Saturday

We seem to have mostly gotten the craziness under control. For the moment.
Mornings and bedtimes have settled into a sort of routine (not a routine I'd like to continue long term, but tolerable), though N. broke another crystal while poking at the chandelier this morning. Dinnertime is a little tense, but Ed and I are looking on it as a graphic demonstration for Katie and Travis of how essential decent manners are in maintaining a convivial atmosphere.

Aside from mornings, bedtime, and dinner, things are going reasonably well. Travis and Katie are really enjoying having playmates in the house 24/7, and they all play together very nicely, with no more than the usual amount of bickering. N. has mostly stopped whining when thwarted (though she did throw a fit and tell Ed he was stupid when he stopped her from running into the street yesterday), and she has gotten over being afraid of Bo, which is a relief. P. has continued to do his homework promptly on arriving home from school, and has been a little less moody. And we have managed to give Katie enough attention that she does not seem to be feeling displaced.

We were told at the start that these children probably wouldn't be staying with us long, and on Wednesday the social worker told us that an aunt and a grandmother have come forward and are being checked out. P. has already told us that he doesn't want to go to his aunt's because she is mean and doesn't let him do anything (and there I thought we were mean, because we make him turn off the DS and go to bed at 9:00), but the state of North Carolina puts children with relatives when at all possible, so the choice is out of P.'s and our hands.