Family Update

Let's start with the fun updates! We decided to name our little guy Henry Jacob! The kids are enjoying telling everyone his name and talking about what they think he'll be like-- obviously he'll be really cute! :) I'm now 24 weeks and feeling well. I have been working on his quilt this week and am nearly done.

We're in the process of buying a house! What? Yes! We were finally getting settled in our apartment and had just sorted through everything in the attic, organizing and purging. Everything finally seemed in order. Then I had a dream about us moving into a house and that morning CJ and I sat on the couch, browsing realty sites. CJ saw his grandparents' old house had just been listed. His grandparents owned a house from the 60's- 2005. The couple who bought it after that tried to sell it, but the house ended up going into foreclosure. We knew this was happening last summer, but the house was way out of our price range. However, the person who bought it just wants to flip it so it's listed for a price within our budget. We went to look at it the night of my [30th! Yikes!] birthday and decided to pursue it. We made the offer Monday, and it went under contract yesterday. Our inspections will take place next week. Lord-willing, our closing date is set for February 13th! So surreal!

The house is so roomy (especially considering we were in a 400 square foot apartment for 2 1/2 years)! It's got an open living area and kitchen downstairs, then 2 upper floors with bathrooms and 5 bedrooms! It's not out in the country which we had our hearts set on, but we will be able to have gardens and there is a nice yard and wrap around porch. It's in a great neighborhood and within walking distance to the library and park. Plus right near CJ's family. It was built in 1920 so it's got a lot of charm. In addition to that it's been well cared for- the last owners sank $100,000 into it in repairs, so everything major has been done- roof, windows, insulation, floors, new porch, new heating system, etc. It will be so exciting to finally have a place of our own! We are so ready for that!  The kids are already planning what colors we'll paint their rooms and where we'll build a "giant sandbox" and a "clubhouse!" I'll keep you posted on what happens in the next few weeks. I'm excited about the DISHWASHER! How will I spend my extra hour every day??! Maybe putting my feet up eating bon-bons! How dreamy!

We've pretty much been hibernating since it's been frigid this week and CJ's had the van. (Read major cabin-fever!) We are still trying to figure out what to do vehicle-wise. Our van is now leaking power-steering fluid and will not pass inspection this month. Buying a house with 2 bum cars? Yeah. That's stressful! But opportunity knocked! I'm sure God will help us sort it out. He always does.

CJ is sitting on a plane right now in Chicago. I guess they are waiting for a gate to open and no one is moving- they can't get gas because the gas lines are frozen! He went for his first drill weekend with his new unit out there. Each month he'll fly there for drill instead of going to Massachusetts. He'll be working in civil affairs which he feels should be more fulfilling than his previous job.

This week has been a wild one in terms of the kids' health. I have been so frustrated trying to figure out why Charlotte is "stuck" on the diet and not able to progress. I re-read the GAPS book and found the impetus to just move forward even in the presence of symptoms. According to the doctor, since the gut is so permeable, it's just going to continue reacting to whatever you give it until the gut seals and heals. So my thought is- let's just add in all the nourishing foods and see how she does. Unless her symptoms are unmanageable, maybe pushing through is what we need to do right now. In the past, this approach hasn't worked for her, hence our painstaking dance of adding one new food at a time, only to end up removing it after awhile.

So this week I threw caution to the wind and simmered her meat stock with onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and squash. I've also given her beets, turnip, pork, zucchini, sauerkraut juice, and a probiotic. I expected this week to be a nightmare- but she has done amazingly well! Praise God! Her skin is a mess, but she has been sleeping pretty well and she hasn't been too grumpy. In the past she would be up ALL night with pain, had diarrhea, eczema, and she was extremely clingy, grumpy, irritable, and irrational. Not too long ago we tried zucchini again and it was about a week of symptoms and her glued to my hip, (both of us miserable). SO- I consider this major progress! Unless she starts regressing, I'm going to keep going! It's been 10 [long] months- so even though we have been "spinning our wheels," so it's seemed- obviously some REAL HEALING has been taking place under the surface, since her body is handling this mother-load of changes really beautifully overall. I can't tell you how excited she's been about seeing some variety on her plate. She keeps bragging to Parker about what she's eating! It is so much fun and fills me with hope that maybe we've been on the right track after all and all the doubts and fears I've had are starting to slip away. Not to mention, she is growing, beautiful, funny, sweet, loving, and smart. I am so impressed that she will sit and make up stories as she looks through books, makes up conversations with her baby dolls, sings songs, and draws pictures and explains them to me. I look at those chubby cheeks and her silly cheese face and just melt. I am so blessed to be her mother, and she is worth every speck of trouble and more!

Parker. Parker. Parker! Yes, I'm also incredibly blessed to be HIS mother. But I fear I'm totally under-qualified! :) Our little man is one of a kind. Let me share his progress with you.

After about 3 weeks on the Intro diet, I moved Parker back to the Full GAPS diet. I can tell that the taste bud re-set really works. I never thought I'd see the day when he'd move beyond peanut butter toast with banana and try new foods. His mind was so rigidly against trying anything new. He's now eating, asking for, and enjoying foods he never ate before. Applesauce, blueberries, pork, carrots, GAPS muffins and breads, etc. Our food battles still happen, but where dinnertime used to be a 2 1/2 hour ordeal, has only taken about 11/2 hours a night this week. Tonight he whined at first about the meatloaf I made with zucchini and onion, but after a few minutes he tried a bite, then he gobbled up the whole serving and ASKED me to make it again tomorrow! This from a child who NEVER really seemed to enjoy food before! I was floored. He still wants his soups pureed but at least he's eating them, and all the veggies are cleverly hidden that way! He's gained a pound and a half in the past month- which is a pretty big deal for him! So I consider this a lot of progress also, even though we are still struggling in many ways.

In all my spare time I'm researching and trying to figure out how to best help him. I stayed up till 1am talking on the phone last night with a fellow mom who has helped her son progress in amazing ways. I hear over and over on the GAPS support group site that the diet has healed kids with everything from FPIES, to EoE, to non-verbal autism, to schizophrenia, to healing life-threatening allergies, and more. But it was fascinating to actually talk to another mom over the phone who has been in the trenches and is coming out victorious on the other side.

I suspect that in order to really help Parker we'll need to do some supplementing in addition to the diet, and help his body to detox and regroup (and I suspect Charlotte will need help in this way too). I am busy trying to determine the best products to add to the mix. As soon as funds are available I'll move forward with some of this. From what I read Parker is really struggling with histamines and this will be something I continue to monitor and research. I'm also learning about how nutrient levels affect body functions- for example, the body needs B6 and zinc to break down the histamine in the body. Unchecked histamine levels in the body can affect the brain, moods, etc. All these little tidbits of information end up on my endless "to-study" list, and are starting blocks for more research.

I'm really after the root cause of all of this. I want the kids to heal and move forward- happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, rather than deal with health issues or labels for the rest of their lives. God willing, we'll get there! As always, we appreciate your prayers and thank you for sharing this journey with us!