GAPS Intro Stage 1 (Day 7)

Sam
Today was a turning point and as I write I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief. Sam woke up with an appetite and begged me to saute him some veggies. He pulled out the onion, peeled it for me and then he and Simone stayed busy throwing away the peels of the onion and garlic and the ends of the zucchini. Sam drank a full cup of beef stock between each bite of veggies. He kept calling the zucchini "cucumber" and when I corrected him he wondered why it wasn't a cucumber. It's green on the outside and white on the inside with seeds. Very observant. He thought it was funny when I told him zucchini is from the squash family. He ate cups of yogurt and probably 6 bowls of soup throughout the day. His eyes looked a little funny all day but he is definitely recovering and I'm so happy! For lunch he and his sis helped make butternut squash pancake (mashed up squash fried in butter) with chicken and broth on the side. I find that when he is able to help prepare the food he's much more interested in eating it. Maybe because he's invested? I introduced raw egg yolk to his diet this evening. He didn't even notice because it was mixed into his bowl of soup and looked like butter. I didn't tell him, thinking he'd have a problem with it, but later when he heard me talking to Jake about raw egg yolk he said "I want some in my soup." I was shocked once again. Who is this kid??? Eating onion, egg yolk, unsweetened kefir and yogurt, begging for zucchini and downing spoonfuls of coconut oil. I'm in awe. I told him I'd already put egg yolk in his soup and he finished his bowl without a question or fuss.

Simone
It's safe to say that Simone spent half the day at the kitchen table, eating and playing with her food. She's a little scientist. Jake found her with an empty cup of kefir. It was empty because she'd spread it in a nice circle on the table and was busy applying it to her skin, hair and face. I found her dumping her broth into her cupped hand and trying to sip out of it. Most of the broth ended up on her face, neck, torso and even in her diaper. Another time I found her dipping her bib into her soup then wringing her soaked bib into a cup of water. She's got a huge imagination! A least she's having fun with her food. The differences between her and Sam are hysterical. Sam wipes his mouth after every drink of broth and if he drips food or even water on himself he will insist on changing clothes.

Jake
This is day 15 for Jake. His frequent, hourly hunger has subsided a bit, which was expected. Apparently the first week or couple weeks you feel like you're starving if you haven't eaten in over an hour or two... then your body adjusts and you can go for longer stretches of time. He has had some really amazing nights of sleep and has much more energy. He continues to comment about his clarity of mind and feels less stressed and more relaxed.

Me
Yay! 1 week down. I couldn't be happier. To summarize, here are some words I'd use to describe the last week... Greasy :) hard, difficult, encouraging, frustrating, confirming, upsetting, hopeful, annoying, messy, challenging, rewarding and very, very busy. Looking back, I would do some things differently. The number one thing would be preparation. I'd have the freezer and fridge stocked with pre-cut veggies, bones, and meat. I'd have homemade sauerkraut fermenting and meals planned out for at least the first week. I'd also have the freezer filled with meat broth and bone stock.. already portioned out and ready to eat. Regardless of not being prepared, I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this. I know how to make a great stock, I've learned from Jake how to brew and bottle the kombucha, I've become creative in coming up with a variety of soups and am experimenting with new foods. I also have a new appreciation for the natural sweetness in vegetables. Overall, while it's been frustrating at times, it's been a great learning experience and I look forward to the next week!