Mr. Social?!? Hooray!

B has always been shy and overwhelmed in large crowds of people.  Family reunions were always rough.  The stimulation and all the people usually resulted in a massive meltdown.  Every Sunday, at church, he sticks close to my legs as we walk through the foyer greeting our church family.  He has to be prompted to say 'hello' while Jilly runs ahead of us offering hugs and smiles.

As I've mentioned before, B is changing.  Good things are happening.  He's growing up and getting healthier.  Today, he walked in the church doors with his good friend.  He gave a high five to the greeter.  He, Jilly, and I then found our seats.  We sang praises to God.  B danced a little.  Jilly belted out a melody.  Then came the greet song.  B walked ahead of me finding people to shake hands with.  He was grabbing hands right and left whether the people being greeted were ready or not. :)  Big smile on his face.  He hugged his friend's older sisters.  He LOVES his friend's older sisters.  Jilly and I made our way back to our pew, but B was still in the crowd shaking hands and smiling his charming smile.  He continued greeting till the song was over.  My shy little guy was suddenly Mr. Social.

Later in the service, I had to get up to change Jilly's diaper.  I asked B if he would like to come.  He chose to stay by himself in the pew.  By himself!  Who is this child?  The children were called to Children's Church while I was still helping Jilly.  B got up by himself and followed his friends to the classroom.

My heart is overspilling with joy at the little boy B is growing into.  He's becoming confident and responsible. He is joyful, helpful, loving, good-natured.

This week, his former Sunday School teacher mentioned to me how well he is doing.  She told me that when we first attended (a year and a half ago) B would go into meltdown mode.  He would scream for me and run out of the classroom toward the stairs.  He didn't know how to interact with the other kids.  He would play next to them, but didn't quite know how to play with them.  Now, she said, he is doing really great and he's just like any other 5 year old boy.  That was music to my ears.  I see the changes, but it is so nice when somebody else points them out to me.  God has been so faithful.  His healing is nothing short of miraculous.

If you are reading this and you share a love for this awesome God, would mind offering up a prayer?  For continued healing for B.  For permanent allowance of biomedical treatment in this country.  For life changing supplements not to be outlawed.  For other children who have similar health issues as B.  For the parents of these children.  For the mainstream medical community to recognize and embrace the treatments that have helped so many.  For the cause of these afflictions to be brought to light.  Thank you!  God hears our prayers.  I know He has heard my many prayers.  B is living proof.

Best Friends Day!

Don't read this if you are opposed to make up on 2 1/2 year olds, junkfood for dinner, downright spoiling kids rotten, and movies at bedtime.  Move along....nothing to see here.


I declared today Best Friends Day.  So, I celebrated with favorite girl.  Erik took B for the evening and Jilly and I had a girls' night.  Lately, Jilly's been really insecure.  Crying when I leave her with a sitter, in the nursery, at Jazzercise.  Wanting to follow me to the bathroom, to the garage, to the back yard.  She hasn't been wanting to sleep in her bed or by herself.  And she's been a little, well, naughty.  All of this has had me baffled until the other night when she was being especially trying. We had a pretty rough evening, Jilly and I.  The next day, it was weighing on my heart.  I was talking to God about it.  Funny, I was asking Him to help Jilly behave when I was the one who needed to change.  God opened my eyes and showed me that she needs more affirmation.  She needs us to tell her why we love her.  She needs extra one on one attention.  She needs us not to say she's naughty even though we've done it in a teasing, playful manner.  She takes things to heart.  She's sensitive.  She's a girl.  Now there's an epiphany!  My younger siblings are all male.  Erik's siblings are male.  B is a boy.  So why did it never occur to me that girls are a little different?  Aren't I a girl?  Don't I need more affirmation?  Don't I need extra affection and undivided attention?  Don't I take every that's said to heart?  (Just ask Erik, ha!)

We started off the evening by me whispering to Jilly, "Do you want to go bye-bye with mommy and have a best friends' night?  Just you and me?"  Her eyes lit up.  She let out a Jilly giggle, "Yes!"  We went to her closet to pick out her clothes.  She wanted a blue shirt just like mommy.  I went to put on my make-up.  She wanted lip gloss just like mommy.  We put a sheer gloss on.  She spent the entire first part of the evening making this face: Clamp your teeth together.  Now, without smiling, open your lips.  Now grab a mirror and laugh at the silliness.  She told everyone we saw, "I got lip gloss."  Which sounded like "I got it osh." consider she was talking while making the gloss face.

First, we went to the Dairy Queen.  It may have been her first ever trip to DQ.  I asked her what kind of ice cream she wanted...Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, in a dish, in a cone, with a straw.  She said, "Pink!"  We sat at the table.  Jilly was super excited!  In between slurps and spoonfuls, she would say, "BEST FRIENDS!" and giggle her Jilly giggle.

After the ice cream, we went to Target to buy popcorn and  browse the toys.  She's had a gift card to use since November.  She picked out a cat piano, a miniature pillow pet, a microphone, a small rubber ball, a barbie, 3 dolls, Rex from Toy Story, a vacuum.....well, the entire toy department really.  I let her get the first 4 items, considering 2 of the 4 were two dollars.  Then we went to the beauty section for mini nail polish to do "Piggy Toes" as Jilly likes to say.  Jilly sang random songs all the way home.

When we got home, Jilly played a song for me on her piano.  It went like this, "Mommy, my mommy all day.  I love her."  Then we painted our Piggy Toes.  I was brave and let Jilly do her own.  I'm thinking brave maybe wasn't a good idea.  But she is very proud of her work.  After our tootsies were polished and had pretty decals, we shared a sandwich and put on her jammies.  Then we watched Up on my bed while we snuggled.

I am so thankful God blessed me with this sweet, funny, delightful, happy, beautiful little girl.  What a joy she is to us!  I truly believe God matches us perfectly with our children.  I love that he twined her heart to mine.

Here's My Sign

I prayed that God would let us know if GAPS is the right way to go with B.  This morning I got my answer.  We had been on GAPS for 3 days.  I awoke early to de-bone the chicken and put together a casserole for breakfast.  I started the carrot/onion/broth soup.  Then I went into B's room to wake up the kids.  They were already awake.  Jilly was playing with toys and B was taking off his jammies to put on some fresh clothes.  I stopped in my tracks.  B was definitely thinner.  It was probably only half a pound, but for a 34 lb five year old, thinner is not something to be taken lightly.  I may have freaked out a little as I went into the kitchen, scrambled 5 eggs in lots of palm shortening, and cut up 2 pears.  That was my answer.  GAPS isn't for B, at least not right now.  He was eating way more calories than he usually eats, but his body wasn't burning carbs because I couldn't get him to eat enough squash and carrots.  I'm thinking his body wanted to burn fat instead.

So, we're back to rotation/elimination but I need to sit down and plan a rotation that doesn't rely on pancakes every morning.  B's pancake addiction is feeding yeast.  Sigh.  I felt so bad about his thin appearance that I baked him a loaf of gluten free bread.  He and Jilly polished off half the loaf.  From one extreme to the other.  I really need to get a meal plan in place and stick with it.  I may as well stay on GAPS myself.  I can afford to burn fat and there's no sense letting 12 lbs of onions, 4 butternut squash, 5 lbs of carrots, 3 heads of cauliflower, and 4 heads of broccoli go to waste.    

GAPS Vent

**Warning***Warning**Warning***Vent About to Ensue****

We started the GAPS intro this week.  This is day 3.  I'm having yeast die off so am cranky.  B is having yeast die off so he is cranky.  Jilly is cranky because we are cranky.  The dog is happy.  She is loving the leftovers.  Erik is just finishing up his 80 hr week, so he's lucky to have missed the storm.

Honestly, I don't know if I can do this.  I feel like I haven't spent time with the kids, sufficient time in the Word, or time tending to other tasks around the house.  I have been in the kitchen all day, every day.  Chopping, boiling, thawing meat, fermenting, preparing meals, heating foods, cleaning the kitchen...only to start all over again.  I did manage to exercise for the first time this week.  It's my one hour of something just for me.  I wish I could manage to exercise everyday but I am overwhelmed with everything that has to be done.

Still tonight, I have a chicken boiling, produce to wash and put away from 2 days ago, the kitchen to clean, dishes to do, and huge messes around the house to tackle because the kids have been running amok while I've been in the kitchen.  How did our ancestors do this?  There was a time when everything was made from scratch.  Maybe it was different because there were no food allergies?  I feel like I'm failing this whole GAPS thing and it's only day 3.  Or I'm excelling at the GAPS and failing my family and all the other tasks I need to attend to.  If I can't find a balance, we'll have to scrap this and go back to the rotation.

GAPS is supposed to heal and seal the gut lining to keep food particles from leaking out.  This would decrease/eliminate an IgG response.  Which would decrease B's food allergies.  It sounds great if it's doable.  I've lost two pounds in 3 days from giving up sugar and grains, my ears have stopped itching, and my tummy hasn't bloated every time I eat.  B has been eating like crazy, but getting him to drink the broth has not been a good experience.  Today for lunch, he 2 helpings of elk/squash casserole (minus the squash) and some broccoli.  Twenty minutes later I caught him sneaking a buffalo burger out of the fridge. "I thought I'd take this for a little snack."  Forty minutes later, he asks for more casserole.  He had some cooked carrots throughout the day to keep his blood sugar stabilized.  Hopefully this will help him gain a little weight, too.

If there are any veteran GAPS people out there, please offer any helpful hints.  I'm drowning in stuff that needs to be done and the tasks are piling up fast!  I think I'm going to skip the messes, put the chicken in the fridge, leave the produce on the counter for one more day, and call it a night.

Vent over.  I feel much better.  Almost.  I REALLY WANT CHOCOLATE!!!  Okay, now I'm really done.

Counting and Curriculum

After lots of fretting, changing my mind, searching, and praying, I finally decided on a curriculum for B.  We are going to be using Heart of Dakota.  Partly because it looks fun and interesting for B and mostly because it looks easy to follow and fun for me!  Check it out at www.heartofdakota.com

I had ordered Little Hands to Heaven for ages 2 to 5.  I knew B had difficulty counting, with fine motor, and with his alphabet.  This curriculum would revisit these subjects and I could combine Jilly and B together with the lessons tailoring up or down as needed.  The curriculum arrived last week.  Guess what happened this week?  B counted to 14 like it was nothing, he names the letters of the alphabet (including the weird ones, like Q) and the sounds those letters make. Also, he painted his name with very controlled brush strokes.  Something's changing in B and it is wonderful!  I think I'm going to order Little Hearts for His Glory and use the math, reading, and writing for B and use the LHTH as written for both kids.  Then, I can use LHFHG next year, too, with advanced options.

Back to counting...this is a huge deal!  When B was 2, he could count to 9.  Well, he would skip 8, but not bad for 2.  As he began to regress, he lost this skill.  All this year in preschool, I could not get him to count to 10.  He would become confused and embarrassed.  Jilly was counting to 12 and I know that bothered him.  He wouldn't join in when she wanted him to count with her.  I'd ask him to fill in a missing number and he'd say "Ummm.....I don't want to."  Counting to 14...hooray!  And he can recognize his numbers!

I'm getting excited for this school year.  I can't wait to see how much B and Jilly grow!  I can't wait to watch B's eyes light up when reading 'clicks' for him.  That was always my favorite part of teaching when I was a practicing teacher.  What a gift this is to me and my children.  This curriculum is very Christ centered.  I think I will learn as much, if not more, while using it.  To be on this journey with my kids....what a blessing!