It's been 5 months since we started GAPS! What a ride it's been so far! With life continually coming at us, it's tricky to find time to update the blog. But for you faithful prayer warriors, you deserve an update!
It seems like low-phenols have really been the key to helping Charlotte thrive during this time while her body heals. We have finally had success introducing some vegetables into Charley Beth's diet, which is AMAZING. I can now offer her beef, pork, turkey, venison, lamb, rutabaga, leek, celery, cabbage, and green beans. Our "Gut Garden" as CJ calls it, is growing well, and it's so exciting for Charlotte to help us pick some green beans and then enjoy them. The trouble is, she will pick one and then stomp around insisting we "GO COOK IT. Cook it NOW! Eat BEANS!"
I've upped the amount of raw egg yolk also, so she is working her way into 1/2 tsp of that. I've given her freshly-grated ginger tea as well as chamomile peppermint tea, with a bit of raw honey. She especially loves it when I make her "tea pops" (frozen tea in a popsicle mold). We have been dealing with some mild symptoms like skin rashes, "shiners" (under her eyes look mildly dark like a black eye), some crankiness, etc. but no belly pain or crying at night. This is huge!! Thank you, Lord, for some variety and progress!
More proof of her belly healing is that I've also been able to reintroduce some foods into my diet. Hello bananas! Also I've had a tiny bit of homemade chocolate chips and walnuts, and she tolerated them fine through my milk.
Yes, I'm still nursing. With our busy summer and everything else going on, weaning has not been a top priority. Ah well, we'll get there. She is obviously thriving (have you checked out those thighs!?) and smart as a whip, so I am not worrying about it. Nursing an almost-two year-old wasn't something I ever envisioned, but here we are. When she's sick or going through food strikes (out of boredom, I think), I don't have to worry about whether she's getting the nutrients she needs to grow.
I have started giving her some enzymes to see if that helps her digest food better, and I'm not sure if it's helping, but it's certainly not hurting. So, lots of changes happening, which is a really good thing. It's been a challenge to find the balance of pushing, but not pushing too hard. I have been intimidated to try new things, but I'm becoming more brave now that I'm seeing her progress. At last we are taking more steps forward than backward.
Life is indeed crazy. We're still at CJ's parents' house, enjoying the Maine summer with family and friends close by. What a blessing, and something we haven't had in so long. CJ has been hard at work all summer, applying for dozens of jobs. It is our hope and prayer that we'll be able to stay in this area long term. We're trying to keep our eyes on Jesus as we walk across the uneven waters which threaten to swallow us with doubt, fear, and worry. We know He's got a plan already mapped out for us, and He's closing a lot of doors to places where He obviously does not want us. It's discouraging to watch CJ face so many rejections, but in our minds and hearts, we know that somehow He's going to work this all out for our good and His glory, and that His plans are always better than ours. If you think of it, please ask God to provide CJ a job soon and for us to continue trusting and waiting on Him. Patience is something we need to work on as well- we just want to know NOW how He's going to work it all out, but as we all know, God does things in His own time.
After contemplating for months about how/when to get Parker on the GAPS diet, we finally found the courage to make the leap. With our lives in flux, we decided it would be too challenging right now to launch into the Intro diet (starting at broth like Charlotte did). One day we just seamlessly started him onto my Full GAPS diet, and it really was less of an issue than I had thought possible. He dramatically says, "I'll never eat cereal again!"He does miss certain things, but he no longer asks for them daily.
Our motivation for this was, simply put, our sanity! Parker has always been a very energetic, high needs child. He knows what he wants, he's smart, and he needs constant stimulation and attention. Mealtimes, even getting him to eat anything, were always a struggle. He is reluctant (I should say adamantly against) trying new foods. We have been struggling with behavior issues and attitude/mood issues. I wanted to see if changing his diet would make a difference so that we were could enjoy him more and help him thrive, both physically, by eating and trying healthy foods, and emotionally. Maybe he'll finally grow! Last doctor's appointment he was not even on the charts for his height! He can wear clothes from 2 summers ago.
Let me tell you, the change has been drastic. We are still dealing with a strong-willed four year-old (which we love), but the degree of peace in our household has improved a LOT. We know he's a child, and he's not perfect, and we're not perfect parents, but this seems to be one way we CAN help him. No longer is Parker a storm cloud, but he is consistently more calm, happy, and enjoyable. He is sleeping better and gives us less hassles about going to bed. He's been eating the food before him with much less resistance, and he has even tried two new foods- green beans, and raspberries. (He ate those before, but only chopped up finely in soup form, or mashed into oatmeal). We're talking he picked raspberries off Grampa's bushes and ate them. Yes, he ate them! You might not think that is a big deal, but trust me, I whooped for joy and swung him around. He asks now for juice- tells us which fruits and vegetables he'd like in it, and will gladly drink a whole cup of freshly-pressed juice whereas before he would take an eternity (and a headache!) to swallow 4 "squirters" worth. He is such a smart, funny, lovable boy, and I wanted to help the good parts of him shine more without having the irritating traits (whining, bad mood, etc) constantly in my face. I think it's been a very good thing for him, and us.
We were invited "camping" last weekend. My brother and sister-in-law offered for us to stay with them and my sister (and all the respective kiddo cousins!) at a beautiful condo overlooking Rangely Lake. This worked out so nicely. We had a fabulous time hanging out with family, visiting my grandparents' camp, and taking the kids on their first kayaking trip (over 3 hours! They were great and it was so fun!) I had cooked up a storm before we left, and I was able to use the fridge, freezer, and stove, to cook. Sooo much easier than actual camping!
I had made special foods just for Parker, like graham crackers and marshmallows, so that he wouldn't feel left out when the cousins were eating S'mores and other special treats. I never thought I'd be making marshmallows out of gelatin and honey, or graham crackers made from almond meal, but I did it, and he loved them! Aside from him dumping maple syrup all over his breakfast when we weren't looking and turning into a crazy person one day, he did very well!
We were able to get a quarter cow from a local farm who raises organic grass-fed beef and my brother is letting us use his freezer to store it in. This is so great because it's so much more cost-effective buying in bulk. Hopefully we'll be able to hunt this fall, and eventually, raise more of our own food. Paying for this diet on no income is a trip, but God is faithful, and we are thankful.
We will continue to try and add more foods to Charlotte's menu, and hope that with more time, she will fully heal and be able to eat so many more nutritious foods. Thank you for your prayers. We'll keep you posted of her progress!
