Day Three: A Tale of Two Different People

This morning we were all up and dressed at 5:30 AM and made record time to UCLA. Katie was very agreeable and tender hearted... and happily greeted everyone by name when she arrived. She sat down to a bowl of cereal in the ABC's dining room and her day began.

Mark, Bea and I had our "Parental Teaching" meeting with nurse Barbara who asked some very interesting questions... and then prepared her strategy as to what tools we'll need to be equipped with in order to help Katie beyond her struggles.

Following that meeting, we met with the Psychologist, Miss. Melody... and the Social Worker, Miss Wendy. This was a verrrrry tough meeting that left us teary and heavy hearted. We had to delve into our pasts... and then talk about the tension and disagreements Mark and I had over the past weekend that put Katie on edge... which led to a discussion about our own personal character flaws. (Nope... we aren't perfect...) All of this plays into Katie's challenges in some way or another, and it's a good thing in meetings like this to get everything out on the table so we can begin the process of coming together as one team to help Katie... and in the long run... ourselves. It's no cake-walk to share painful truths about yourself... or your spouse... or your friend.... and then watch each other's faces and hearts sink as the realities of how what we have said or done in the past has wounded the very ones we love. But progress is seldom made without sacrifice and pain... and only what we push down and ignore will hurt us. So we got it out... and out... and out....

When the day was over, we got the report on Katie that she had another wonderful day... the perfect child. She's still on her honeymoon. Time will bring truth. The drive home was again a record-time commute... thank God for the diamond lane.

When we got home, we got Katie's semester report card from her school which was a very SURPRISINGLY good one. Wow... she is "getting it" despite all the challenges she has had. We praised her over and over for doing such a fantastic job... and Bea gave her $5 to go buy herself something at the "Dollar Tree". She climbed in the back seat of the car... so happy... no pressures... a fun outing.... and then one block away from the house, BAM... she suddenly changed and flipped into an angry, sassy, foul-mouthed person. Bea was shocked and asked Katie what changed and why she was acting that way. Katie continued to be hostile and foul mouthed... a TOTALLY different personality and absolutely inappropriate language and context... and ALL un-provoked. Bea didn't know what to do... or what to say...

After minutes back in the house, Katie flipped back to her darling self again... full of love and cuddles. She was very agreeable... and said she didn't know why she acted that way. She set the table, served us dinner with coos and smiles... then got her bath and jammies on .... ALL WITHOUT whining or complaint. She went to bed on time without resistance and was asleep by 8:15. Who was that person in the back seat???? Certainly not our Katie... that's for sure.

Bea sat and cried as she told us what had happened... and how very perplexed and broken hearted she was... not that Katie was so mean and foul, but that whatever it was that spoke to her from the back seat, it surely wasn't the Katie we know... and Katie felt awful about herself afterwards. We documented the goings-on of the evening on the forms that the clinic has us filling out while at home so they can know about any changes from the day... such as this.

It has been a difficult and very LOOOOOOOONG day for all of us. I will take Katie tomorrow to the clinic by myself and have a chat with the psychiatrist about the evening.... but before I do we have another obstacle to cross first... Katie needs blood work and a urinalysis done in the morning at UCLA's lab. Katie HATES needles... (don't we all?). Well, mommy is no stranger to the lab, but I think I'll wait to tell her till later tomorrow morning before we get to Westwood.

Better get my sleep.