stickernoodles . . .

During our wait for a firm diagnosis of Little Leighton’s (LL) health issues, she is healing and eating and drinking and, mostly, doing her best to get back to her funny, sweet, silly, feisty, sassy self!  

At least one of the possible diagnoses is celiac disease. There is no one on either side of LL’s family that has this health disorder. Or, at least, we know of no relatives that have ever had this medical condition/challenge. After researching it, it has been a devastating scare.

Once they did the test on LL for celiac, TLC and I began to shop for any and all gluten-free foods we could find. LL is quite the picky—and opinionated—eater. Little Toot. One day she LOVES a new food. The next day? She’s over it. Not interested. Nope. "No tank you," she says. (Welcome to the CrAzY World of Toddlers, right?)

Knowing Trader Joe’s had some gluten-free products, My Sweet Hubby (MSH) and I made a trip to their Ft. Worth store last Friday. We found a few products we could all try. One that looked particularly promising was a box of “Snickerdoodles.” Cookies! Fabulous! Now we’re talkin’…

I took all of the gluten-free loot we’d found to TLC and LL this past Sunday afternoon. LL adored the Snickerdoodles! She calls them “Stickernoodles.” She’ll look at me, as she’s working on a puzzle or reading a book, and say: “Stickernoodles, Grammy?”

The box has 16 little soft, chewy, delicious treats. (At this time, according to TLC, there is one sad and lonesome cookie left in that box.) I think a box cost $50.00. (Just kidding. I'm not sure what it was for those sixteen delights. There are just sixteen. That's the main problem. We have discovered that gluten-free products ain’t all that cheap, folks. Sigh.) It really would make no difference to Grammy and Pa-Pa if that box cost $100. We’d buy it. We'd sell our home to buy her Stickernoodles. She’s getting Stickernoodles. Period. End of story.

As we learn more and more about this mean and confusing condition, we realize we’ve had very little sympathy for and understanding of those who suffer from this disease. The truth is this: ALL of us could benefit from gluten-free everything. But there it is. In everything good and tasty. Double Sigh.

Hope Y’all have a Charming Camel Day—wherever in the World you are…