About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.
Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Off Topic: Shop for Diamonds the Ethical Way

We are not in the market for diamonds this year, and really mostly never.  But I have been eyeing a ring for our 20th anniversary which is coming up in a few years.  Hopefully by then my hubby will have a job!  Having heard so much about the shady diamond industry around the world, and being especially disturbed by the violence associated with much of it, I decided to look up diamond jewelry that is not obtained by the usual means.  A company called Brilliant Earth has a great website with all kinds of jewelry that is obtained ethically and without damage to the environment.  Just thought you might like to know.  The link is www.brilliantearth.com.  They have a great site and beautiful jewelry, not just diamonds.  Happy shopping!

1 comment:

Smile4532 said...

We have a shop near Harrisonburg that buys used items and sells them for great prices. Kind of like a pawn shop but only jewelry I guess.