She hasn't gotten really bad yet, but it appears that my mother is headed into another manic period. I sort of got the feeling she was headed in this direction when we celebrated my birthday. In signing the card she gave me, she wrote out my full name and included her maident name. She also gave me a religion medallion. I didn't notice the medallion at first; I mistook it for a Sacagawea dollar and tried to buy something with it. Those are very subtle signs, but they are symptomatic to me. The medallion thing was much more confrontational than Mom usually is. She knows I'm an atheist, and usually she would not try push the religion issue, especially not on my birthday. The long name is something she also does when she is getting ill.

My sister has noticed that my mother isn't sleeping as much again, and that she is getting agitated much more quickly. They've had a few fights recently.

If this takes its normal path, she will become delusional with in the month. This entry should give the reader a glimpse of what it can be like.

We had planned on visiting my sister who just gave birth a few weeks ago, but those plans are now on hold indefinitely. My sister indicated that she would be very uncomfortable letting my mother hold the baby while she is in a manic state. It probably made sense to wait a month anyway, because my brother who previously lived in Oregon has moved near that sister, and his wife is scheduled to give birth in July. My mother's manic bouts tend to last 2 to 3 months, so maybe some time in August.

Well, four years between episodes is pretty good. Hopefully this won't be too bad.