We sailed thru our CIS appointment!!!!!!

we had our appointment with CIS and it went smoothly.  our interviewer said we could pick up the kids passports on Thursday and on Friday would be their medicals. sometime the following week we have the second interview, followed by picking up their travel visas the following day. and then we can GO HOME!!!! we're so anxious to go home. not cause it's not wonderful here, but the kids are out of sorts. they need to be in one permanent place and start settling in. we're all going crazy from cabin fever so it'll be good to be home and settled in.

We went in with a game plan. I would carry David and keep him firm in my lap the entire time. he had a tiny few fussy moments but they were both amazing champs when we went in for our interview. we had collected all their toys and laid them out on the counter (our room was like a prison interview room with a glass partition separating us from the interviewer. the kids quickly discovered the bank like pens on chains. they happily sat on our laps and drew all over each other. but they were absolute angels! WOO HOOOOOO. and this on one hour nap and having been rudely awaken to get ready to leave.   Once we told them we're leaving they both perked up. they ride in cars like real Champs and were all smiles before we even got thru the hotel room door.

The kids are both coming down with a cold which have made them very crotchety today. they were very cross with each other and kept fighting which is unusual for them. i think we also have some sibling rivalry going on. David is much more comfortable with Jeff again and i don't think Emma is too thrilled with that. Just like David gets' mad if i play with Emma. we generally let them work it on their own, until they start hitting. they are a rough bunch these kids and regular play involves a lot of kicking and hitting. but today they were just annoying each other to no end. David had to get several time outs for acting out too much. these seem to work really well for him. they were so pitiful today whining about every tiny thing. so when David just would not stop, we'd put him in the room by himself. within seconds he'd stop crying. minutes later he'd come into the LR. he'd stand there and we'd say come on in. but he had to do it in his own fashion. it seems to work as it has cut his histrionics by more then half.

Emma is also a button pusher. the kids figure everything out in seconds. One thing in particular, how to turn on the computer. so when i see them near it, i say Khong. i can say it softly since it's just them testing me. but what Emma does is keeps her finger on the laptop. not putting it on or touching the buttons, just asserting herself. Then David started doing the same thing. We all had a snack when we got back from CIS -- for a job well down. and i had given the kids a couple of skittles i left the bag on the table and David would put his finger on it and say Me? and I'd say no, you've had enough. so he'd look down, but keep his finger on the bag. would not open it or take another candy.. just had to keep his finger on it til HE was ready. that's all fine with me. i told him he could not have more and he did not have more so a deal's a deal. i did not tell him he could not touch the bag, so that was okay. after he was sure i had learned "my" lesson, he took his finger away in search of other pursuits to annoy his sister. We know they are just testing us. see how much they can get away with. We've been indulging them a lot since this is all a major adjustment for them. And Emma's thing today was to sit up in her chair during meals. But when i demanded she sit down (and not jump on and off and climb all over it) she got mad at me. but she behaved and sat back down. so now i just say sit down and point my finger downward and they plop back down in their seats. see they're really such great kids. just pushing the envelope a bit. checking us out. as long as we're consistent (as in no toys at the table, no hitting hard, no climbing while eating.) And when they're good and having fun and goofing off we say, man if everyone else could see them like this. they are such a hoot together.

This morning David got up around 4:30 am. Jeff got up with him. Jeff said after a half hour of playing on his own, David went and softly woke Emma up. then he brought her into the LR where he piled all the toys on the sofa so she could play with them. they are so very loving to each other. even though they have been bratty with each other today, they all have their limits. they'll fight over something, but if one of them really wants the toy the other will just give it up. Very sweet kids.

They are brushing their teeth too! they've been watching me and yesterday i gave them their toothbrushes. i have some baby toothpaste, but it was just easier to give them a tiny bit of my mint toothpaste. at first they winced at the taste, then they kept asking for more. right now they're just brushing the front teeth but we'll work on the rest later : )

oh and they discovered ICE! OMG the love ice! they will grab it out of our glasses (we have a fridge and make our own with bottled water) and suck on it till their lips pucker up. they haven't quite figured out how to avoid "burning" their hands with the cold ice, so i have a baby blanket i keep nearby to warm their hands up between cubes. too cute indeed!