10 meatballs at 5am :)

Ahh.....I am breathing, breaths of relief.  We are rapping up our first week on GAPS Introduction diet stage one.  We are starting stage two today :)

I must say the first four days on this diet we hardcore for the kids.  They choose not to eat any of the food I prepared.  They were lethargic, pale, pitiful, and vomiting in the mornings.  I did my best to comfort them and keep them well hydrated with water.  I offered them all the GAPS legal foods, loved them, and stayed positive.  I knew in my mind that it had to get worse before it was going to better.  I must say though it was brutal seeing my babies like that!!

I had to work during this process and it was completely heart wrenching to leave them during this time.  I called to check on them Sunday and my husband made me feel like the kids were on their death beds.  I left work emergently.  I was so upset that I got lost on my way home and wound up in Grabill.  I think this was God's way of telling me to take a breath and chill.

I got home and the kids were pretty much in the same state that I left them.  This was day three of eating nothing.  I made the decision to juice a green apple for them to get some carbs in them (at the suggestion of a great friend).  I also mixed some vitamins into the juice.  Ruby perked up in about 30 minutes and started to eat.  Hayden regained some color but it took him about 4 hours before he really started moving around again.

I did an hour of hyperbaric oxygen with them, gave them each a syringe full of chicken broth (which they did not want), and all three of us took an epsom salt bath for about 40 minutes.

We got out of the bath and the kids were ready to EAT and have not stopped since :)  Grammie made so meatballs that had carrots and onions shredded in them and that has been the staple food for both kids.  Ruby is eating pretty much what I put in front of her now, but Hayden is only eating meatballs.  Little does he know what Mommy is putting in his super meatballs.

Here is a list of what I put in his meatballs: fresh garlic, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, liver, carrots, squash, beef fat, chicken fat, and today I heated them up with some homemade ghee.  I don't but all of this stuff in at once.  I rotate to make sure Hayden is getting all that he needs.

He ate 3 pounds of meatballs yesterday!!!  Woot...Woot...Woot!!  This morning he woke up at 5 am because he was hungry and wanted meatballs.  So at 5am Brandon and myself cheered Hayden on as he ate 10 meatballs.  The amazing thing is that Hayden sat completely still while eating his meatballs, gave us typical eye contact, and talked to us while eating.

Although we are only a week into GAPS I am seeing HUGE changes in Hayden.  He appears to be so calm, peaceful, and relaxed.  It's kind of strange to see this out of him.  I am so use to him zipping around the house every moment of the day.  Hayden seems now calm enough that he is really seeing things differently.  He had one of Ruby's Dora dolls this morning and was really looking her over and telling me about the dolls details.  For example, "Dora has bracelet on."  I don't feel like he say these details before unless it was on his CARS.

The next BIG, BIG, BIG change that I am totally loving drum roll please..........Hayden is sleeping 11-12 hours a night vs 8-9 hours that he use to sleep.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that he is sleeping well again :)

I am feeling pretty good on the diet and don't have any issues to report.  I did have a pretty bad headache the first couple of days.  I think this was due to sugar and caffeine withdrawal.  I feel pretty energized now.

We are moving on to Stage 2 of GAPS Introduction diet.  Bring on the Ghee, egg yolks, and fermented vegetables!!!