Developmental Peds - Visit Two

We met with Garrett's Developmental Pediatrician yesterday. It was a follow up visit to go over the tests that had been ordered 2 months ago.

Genetic testing, hearing and the MRI all came back normal, which we already knew. Our ABA referral had fallen out of the system while we were waiting for the EFMP and ECHO paperwork to be filed. The doctor put that referral in again, but now it's close enough to our move that I doubt Garrett will start ABA until we're in Virginia. I asked the doctor about a nutrition consult and he gave us a referral to the pediatric dietitian at Walter Reed.

The doctor also filled out paperwork for us to get a disabled placard through the Nevada DMV. That will make things a little bit easier while Todd is deployed.

GFCF cupcakes were a hit!

Garrett loved his birthday cupcake!

I used a gluten free yellow cake mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen (using canola oil instead of butter) and Pillsbury Vanilla Funfetti frosting. I now have eleven unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer that I can pull out for special occasions (like our Halloween playgroup on Friday).

One thing that I learned from this is that Garrett will eat cupcakes. We've given him cake before and he usually just smashed it into crumbs. I'm going to try to make some GFCF muffins using fruit and veggie purees to see if we can get something besides chicken, pretzels, chips and apples into his tummy.

Back on the diet and my baby is now 2

Since I got my commission checks from my end of September Pampered Chef shows, we can put Garrett back on the GFCF diet. This time, we're going slower and following the "Going GFCFSF in 10 weeks!" recommendations on the TACA website.

Garrett has been dairy free since Wednesday. He's drinking fortified almond milk now. We're still looking for a good margarine/butter replacement. We have the Smart Balance with Flax Oil, but haven't been impressed.

Garrett turns 2 today! I'm making a regular cake for the family and some GFCF cupcakes for Garrett. We'll see how they turn out. I'm a little nervous.

Garrett has been off his diet for a week.

It was a family decision to take Garrett off of his GFCF diet until after we move. Todd said that he can't tell a difference. I think he's just not paying enough attention. I can tell a difference. Garrett's speech pathologist could tell a difference when she met with him on Thursday. His eye contact is pretty much non-existent now. He wouldn't engage with us during his speech session. He spent most of the time staring at the floor.

Small update

Both boys were sick last week, so Garrett did not have therapy.

This week, we started Garrett on probiotics. We're using Nature's Way Primadophilus® Kids. I picked the 30 ct bottle up at Whole Foods Market for around $7. I also purchased some xanthum gum and potato starch so that I can do some GFCF baking using the flours that I bought a few weeks ago. One of the TACA moms gave me a copy of Special Diets for Special Kids and I'm very excited to start using it.

Garrett had a great OT session yesterday. He referenced Bronson a few times while Bronson was playing with a different toy.

Today, the speech pathologist brought the More Than Words dvd. We went over some goals for Garrett (like more eye contact, taking turns, etc.) and showed a few ways to get some interaction and give him an opportunity to communicate.