My Hope

Hope has been here almost 6 months. I think the honeymoon (if you can call biting, scratching and screaming a honeymoon)  is over. The physical aggression has greatly decreased. Most of her aggression now is when she thinks she won't get caught. She has her real smile, which is pure pleasure to see, and she has her I-am-so-cute RAD smile she wears as defense most of the time. Her triangulation is starting to develop major league muscles, catching her therapist one session. Her favorite phrase, when she doesn't get exactly what she wants is "you don't love me". The stomping of feet, crossing of arms, and the death ray look has almost moved in with us, as opposed to being a frequent visitor. She has suddenly become incapable of doing her pre-k homework. She is furious when I tell her HW is her problem, not mine. She tries playing the I can't do it card, but since all it consists of is tracing her name, she hasn't found any sympathy. Most times she earns a consequence, her reaction is " I want to call my Texas family".  I tell her  she may want to, but it isn't happening right now. I have had the bus company put them in separate seats, because Hope was poking GB, and GB was getting in trouble for picking on "poor Hope". When Hope complains GB did something to her, the first thing I ask her is what she did to GB. Usually, she tells me I don't love her and walks away, arms folded. GB will tell me "I slugged her because she scratched my face, twisted my arm, dug her nails into my neck." After the obligatory "In this house we keep our hands to ourselves", I finally got smart and made Hope's world smaller again. She has to be with me all the time, at least until she settles down again; a day, a week, a month, whatever. Winter clothes took care of (most) of the biting. Now I have to figure out a defense against spitting.