Hi Susan, I'm so sorry for the delay in responding to your question, and hope by now that your starter is rising well! Usually patience does win out in the end, and bubbling is still a good sign that your starter is heading in the right direction! However, it does sound like your starter may have hit the dreaded lull in rising that I've referenced in many other replies. The type of vigorous rise you saw early on is actually caused by a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide, and seems to be related to a subsequent delay in the wild yeast joining the party. There's certainly no need to start over, but you might consider trying the alternative feeding routine recommended to us by microbiologist and sourdough baker, Debra Wink, who found that lowering the pH of the starter environment tended to pave the way for the wild yeast to kick in. Here's the plan:

1. Feed only once a day. 

2. Feed with whole wheat or whole rye flour, if available. 

3. Feed with a ratio by weight of 2 parts starter : 1 part water : 1 part flour. For example: 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113g) starter + 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 57g) water and 1/2 cup (2 ounces, 57g) wholegrain flour. 

Once the starter begins to rise predictably (twice) you'll want to resume twice a day feedings, which will further promote yeast activity. You may also want to gradually transition to AP flour and the 1:1:1 ratio by weight called for in our sourdough starter recipe. 

You may notice some sluggishness in your starter each time you change its feeding routine because the organisms need time to adjust to changes, but once your starter is rising predictably again, then your starter can be considered mature and ready for baking bread. 

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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