For the past two months we have been on a crash elimination diet with Addie that has really stretched our abilities and emotions. Those close to us know that our poor baby has had some pretty severe GI issues since her first few weeks of life. Her pediatrician always assured us that babies sometimes just were like this, and that she would likely outgrow everything. But then I got pregnant, my milk dried up, she stopped gaining weight, we switched pediatricians, and suddenly her issues were not just in our head. Based off some other symptoms she was experiencing, her doctor suggested absorption problems. After a traumatic blood draw and several labs to rule out thyroid disease or various other problems, he told us that we had two options 1) being referred to a GI, where she would likely be scoped or 2) trying a low FODMAP diet that has been known to help those with IBS and absorption difficulties. Not wanting to put our sweet baby through unnecessary and invasive (not to mention, expensive!) procedures, we of course opted to try the diet first. As difficult as the diet was to implement (no garlic, no onions, no beans, no sweeteners, no mango, no watermelon, no avocados, no pit fruits, no sweet potatoes, and on and on,) we were pretty crazy excited to see some of Addie's symptoms begin to improve. But after a short time, we realized she still was having quite a few problems and was definitely not gaining weight, so we did exactly the opposite of what was common sense with a child not gaining weight. We cut *more* foods. We combined a low-FODMAP diet with the Autoimmune Protocol, the diet we had previously had the most success with. So we kicked out eggs, grains, nightshades, nuts, and seeds. Whew! But we didn't stop there, on a sneaking suspicion, we decided to kick out beef and chicken as well and started eating lamb at nearly every meal. On this diet Addie finally began to thrive. As long as we watched her fructose intake, her tummy problems were nearly non-existent. For the first time in her life, she began sleeping through the night. And her hair, which had stopped growing, and been breaking off, started to thicken, grow, and became glossy.
In the midst of all this, in a new state, at a new job, with a new baby on the way, our lives felt turned upside down, and we spent every day just trying to survive. There was literally no where we could go out to eat or pick up take-out, so this pregnant momma was on for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week. My days were filled with toddler tantrums as I tried to explain these new food changes to my barely two-year old, who begged me for eggs and apples. We avoided leaving the house like the plague and for several weeks we simply snuck out of church before the potluck fellowship meal. Jess and I drew close as we spent our evenings making "game plans." It was a difficult, yet sweet time. Eventually, we found our new rhythm and life grew easier. We found new ways to prepare foods on our limited diet, and everyone began adjusting. Addie was a new calmer, happier, better-sleeping toddler. Her somewhat delayed speech finally began to explode, and we enjoyed her new, creative spirit. Seeing her like this made everything so worth it. But she still wasn't gaining. In fact, we decided we couldn't leave town even to visit family, because she would lose weight every time we left. So once again, Jesse and I sat down for more strategizing. We began counting calories and adding fat to everything. And I mean everything. We also made a list of starches and carbs we thought she was most likely to tolerate. But panic set in, and in our eagerness to see the pounds pack on our little, we introduced too many new things at once, and were left with a night of crying misery, no sleep, and no idea which food was the culprit. After several days of rocky sleep, a gassy kid, and a chiropractic adjustment, we were finally back down to baseline yesterday and decided to try *one* new food again.
So today, for the very first time in her life, Addie helped me make, and eat, pancakes. Now granted, these weren't your fluffy IHOP pancakes. They were made from cassava, a tropical root that we had never heard of before (but that is both low-FODMAP and AIP compliant!!) and they were rather gummy. But considering that Addie normally eats lamb roast and carrots for lunch, she was pretty content. She napped easily and slept most of last night without waking, so we are feeling hopeful. The plan is to feed her cassava for two more days, before heading onto a new food introduction. If she passes cassava, it will open up a bunch of new doors for diet-friendly baked goods that we can actually take on the go! On another happy note, when we put Addie on the scale tonight, she was up a whole pound!!! We aren't holding our breath yet. It could be just a fluke. She could lose that weight again if we have a bad couple days. But after not seeing ANY weight gain in over 10 months, we are feeling pretty hopeful. There have been so many nights that we have felt discouraged since Addie was born, but tonight we are reveling in the goodness of God. We are so thankful for the different doctors and fellow "allergy parents" that He has brought into our lives to help us and encourage us. We have a long way to go before we could ever consider ourselves "normal," but for tonight we are very content to be finding answers and making progress. We love you, little girl!
Part of our plan has been to involve Addie in as much kitchen work as possible. We are hopeful that being involved will spark her desire to try new things and to enjoy the whole process of food. Baking is by far her favorite thing to do right now.
I did the measuring and cooking, but Addie did almost all of the pouring and mixing. She was very adamant that it was always her "turn! turn!!"
Cooking with a two-year old certainly always leaves more clean-up!
Addie watching her "can-cakes!" cooking. A frozen strawberry to snack on keeps her from being too tempted to reach out and touch anything hot. :P
Almost looking like a real pancake!
Look at that beautiful hair!!
Addie thought the pancakes were just ok. What she really loved was the strawberry syrup we made to go with them.
