Day 2: Is it a fluke?

As you know, yesterday was the first day of our sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free diet. I had read that it would take about 7 to 10 days to notice results from the diet change. They said that if you eat a lot of processed food, then it might happen faster. But, we don't eat a lot of processed food so I was prepared to wait a week before I noticed any changes.

Last night, as Tom and I were going to bed, he asked me how long the "super diet" was supposed to take before it started changing behavior; because he had noticed a difference in Lily that night at dinner. I agreed with him. We are both skeptical people (him more than me) so it's a huge deal that we even think that this might work. If someone else was telling us that they were trying this diet, we would smile and nod....and talk about them behind their back. Telling each other how crazy we thought they were. So, for us both to notice a difference on the first day, we're shocked, to say the least.

Today was no different. She is a completely different child. As I type this I am still unbelieving. I just think any minute she's going to crumble into a state of her normal bedtime hysterics. Instead, she's sitting on the chair with Tom and having a normal four year old conversation.

Let me just give you some comparasion stories. Normally dinner time is not fun at our house. No matter what, by that time of day, Lily is spent and unable to function. She was constantly moving, playing with her food, spilling her drink, putting her feet on the table, unable to sit down on her bottom, and generally screaming and yelling and doing nothing socially appropriate. On a good night she was able to eat her meal without spilling and possibly tell us what she did that day. However, last night and tonight at dinner, she was sitting with her feet under the table (without kicking), she was using a spoon (and when she didn't, it took nothing but a reminder to get her to start using it again), she didn't spill. And even when I told her that we were having the new milk she didn't like, she suggested by herself that maybe she should try a bit and see if maybe she likes it today. At dinner she is now having a conversation with us, instead of talking at us or just screaming and arguing with us.

I still don't know what to think about all of this. What a huge change for Lily. What a huge change in our way of eating. But, if I had know that this diet would have even helped half as well as it seems to have, I would have worked twice as hard to make it happen. I am for the first time in weeks, maybe months enjoying my sweet daughter for most of the day. She and I have a renewed relationship. I have no idea what it will be like next week, or in a month. I know she is four and will still do four year old stuff, but, if this four year old's behavior continues the way it's been going....I'll take it!