Kira's been in a great mood lately, very giggly and happy. No idea if its the diet or not, but I'll keep pressing on. This diet is getting a little easier with time. I realize that Kira will try new foods, but prefers that I mix them with rice. I feel strange mixing rice with a spinach pancake, but hey I'll do whatever it takes. Kira is a picky eater. I am excited to add two more dishes to her menu. She has tasted both of these and approves.

1) Macaroni and cheese with GF pasta. The recipe is simple and very tasty.

1/2 pound elbow GF macaroni (Bionare Brand is the best)
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

2) Baked potato with cheddar cheese and veggies

Just mash up a baked potato with a pinch of salt and steamed veggies of your choice and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Catching up

We have decided NOT to eliminate casein. Kira is only 13 months old and I felt really bad replacing her beloved bottle with rice milk (which she did not enjoy). My plan is to get Kira tested for a casein intolerance before I decide to remove dairy. She seems much happier drinking real milk. We have decided, however, to remain gluten free, which we have grown quite accustomed to. In fact, I notice that my husband and I have both been eating healthier ever since we started Kira on this diet. We make regular visits to Whole Foods and the organic section of Fairway.

This past weekend we had a private ABA therapist come take a look at Kira. She said that Kira could really benefit from some occupational therapy and special instruction. She is currently getting speech and physical therapy. It's pretty incredible that we could be working with four different therapists! But this isn't neccesarily a bad thing, we're happy as long as Kira gets the attention she needs. We love our both our physical and speech therapists, they are both so passionate and committed. The ABA therapist was also wonderful. We may be working with her in the future.

This has been such an interesting experience. While dealing with Kira's issues has certainly been a challenge, I've met so many friends and great people during this process.

Today Kira ate:

GF blueberry muffin with cream cheese
rice pasta with cheese and squash (invented by our nanny)
Rice with beef and veggies
Fruit