Anilegna, I'm sure you are in contact with your health care provider and have brought the reflux to his/her attention. This can be a slight problem or a bigger problem that only they can diagnosis. For gas, it could definitely be something in your diet causing the little one discomfort. I'm assuming you are nursing. Avoid things that give YOU gas, such as beans, veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, etc. When my daughter was a newborn (27 years ago) and had colic, my mother recommended dill water. That's what she had given us when we were fussy newborns. Also known by some as gripe water. A weak tea of 1/8 tsp of dill seed (not dillweed)to 1 cup of water is steeped for 3-4 minutes, strained and cooled to room temp. Then, it is poured into a bottle and the baby just needs a few sips. Of course, you should run this by your pediatrician before trying it. Alternatively, you could drink a cup of dill seed tea yourself. 1 tsp/1 cup hot water for adults. Some babies have a difficulty getting all their burps up. The put-them-on-your-shoulder-and-pat isn't sufficient for some babies. Try laying the baby across your legs and gently rubbing his back. Use gentle strokes in an upward motion (towards the head). This helped tremendously with my daughter too. They get the firmness of your legs against their belly and the stroking facilitates the gas bubbles to move. You just had to put my sons upright and they would burp! For some babies, one burp is all they need, for others 3-4 are needed. Good luck with your new baby!

It's funny, because I was just on Allrecipes looking for a refrigerator cucumber salad recipe when I noticed this. Never heard of it before, and then, not an hour later I read this post on the GW forum. You'll have to get Carol or Linda Lou or someone to weigh in on the safety of it. Here's a recipe for this from Allrecipes: Christmas Red Pickles INGREDIENTS (Nutrition) 7 pounds large cucumbers 1 cup pickling lime (calcium hydroxide) 2 teaspoons red food coloring 1 teaspoon powdered alum 1 cup distilled white vinegar 7 cups white sugar 2 cups distilled white vinegar 2 cups water 1 cup cinnamon red hot candies 4 cinnamon sticks DIRECTIONS Peel cucumbers, halve lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the cucumber into 1/4 inch half circles, and place into a glass or ceramic crock. Dissolve the pickling lime in about 1 quart of room temperature water, pour over the cucumbers, then add additional water until the cucumbers are covered by 1/2 inch. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Drain the cucumbers and rinse well with cold water. Place into a large stockpot, and cover with cold water. Allow to stand for 3 hours, then drain and rinse again. Return the cucumbers to the pot, add the food coloring, alum, 1 cup vinegar, and enough water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 2 hours. Once the cucumbers have cooked for 2 hours, drain and allow to cool a bit before placing into the glass or ceramic jar. Stir together 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, cinnamon red hot candies, and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar and candies dissolve. Pour this mixture over the warm cucumbers, cover, and let stand overnight. Pack pickles into pint jars, and process in a hot water bath for 15 to 20 minutes. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal.

There are quite a few Ethiopian restaurants in L.A. and there is a very good one close to where I work, although I tend to go there on week-ends. The Frugal Gourmet has some Ethiopian recipes in his Our Immigrant Ancestors cookbook (enough for several meals), but I have another African cookbook that Lee sent to me (and which I love) which was written by Marcus Samuelsson, who was born in Ethiopia and adopted by a Swedish couple who raised him in Sweden. He has since gone on to open restaurants in NYC, but his book The Soul of a New Cuisine is a collection of recipes that he developed after a trip through Africa. I highly recommend this book. My friend Eury (who was born in Senegal to Portuguese and Cabo Verdan parents) says that the West African recipes are very authentic. So far, I like everything that I've made from this book. Here are some of my favorite Ethiopian recipes: DORO WAT CHICKEN STEWED IN RED PEPPER SAUCE 2 -1/2 - 3 lb chicken cut into pieces 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp salt 2 cups finely chopped onions (shallots) 1/4 cup niter kebbeh (spiced ghee)* 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, pulverized 1/4 tsp ground cardamom 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 cup berbere** 2 tbsp paprika 1/4 cup white wine 3/4 cup water 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled Marinate the chicken pieces in the salt and lemon juice for half an hour. Fry the onions in a dry pan until they are soft and dry. Do not allow them to burn. Add the ghee and spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the wine and water and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Pat the chicken dry and drop into the simmering sauce. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (20 - 30 min.). Pierce the surface of each egg and add to the stew. Cook for a few more minutes to color up the eggs. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. In the absence of injera, serve the doro wat with rice or pita bread. *Niter Kebbeh is unsalted butter seasoned with onion, garlic, fresh ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. (Traditionally even more spices may be used including lots of basil). The butter and spices are cooked together. When the clear liquid is separated from the solids, spiced ghee is the result. In the refrigerator, this lasts for months. **Berbere (berberi) is a red pepper and spice paste combining ginger, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, onion, garlic, salt, ground red pepper/paprika, black pepper, water and vegetable oil. YEGOMEN WAT 1 lb or 1 bunch kale, collard or mustard greens, or cabbage 1 cup chopped onions (shallots) 1/2 cup oil 1 tbs finely chopped garlic 1 tbs finely chopped ginger 4 cups water salt to taste Wash the greens and chop. Add water and bring to a boil. Add the salt, oil, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook until the greens are tender (25 min). Drain and serve. If the greens are bitter and/or tough, parboil them alone, discard the water and then proceed with the above recipe. Other variations on this recipe include adding green chili peppers or jalapenos; or sauteing the onions before adding them to the rest of the ingredients; or adding some niter kebbeh just before serving. YEMISIR WAT LENTIL STEW 1 lb lentils 4 cups water 2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tsp ginger, minced 1/4 cup oil, butter or niter kibbeh 1 tsp turmeric 2 tbsp paprika or berberi 1/2 to 2 tsp cayenne pepper Cook lentils in water until tender, drain. Saute onions, garlic and ginger in oil until onions are soft. Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook gently for another minute or two. Mix cooked lentils with sauteed onions and spices. Heat gently. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Variations: use split peas (green, red or yellow) FAVA BEAN SAUCE YABAQELA KIK WAT 2 cups dried fava beans 4 cups water 2 cups onions or shallots, chopped 1 cup cooking oil 1/8 cup red pepper or berbere 1/2 cup paprika 1/2 tsp black cumin 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp garlic 2 cups water Boil the beans for 10-15 minutes. Dry fry the onions until soft. Add the oil and fry for an additional 10-15 minutes. Add the red pepper, paprika, black cumin and salt and fry for another 10 minutes. Add the garlic, 2 cups of water and the partially cooked beans. After 15 minutes, mash the beans and continue cooking for another 15-30 minutes until all beans are soft. Serve with injera or pita bread. SPICED GREEN BEANS AND CARROTS YE ATAKILT WAT 2 cups green beans, cut in bite sized lengths 2 cups carrots, cut to match the green beans 1 cup onion or shallots, chopped 1 green pepper, hot or sweet, cut in bite sized pieces 1 tbsp fresh ginger 1/4 cup spiced butter 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 clove garlic Cook the green beans and carrots in a small amount of water; drain them when done. Dry fry the onion until soft. Add the green pepper, ginger and butter and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, salt and black pepper. Fry briefly. Add 1/2 cup of water and minced garlic. Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, stir gently and reheat. Serve with injera or pita bread. Lars

Here's Paula Deen's. Baked cheese grits 6 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 2 cups regular grits 16 ounces Cheddar, cubed 1/2 cup milk 4 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish. Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40