Three Steps Forward...

We enjoyed fresh kiwi tonight, and it was so yummy. But, one of the girls didn't do well with it, at all. Shortly after savoring the rare treat, she began having terrible stomach pain. Dissolving into tears, it was obvious she was miserable.

Having taken out our microwave, I didn't have a great way to heat a rice bag. Fortunately, I discovered that a warm over does work, it just takes longer. Since we were baking macaroons and coconut shortbread in the other oven (I have the most amazing oven ever, a Frigidaire Flair with two ovens) I was able to make use of the heat in the smaller oven and get heat the rice bag.

I also used some doTERRA DigestZen layered with coconut oil, to see if that would help. Thankfully, it did! In a fairly short time, the tears stopped and my sweet daughter was feeling much better. 

Though I never want any of my children to suffer, it was definitely good to find out that kiwi is not on the approved list, at least for now, and that DigestZen helps in such difficult situations.

Other than the little hiccup with the kiwi, I think our GAPS journey is going quite well. We've basically adjusted to cooking this way, and I'm gaining confidence in shopping. With the completion of the Intro Diet, our choices have opened up significantly, making snacks and menu planning much easier. And, it seems, we picked a great time to begin our GAPS journey; many people have journeyed before us, so the resources online are amazing. I'll be posting a list of my favorite recipes pages in the next couple of days. Some of them get visited every day, even multiple times a day.

We still aren't seeing dramatic improvements in our youngest kids; their anxiety and sensory issues actually seem worse. But, other issues are definitely improving, like my migraines; I haven't had one in almost two months. We've also noticed a dramatic reduction in our daughter's migraines. The learning struggles that prompted us to begin this crazy, psychotic, therapeutic diet have improved dramatically. In many ways, we have a new kid. And, our youngest son, though still struggling with anxiety and sensory issues, has been making great strides forward with his expressive language; that is a blessing I didn't really expect.

Though I get tired, and this diet is a tremendous amount of work, the benefits are outweighing the challenges, which makes it easier to stay the course. Seven weeks down...ninety-seven left to go.