Justin woke up with a fairly good temperament and ate a big donut for breakfast. (He is looking so thin. We are letting him eat whatever he has a taste for at this point)

But his mood rapidly darkened when it was time for oral meds. He spit out medication, kicked me and screamed, “I hate you!” (We are still working on swallowing pills and mixing it with new and different stuff to make it taste better!)

Now normally this mom wouldn’t play that. But I know it is fear talking. Last night he vomited after meds, so now he is associating taking meds with that. He is also taking a steroid, which, his doctor told us, will cause mood changes like anger and aggressive behavior. Awesome.

We are trying to navigate his mood swings and defiance with love and sympathy toward everything he is going through. But we must also stay firm about enforcing what he needs to do while continuing to cultivate obedience and respect.

I have thought about this a great deal. I think staying firm and expecting obedience will be especially important when we get home. We want to make him as comfortable as we can, but we can’t let him run the show. It wouldn’t be fair to his brothers, whom would then expect the same treatment. And then…chaos.

This is a fine line and a new layer of difficulty in parenting. Deep breath. I know God will give us the grace we need to persevere and traverse these turbulent waters.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

On a lighter note, a dear friend brought me liquid foundation make up at my request. I am broken out like a teenager. This stuff is amazing! How did I make it to 37 and not realize this?

Grace be with you on this day of rest.