I would allow the plant to dry out a bit. Use distilled water when you do resume watering. this species is also prone to a sudden death phenomenon. They grow well inside at window sills and artificial lighting but should have some seasonality to it. It is somewhat temperate. If you see "winter" leaves, as evidenced by a teardrop shaped, pluck as close to the base as possible and place white part in medium, like a chip dip.

It's good to hear from you, and I'm glad the baby is doing well. I think you're going to be helping SS just by giving he and his mother some time apart, if things are that stressful for them right now. I was wondering if there is some sort of parenting class that you could maybe suggest that you all go to (so it's not so obviously directed at BM.) It could be that SS's behavior is that different at BM's, in which case she could probably use some tips in learning how to parent him (like PO1 said), or it could just be that her expectations/standards are higher than is going to work with SS. Are there any support groups for parents of kids with ADHD/bipolar near BM? If BM could get out to one (if there is one) that might help defuse the tensions a lot. I've noticed sometimes that if SS is doing something particularly aggravating, when I talk to someone about it, it ends up sounding silly and amusing and I feel so much better. Maybe that would work for her as well? What would happen if either you guys or SF worked with SS on a "secret" slightly longer-term project to surprise his mom with? Would SS be able to do that (with adult help)? I can see how it would be really frustrating to BM if she is not seeing any day to day improvement; would it help if SS could do/build/create/learn something new that BM had no part of until the grand unveiling? (Of course, you wouldn't want her to be completely in the dark about it, but parents are very good at being "surprised"!) BM would see the end result without having to handle the day to day struggle involved in the creation, and maybe that would help her and SS to see that he really can make progress. Sort of like when you're on a diet and nobody notices, until you see someone who hasn't seen you for a few months and they notice right away and tell you how great you look.

Cat, it's terrible that you have tried, but your DH has such a bad attitude. It seems like your DH is one of the "My children are perfect, and how dare you find fault with them... Oh, but your child sucks" people. That's too bad, because of all the stress it has put on your marriage. JNM, I thought you shared that philosophy! A__ and I have actually talked about this give and take relationship... After a particularly rough patch, when he was being rather bratty, and I got pretty snippy with him, I explained that I love him no matter what, but that we choose how we treat each other, so we should choose to treat each other well. He seemed to think this was quite reasonable and succinctly said "So if I try to be very nice to you, then you try to be very nice to me? I think I can try to do that" So we had some hugs and kisses and moved on. We renew this conversation every few months. Kathline - Thanks, but I'm not all-nice-all-the-time... Here's how: BM can frustrate me, and I get upset when she doesn't want to "wear her mom hat" because her "GF hat" or her "work hat" get in the way. When she wears her "mom hat," she is a very good mom and she wants what's best for A__, but sometimes she makes me mad because I see A__ getting the short end of the stick. Overall, she's not so bad though, and she's not mean or spiteful and she doesn't use A__ as a weapon. Part of why I decided to take an active role in A__'s ADHD management was selfish: I thought "Wow, I'm really nuts about my BF, and I like his son's big heart and goofy personality... but if he's always this out of control, I don't think I can handle being in this relationship... :( " So I learned about ADHD, and I talked to FDH, suggested things that could help A__ and tried to keep positive, focusing on good days, not bad, and looking for his improvements, not his weak points... Meanwhile I worked towards a loving relationship with A__, making sure that I let him set the pace and the boundaries of relationship growth. But it wasn't JUST for A__ or FDH, it was for me too. There are days (A__'s bad days) when I think "BLARGH!! He's being such a brat today!!" but of course I don't say "Why are you being such a sh17ball?! Stop it!" Instead I try to help him have a good day and shift the focus to that. Sometimes after a few bad days in a row, my patience gives out and I get cranky with him (mostly my tone changes to short and snippy) but I try to solve things before it hits that. It helps a lot that I can be honest and frank with FDH about how I feel about A__. I often have A__ when FDH is at work (BM knows and is fine with this) and I know that it's safe to tell FDH "It's a wonderful day! A__ is being a perfect little angel today! He's a treat to have around!" or "Average day. A__'s being mostly good, with a little bit of lip and attitude, but overall well-behaved" or "It's not a good day! A__ is being a total nightmare and I am counting down the seconds until bedtime." I don't think A__ does things just to get people riled... Although I do think he does things for negative attention. He doesn't always know the way to look for positive attention, and positive attention isn't reinforced in other parts of his life... So I try not to take it personally, and try to focus on ways to look for positive attention. But if I'm very honest, this is something I don't like about him. But I guess my view of A__ is that he's got a big heart and is a thoughtful kid, who has a complicated life and a lot of challenges. The complicated life isn't his fault, as long as he is trying to be his best in light of his challenges, I am happy!

Wow - I was willing to give you at least 2 or 3 days before getting picture demanding - way to be on top of it! :-P You all look so relaxed and happy - I love the laughing picture. There are just times when you can tell it's 'right.' Congrats to you all - here's to many happy years of stepmom-ness!!