<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Thank you so much for your help and encouagement relative to our challenges with Angel. Many of you have asked for more information ... so I'm going to put more of her history here for you ... She will be 3 in April ... and has been in our home since about May. Her short life has been filled with much sadness ... she was a very heavy baby ... breast fed for quite some time as I recall and really fought weaning ... only wanted Mommie drinks! She then went to Carnation Follow Up formula. She had terrible problems with constipation as a youngster. Would not go for 4 days at a time occassionally and was constantly managed with gylcerin suppositories. Just found out Friday at this latest appointment she was hospitalized once as an infant for an impaction. (poor baby) Thus far I have heard and seen diagnosis of PDD/NOS ... CP ... Autistic ... she was basically vacant when we met her ... could not focus ... just pretty much laid on her back and cried (bald spot on her head) ... When I was introduced to her about a year ago ... it was very clear to me that she had something terribly wrong with her in relation to her formula. Her little tummy would swell up and become very hard and rigid after her bottle (pretty much totally bottle fed would not take solids). Gas all the time ... And she cried all the time as well. She cried so much that she was given Chloral Hydrate (scuse spelling) 2X a night to sleep (and that still did not work) ... and Tylenol with Codeine many times in the day especially when her ears flared. She had chronic ear infections and had even had to have tubes put in her ears. Multiple antibiotic use ... Her parents were totally exhausted trying to deal with this huge challenge and keep their family together (another 4 year old sister as well). When she came full time into our home we were asked if we might be able to get our Angel off of the drugs and remove milk (I could smell the yeast on her) as well as put her on enzymes and acidolphilus and blue green algae. We also talked about what I had been learning here and on the Autism list (I have another 8 year old Autistic Foster Son as well) and we decided to try to keep her as gluten free as possible. She came off the medications with such grace ... and adapted very well to our concotions devised for her bottle. We moved very quickly into Organic Baby Food jars ... the progress was incredible. She went from vacant to sitting - grabbing - laughing - smiling - tracking with her eyes - now she scoots off the couch totally independently and stands for long periods - is now beginning to talk - and took her first supported independent steps in December! It has truly been a miracle. And her immune system has really improved ... she's only had one flare in the last 7 months with her ears (I believe after we tested Almond mylk which we found out she was allergic to). However she has slowly been losing weight during this period. She has gone from midrange now to below the charts ... a few weeks ago she had a terrible bout of diarrhea and vomiting. The vomiting was just once and looked like gagging reflex. But the diarrhea lasted about 3 or 4 days and she just would not eat. It was so scarey ... but she rallied and came back and began again to eat as she had been. This was a few days after a Quinoa test ... ? Then Friday week ago it happened again ... vomited once and diarrhea horribly ... the moment it happened her body shrivled like a raisin. Her little arms are almost skeletons now ... she looks like a little Ethopian baby ... she absolutely refused to eat ... we had to wrap her up and put fluids in her with a syringe ... she just has no more weight to lose ... and is very weak now and refusing bottles even gagging still. I was not convinced she was reacting to the gluten in the Rice Dream and had continued it - mainly because all of our bottle "bases" she kept reacting to ... and we are trying to rotate as much as possible. However ... no more Rice Dream will pass her lips from me ... So we're running a battery of tests from our Holistic Doctor ... doing some poop tests as well. And she saw the Gasterointerolgist Friday that we were referred to from the State ... she did a very comprehensive history ... and said for us to put her back on Carnation formula (says that the Good Start is "low allergin" ...) totally (nothing else) ... she did allow that milk was not necessary ... but we think that she's doing this to be SURE she is getting the proper balance (it was very difficult for her to calculate what she was getting from our food log) - and when we attempted to discuss Celiac she assured us it was "extrememly rare" in the US. We are on day 3 of the formula now ... the first day she drank 2 bottles ... yesterday 2 bottles and today 11 ounces by noon. This cannot continue ... So I (and her parents) appreciate all your heartfelt concern, feedback and prayers ... I've been forwarding the responses to her parents (BTW they are getting divorced now and the other daughter is with Dad) ... it has been a miracle but we have to figure out this latest challenge quickly. Thank you again ... it's so wonderful to be able to vent here ... You are the greatest ... and I am sorry that I have not had time to thank each one of you individually ... we are in survial please forgive me ... Amy "A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature" Emerson :)