Day 31: Looking back at the first month

Despite the fact that Ellie, Ian and I are all down and out with minor colds, I've been reflecting the past couple days over all we have gained over our first 31 days on GAPS Intro. Some changes worth noting:

• Ellie and I haven't had a drop of honey or fruit for 31 days. After asking for bananas or apples daily for the first week or so, Ellie's stopped asking for fruit and my cravings for sweet things have also gone away. I no longer feel like I need something sweet every day to feel "normal." I've found my ability to distinguish real food from junk has become more accurate. At the grocery store yesterday, I had no desire whatsoever for Oreos or granola bars or other sweets, which looked a lot more like products and packaging than food. Yet at the checkout stand I saw a magazine cover photo of strawberry shortcake with glistening berries piled high with whipped cream and that sure did make my mouth water. 
• Except for a brief scary soup strike, Ellie's appetite has been fantastic. She is eating heartily at every meal and loves (just about) everything I've served. 
• Consequentially, her weight seems great. I haven't taken her in for a weight check since starting Intro, but her body looks good and her face is round and full. 
• We have successfully introduced duck eggs! This is so huge. Whenever I get down about not having progressed further through Intro, I remind myself that we can now eat eggs. After 9 months of not eating eggs, I truly appreciate how wonderful these little gems of nutrition are. 
• She has slept through the night 3 times in the past month! 
• We are getting closer and closer to baseline, which is food allergy code for an absence of symptoms. Once we get to a place where Ellie is obviously physically comfortable, sleeping well and eating heartily, then I will be more confident to trial some of the foods she has reacted to in the past. 
• I've never been worried about Ellie developmentally, but she does seem to be experiencing developmental gains too. In the past month she has starting singing the whole alphabet, counting to 20 and memorizing some of her books and "reading" them back to me. 
• During Intro there have been (many) days Ellie and I have felt terrible for sure. But on our good days I see glimmers of a toddler who fusses less, asks to nurse less, plays more independently and generally finds a lot of joy in her day-to-day life. She has also become much more affectionate with us. For a kiddo who wouldn't rest her head on my shoulder until she was about a year old, every little hug and kiss is such a wonderful reminder of how far we've come. 

I know I've spend a lot of the past month writing about our trials and tribulations. (And believe me, this has been HARD.) But in looking back I can see all we've gained. Here's hoping for many more gains to come.