So I am so excited to report some progress Gabriel has made. Gabriel was tested for Special Ed a couple weeks ago, I'd say about 2 weeks ago, before school let out. They said that when they tested him, one of the areas where he had a major weakness was understanding patterns. For example, they'd show a pattern, and ask what came next. Every time they did this, instead of completing the pattern, he would give the last picture that was shown, rather than what came next. They tried to explain it to him, but it just didn't "get through". His last day of school, this past Tuesday, I took my pay check for that day, and went to the Dollar Tree and pretty much bought them out on Pre-K school supplies and learning materials. I plan on teaching him at home this Summer to get him up to par. Anyway, I bought these dry erase books, one of them was early math skills for Pre-K children, and they had the pattern questions in it. I had him complete it today while I've been working in the kitchen, and when I went to check, he had done the same thing that the testing people said he had problems with. The first one was circle, triangle, circle, triangle, then he had to fill in what came next. Well instead of putting circle, he had drawn a triangle. I said, "Gabriel, no baby, it's circle, triangle, circle, triangle, what?" He said, "Triangle." So I said, repeated myself slower while pointing to each shape, "No, it's, circle, triangle, circle, triangle..." and he cut me off and said, "Oh! Circle!" And I screamed YES!!! He had a big smile on his face and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he had gotten it! It clicked!!! So I said, "Okay, what about this one? Square, oval, square, oval..." He yells out, "Sqaure!" I said "YES! You got it bud!", he proceeded to fix each one that he had messed up! That is HUGE for us right now, because according to the test givers, no amount of explaining it to him got through to him. This was 12, I repeat, twelve days ago! He has only been on the diet for 4! I can't wait to see where he's at in a month! Or even 6 months! It just does my heart so good to see such promising changes in such a short period of time! I'm so thankful to be on the road to healing!

Today has been, and will be a very busy day. Tomorrow we're having our Memorial Day family cook out at my parents' house. This will be a task. No one else in my family is on the paleo diet, and even worse, not gluten-free, at all. Luckily, we bring our own meat for my dad to grill, so I will be bringing grass-fed hamburger meat for burgers and grass-fed hotdogs as well. I am going to "attempt" to make a paleo bread recipe and make hamburger buns. I went to Hobby Lobby last night and bought a pan that makes whoopie pies. I'm thinking that they just may be the right size, shape and depth to get a desirable bun. We'll see. I'm also bringing sweet potato fries as my side dish. I know my mom LOVES sweet potato fries, so I'm hoping everyone else will enjoy them as well. I figure between the hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries, that will be enough for us for dinner. I'm just going to have to bring a small cooler as well for our organic, garbage free, homemade condiments since everything they have there is full of high-fructose corn syrup, gluten, and other junk. I'm also going to make several snacks to bring the boys in case they get nibblish after dinner, that way I have some healthy snacks on hand, and they're not tempted to eat crap. I'm so glad my 8 year old, Elijah, is so on board with this, and making conscious decisions to read labels and make healthier choices. Gabriel looks up to him, and I think that has played a huge role in Gabriel's success to eat what I give him. I'm also bringing a raw dessert. I'm bringing a triple layer mud cake. It's really good, but I can't tell my dad what's in it, because he won't even try it lol. Avocados are the main ingredient, and he won't touch an avocado to save his life. But I'll tell him after he eats it, I always enjoy the look on his face when I do!

So it's day three for Gabriel and I'm seeing some small improvements today. He seems to be thinking a little more clearly, and speaking a little clearer. He did say something today that melted my heart though, which reinforced my desire to heal him through food, and assures me that I'm teaching my children the right things. I had some freshly made almond milk in the fridge this morning, and he asked for a cup. Gabriel's a picky eater, but in a good way. While he likes sweets, he's picky with them. He's more apt to eat a salad than a cheesecake, and for that I am grateful. Well, I made unsweetened almond milk, because I mostly just use it in my coffee, which I sweeten with stevia, paleo cereal, which has honey in it, and I cook with it, so I don't see a need to sweeten it. I gave him a little in a glass to see if he liked it first, before I poured a whole cup. He took a big gulp and looked at me and said, "It's good for my brain?" lol! Out of the mouths of babes! That made me want to cry! I told him, "Yes baby, it's good for your brain, and your body." It's little things like that, that make this whole journey so worth it, no matter how hard or inconvenient it seems sometimes. :)

Today is Gabriel's first official day on his new diet. We have a long way to go. There really isn't a whole lot to report today, as we're just getting started, but I hope that through our journey that we can help others. If others see the struggles that we've had, that are being fixed through something as simple as changing our diet, I hope that others may question theirs, and realize that there's still hope. Please be patient as I build this site, but I hope you'll stick around and accompany us on this journey, and watch my son grow into the boy I know he was meant to be. All I want for my son is to be healthy and happy, and right now, that means helping him find mental clarity. :)