very interesting! They have 6 milking cows, one expectant cow, several calves, a couple of bulls, and 15 other cows for breeding and selling. They milk the cows twice a day. We went this evening around seven. All 7 children seemed to enjoy the experience. The girls want to go back and it made quite an impression on our toddler. Grandpa is now working on getting our baby to say, "Moo!" (to add to "uh-oh", "mama", and "woof!") I came home with 4 half gallon containers of milk, each from a different cow. They are labeled with the name of the cow, the date, and the time. The milk costs us only $5 a gallon, which is the best price I have found yet for grass-fed raw milk.
Yesterday we had another visit from Farmer Brown. She brought me 6 dozen eggs from pastured chickens for only $3 a dozen. They are the best eggs I have ever eaten. So far we are only eating the whites. I am still working up the courage to try yolks again and now that I have the best eggs I can find, I can hardly wait to get started. The yolks are almost orange. The whites are thick. They look and feel so rich. Farmer Brown also sells beef. She gave me a few cuts of beef to sample. It is very yummy! I need to find out the details about her beef. I am not sure if it is entirely grass-fed or not. I imagine it is, but I don't know.
Both our dairy farmer and Farmer Brown have commented that many of their customers as of late are dealing with autism. Well, with the official number being 1 in 91 now, I guess that is not so surprising.
It's late. I am going to go catch a few winks before the sun comes up again. But wait!
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the beautiful weather that we have enjoyed these past few days. I thank you for blessing us with new friends and resources for the good food we are now eating. I thank you that my children are healing and that they actually like the GAPS protocol. I thank you for the experiences that we have all enjoyed together. I thank you that our little toddler (almost 3) is growing and developing so very well. Thank you, my Lord, for ALL of our many blessings. Amen.
It is Spring Break for all of the school kids around here (and the cousins), so we decided to take a break, too. The cousins are in town, so there is fun to be had all around.
Today, we went to visit the dairy farm where we buy our raw milk so we could see how the cows are milked. Very interesting! They have 6 milking cows, one expectant cow, several calves, a couple of bulls, and 15 other cows for breeding and selling. They milk the cows twice a day. We went this evening around seven. All 7 children seemed to enjoy the experience. The girls want to go back and it made quite an impression on our toddler. Grandpa is now working on getting our baby to say, "Moo!" (to add to "uh-oh", "mama", and "woof!") I came home with 4 half gallon containers of milk, each from a different cow. They are labeled with the name of the cow, the date, and the time. The milk costs us only $5 a gallon, which is the best price I have found yet for grass-fed raw milk.
Yesterday we had another visit from Farmer Brown. She brought me 6 dozen eggs from pastured chickens for only $3 a dozen. They are the best eggs I have ever eaten. So far we are only eating the whites. I am still working up the courage to try yolks again and now that I have the best eggs I can find, I can hardly wait to get started. The yolks are almost orange. The whites are thick. They look and feel so rich. Farmer Brown also sells beef. She gave me a few cuts of beef to sample. It is very yummy! I need to find out the details about her beef. I am not sure if it is entirely grass-fed or not. I imagine it is, but I don't know.
Both our dairy farmer and Farmer Brown have commented that many of their customers as of late are dealing with autism. Well, with the official number being 1 in 91 now, I guess that is not so surprising.
It's late. I am going to go catch a few winks before the sun comes up again. But wait!
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the beautiful weather that we have enjoyed these past few days. I thank you for blessing us with new friends and resources for the good food we are now eating. I thank you that my children are healing and that they actually like the GAPS protocol. I thank you for the experiences that we have all enjoyed together. I thank you that our little toddler (almost 3) is growing and developing so very well. Thank you, my Lord, for ALL of our many blessings. Amen.
March 3, 2010
He Holds Me Up - Another Day in the Life of a GAPSfamily
What a rollercoaster ride. Up and down and up and down. It's 2 AM. I am off to bed after this, but I just had to say something about our day.
Overall it was a good day. Everyone was fed and all are well. I packed up a bunch of stuff to give away while most of the kids were at the library with Grandpa. (Have I ever mentioned how blessed we are to have my dad to help out nearly every day?) It felt great to get rid of so much clutter. When I react to foods, I get very overwhelmed by all of the clutter!!!
We had some spinach last night. It is a sulpher food. We just had a little, but it was enough to cause night waking and regression in our 2 year old (almost 3). He was picking at his scabs and bleeding all over. He was repeating every word I said when I told him things or read to him. He was very tactile and clumsy. He was rigid and easily upset, but not as bad as it could be.
Our 9 year old spent some time away by herself crying and praying. Our 11 year old was on the verge of tears because his sister didn't want to go to the library and he didn't want to have to carry her books that were due back to the library. He said there were too many books in the bag and they were poking him, but he never thought to set the bag down and only carry it to the car and to the library. He stood there holding it for the entire time we were changing diapers and putting on shoes and jackets and all. It blows me away, but this is a normal reaction to food for him. Our 5 year old woke in the night and had some rough moments throughout the day and was very gassy, tooting and burping a lot. I have done very well today (whew)!
All of the kids had detox baths in time for bedtime, but I still got everyone to bed late. My hubby had to work tonight, so I had to do it all on my own. The two year old went down fine. Then, I put the 5 year old to bed, but her tummy hurt and she was constantly burping. I put the baby to bed and cleaned up in the kitchen, then went to play a few games with the older two. The 9 year old didn't feel well and had been constipated, so we had to do some detox with her and I finally got her to bed after midnight. Then, the 5 year old woke up about that time and had actually pooed in her pull-up (this is unusual) and sat sleepily on the potty to clear out the rest. She was very distressed and could not go back to sleep, so my husband lay down with her and fell asleep on the floor in her room. Then, the baby woke up and needed to be changed, fed, and put back to bed. After all of this, I had to have a snack and indulge myself by getting it all out on paper (OK, it's a blog, not paper, but that's how I think of it).
Still, life is way better than the mayhem that we lived with before Feingold/GAPS. I have wings like the eagles. I can run and not grow faint! God gives me the strength to do what has to be done. He holds me up. Otherwise, there is now way I would be standing. To God be the Glory!
I think I can go to bed now. I think I should go to bed now. Good Night!
Overall it was a good day. Everyone was fed and all are well. I packed up a bunch of stuff to give away while most of the kids were at the library with Grandpa. (Have I ever mentioned how blessed we are to have my dad to help out nearly every day?) It felt great to get rid of so much clutter. When I react to foods, I get very overwhelmed by all of the clutter!!!
We had some spinach last night. It is a sulpher food. We just had a little, but it was enough to cause night waking and regression in our 2 year old (almost 3). He was picking at his scabs and bleeding all over. He was repeating every word I said when I told him things or read to him. He was very tactile and clumsy. He was rigid and easily upset, but not as bad as it could be.
Our 9 year old spent some time away by herself crying and praying. Our 11 year old was on the verge of tears because his sister didn't want to go to the library and he didn't want to have to carry her books that were due back to the library. He said there were too many books in the bag and they were poking him, but he never thought to set the bag down and only carry it to the car and to the library. He stood there holding it for the entire time we were changing diapers and putting on shoes and jackets and all. It blows me away, but this is a normal reaction to food for him. Our 5 year old woke in the night and had some rough moments throughout the day and was very gassy, tooting and burping a lot. I have done very well today (whew)!
All of the kids had detox baths in time for bedtime, but I still got everyone to bed late. My hubby had to work tonight, so I had to do it all on my own. The two year old went down fine. Then, I put the 5 year old to bed, but her tummy hurt and she was constantly burping. I put the baby to bed and cleaned up in the kitchen, then went to play a few games with the older two. The 9 year old didn't feel well and had been constipated, so we had to do some detox with her and I finally got her to bed after midnight. Then, the 5 year old woke up about that time and had actually pooed in her pull-up (this is unusual) and sat sleepily on the potty to clear out the rest. She was very distressed and could not go back to sleep, so my husband lay down with her and fell asleep on the floor in her room. Then, the baby woke up and needed to be changed, fed, and put back to bed. After all of this, I had to have a snack and indulge myself by getting it all out on paper (OK, it's a blog, not paper, but that's how I think of it).
Still, life is way better than the mayhem that we lived with before Feingold/GAPS. I have wings like the eagles. I can run and not grow faint! God gives me the strength to do what has to be done. He holds me up. Otherwise, there is now way I would be standing. To God be the Glory!
I think I can go to bed now. I think I should go to bed now. Good Night!
February 23, 2010
First Bad Day in a Long While
I really wanted to try fish broth again, but the last time it was just too strong and fishy, so I made it with one fish, added water to the gelled broth and added leeks, onions, green onions, salt, and a few peppercorns. I also made salmon cakes with canned salmon, egg whites, salt, green onions, and chicken patties (as a filler/binder).
It was delicious! So nice to have something new! However, we have not had many of those ingredients for a long time and several of us are having a very bad day, me in particular. I can not see the positive side of anything! Yesterday I could handle anything and today the world is falling apart around me. I see all of the broken things, all of the unfinished things, all of the problems and hinderances, and all of the mistakes. Everything seems hard and overwhelming. Logically, I know nothing has changed, but emotionally everything has changed. No one can do anything right! This is how I feel today. I know that the truth is that everyone else is basically the same and my tolerance level dropped out from under me.
I am quick tempered. One would think that if you know what is going on, then you could control it better, but this is not the case. I know what is going on, but I still feel angry, bitter, frustrated, and depressed. I can't make myself FEEL different. My knowledge and my emotions are at war!
Here is what I believe. Diet/food reaction is the trigger, but to some degree, sin is at the heart of it. I am unable to control or contain the negative thoughts that are always on the inside. (Although, I have to admit that in some instances I think totally and completely different about stuff when reacting to a food or chemical. I don't understand this.) Lord, help me to finally let go of all bitterness, anger, and rage! Change my heart, Oh God! I want to be like You!
It was delicious! So nice to have something new! However, we have not had many of those ingredients for a long time and several of us are having a very bad day, me in particular. I can not see the positive side of anything! Yesterday I could handle anything and today the world is falling apart around me. I see all of the broken things, all of the unfinished things, all of the problems and hinderances, and all of the mistakes. Everything seems hard and overwhelming. Logically, I know nothing has changed, but emotionally everything has changed. No one can do anything right! This is how I feel today. I know that the truth is that everyone else is basically the same and my tolerance level dropped out from under me.
I am quick tempered. One would think that if you know what is going on, then you could control it better, but this is not the case. I know what is going on, but I still feel angry, bitter, frustrated, and depressed. I can't make myself FEEL different. My knowledge and my emotions are at war!
Here is what I believe. Diet/food reaction is the trigger, but to some degree, sin is at the heart of it. I am unable to control or contain the negative thoughts that are always on the inside. (Although, I have to admit that in some instances I think totally and completely different about stuff when reacting to a food or chemical. I don't understand this.) Lord, help me to finally let go of all bitterness, anger, and rage! Change my heart, Oh God! I want to be like You!
Steppin' Up to the Plate Again - 6 months on GAPS
The pun WAS intended. I couldn't pass it up. I have spent the past two months telling myself every night that I am going to write in this blog and give an update. I think it is all just too much to say and seems overwhelming to think about sitting here long enough to think it all through. Not to mention being very busy and very short on sleep. Note: it is not midnight yet, so this is early for me.
SO, I am just going to start small. First off, I am learning to just let some things go. I will make the treats in the morning instead of staying up late to have them ready for tomorrow.
We are seeing some wonderful things happening around here. First and foremost, the reason we started the diet suddenly was because 2 of our children had immediate and obvious reactions to vaccines while I was researching and preparing to start the diet for myself and the oldest 3 children, so I feel I should give the best news first about these 2 children.
Our 2 year old (almost 3) has been growing and developing very nicely. He talks clearly now, most of the time. It is funny, because it comes and goes as we add or increase certain healthy and healing foods. It is a constant reminder to us to keep going and not give up. He plays toys, does puzzles, and reads books with us. He helps out around the house. He talks constantly about everything, like a normal 2/3 year old. We are so happy! Most of the time,his balance is good, his coordination is good, and his eyes are straight and do not bother him. Sometimes he gets very rigid about his routine, but not all day everyday. He still wakes up grumpy, but comes around a lot quicker these days. We are so thankful for this. He has always been a good sleeper and has always gone down for bed easily, except when he was so very sick right after the shot until we started him on GAPS. He rarely wakes in the night anymore. He rarely grabs at his eyes in pain anymore. More and more, he is becoming the cheerful, easygoing kid we knew and loved before he reacted to the vaccine.
Our 5 year old (almost 6) rarely throws irrational tantrums anymore. She has stopped burping and tooting all day and has no more complaints of tummy aches. Even the leg cramps that woke her up in the middle of the night are gone since we removed the sulphur foods, but we are trying to add those back in slowly. She is sweet and loving, always hugging and kissing all of us and writing us love notes every day. She is becoming a good helper in the kitchen and around the house in general. What a blessing!
As it turns out, after such a rough start with all of the tantrums over food, all of our kids LOVE the GAPS protocol. They LOVE the food I cook. They tell me every day. They do NOT crave any of the junk food we used to eat or any of the grains. Neither do I. It is amazing!
They eat TONS of veggies every day. They drink LOTS of broth without complaining. They actually like it now. Even the 2 year old drinks broth from a mug now like the other kids and the 5 year old drinks it all on her own without us having to count or watch or race her or whatever!!! We discovered that the more broth she drinks, the less likely she will burp or toot. (It's good for your digestion, you know.) Our 2 year old, also, does better in so many ways when he gets lots of broth and fats.
Oh, oh, oh, our 9 year old reads chapter books now, easily. She told us that the letters used to be all jiggly and out of shape and that made it hard to read. Now she sees the words clearly and it all makes sense. She is flying through her math, too, after having struggled with it for so long. Multiplication? No problem!
Oh, there's so much more, but it is nearing midnight and I DO want to sleep.
Thank You, God, Our Heavenly Father, for leading us to this protocol and for the healing we are seeing through it. You are the Great Physician! You are the One who knows how we are made and how it all works together. The more I learn about all of the this, the more astounded, amazed, and awed I become of You. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made. I will trust in You for our healing, Lord. You are the one who is doing this for us.
SO, I am just going to start small. First off, I am learning to just let some things go. I will make the treats in the morning instead of staying up late to have them ready for tomorrow.
We are seeing some wonderful things happening around here. First and foremost, the reason we started the diet suddenly was because 2 of our children had immediate and obvious reactions to vaccines while I was researching and preparing to start the diet for myself and the oldest 3 children, so I feel I should give the best news first about these 2 children.
Our 2 year old (almost 3) has been growing and developing very nicely. He talks clearly now, most of the time. It is funny, because it comes and goes as we add or increase certain healthy and healing foods. It is a constant reminder to us to keep going and not give up. He plays toys, does puzzles, and reads books with us. He helps out around the house. He talks constantly about everything, like a normal 2/3 year old. We are so happy! Most of the time,his balance is good, his coordination is good, and his eyes are straight and do not bother him. Sometimes he gets very rigid about his routine, but not all day everyday. He still wakes up grumpy, but comes around a lot quicker these days. We are so thankful for this. He has always been a good sleeper and has always gone down for bed easily, except when he was so very sick right after the shot until we started him on GAPS. He rarely wakes in the night anymore. He rarely grabs at his eyes in pain anymore. More and more, he is becoming the cheerful, easygoing kid we knew and loved before he reacted to the vaccine.
Our 5 year old (almost 6) rarely throws irrational tantrums anymore. She has stopped burping and tooting all day and has no more complaints of tummy aches. Even the leg cramps that woke her up in the middle of the night are gone since we removed the sulphur foods, but we are trying to add those back in slowly. She is sweet and loving, always hugging and kissing all of us and writing us love notes every day. She is becoming a good helper in the kitchen and around the house in general. What a blessing!
As it turns out, after such a rough start with all of the tantrums over food, all of our kids LOVE the GAPS protocol. They LOVE the food I cook. They tell me every day. They do NOT crave any of the junk food we used to eat or any of the grains. Neither do I. It is amazing!
They eat TONS of veggies every day. They drink LOTS of broth without complaining. They actually like it now. Even the 2 year old drinks broth from a mug now like the other kids and the 5 year old drinks it all on her own without us having to count or watch or race her or whatever!!! We discovered that the more broth she drinks, the less likely she will burp or toot. (It's good for your digestion, you know.) Our 2 year old, also, does better in so many ways when he gets lots of broth and fats.
Oh, oh, oh, our 9 year old reads chapter books now, easily. She told us that the letters used to be all jiggly and out of shape and that made it hard to read. Now she sees the words clearly and it all makes sense. She is flying through her math, too, after having struggled with it for so long. Multiplication? No problem!
Oh, there's so much more, but it is nearing midnight and I DO want to sleep.
Thank You, God, Our Heavenly Father, for leading us to this protocol and for the healing we are seeing through it. You are the Great Physician! You are the One who knows how we are made and how it all works together. The more I learn about all of the this, the more astounded, amazed, and awed I become of You. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made. I will trust in You for our healing, Lord. You are the one who is doing this for us.
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