Harper Week 5-6

Wow, time is flying! Harper is doing great—she's noticeably less bloated and her digestion has improved. She was actually the only one in our house who didn’t catch the nasty cold going around. Must be her good gut health! 😉

The past two weeks have been busy! We went to an Atlanta Gladiators hockey game where the kids got to meet Bluey, which was a lot of fun. Harper found some gluten-free snack options there, though not as many as she had hoped. She ended up with gluten-free chips and taco meat. She also attended the Daddy-Daughter Dance at school and had a special visit to her all-time favorite restaurant, Taco Mac! She loves it there because they offer plenty of gluten-free options. As always, she ordered her go-to meal: a burger on a gluten-free bun, a side of broccoli, and gluten-free chips.

A lot of people assume tortilla chips and fries are always gluten-free, but that’s not necessarily true. If they’re made in-house and fried in the same oil as gluten-containing foods, they can be contaminated. The same goes for french fries. Harper has been pretty determined in the past about ordering fries at restaurants, since she’s used to us making them at home and assumes they’re safe. Unfortunately, a few times she’s had them out and ended up feeling sick within an hour. It’s been a learning process for her to understand that it’s not just about the ingredients being gluten-free, but also how the food is prepared. Cross-contamination is very real and can have serious effects for those with celiac disease.

I’m so proud of Harper and the way she handles not being able to eat certain foods. Sometimes, I wish I had the same level of discipline she does. She navigates situations like missing out on birthday treats at school with such grace. Whenever I know ahead of time, I try to send a cupcake or cookies for her, but I’m not always notified, so there are times she has to sit out.

Yet, she never complains. She always comes home, excited to tell me whose birthday it was and what treat they brought, all while smiling and genuinely happy for them. She literally said, “I love that it was their birthday! I hope they had fun. It’s okay that I didn’t get to eat the special treat—I feel good, and I had the snack I brought.” And she says it with a big smile.

It’s so inspiring to see her naturally focus on the positive when it would be so easy to dwell on what she’s missing. Her ability to find joy in every situation is a reminder that our perspective shapes our experience. She truly has a gift for seeing the good. ❤️