Progress?

I think that we've made some progress here.

We've progressed from the "why?" to the "And guess what?"

Well, Ryan has.  And it's driving me insane.

I try, really, I do, to listen to him as he rattles off something excitedly, then says "and guess what?" 

It's just that at the fifth time he says it, in the same conversation, my eyes are about to roll back in my head.

"I know what happens in "Wallace and Gromit."  He's an inventor, and Gromit is the dog, and guess what?"

<You have to respond, "what?" or at least look interested in what's coming next>

"He invents this thing, and his mind gets mixed up, and guess what?"

"What?"

"He turns into this big, furry, were-rabbit, and guess what?"

Now, multiply that "and guess what?" over the course of the day, add 3 more kids, and traffic, and tell me you aren't reaching for the strong stuff.

On the one hand, it is adorable, and it'll pass.

On the other, it's enough to make me feel like a robot, nodding and inserting "what?" at the appropriate prompt.

The two of us actually did go see "Wallace and Gromit" last night.  I promised I'd take him when he pitched a fit upon discovering the older two boys were going to a birthday party at a mini-golf place this past weekend and he wasn't.  A night out with just Mom to a movie he knows the big kids wanted to see was enough to calm him down.   It was quite a doozey of hurt feelings, too; I was pulling at strings and just happened to yank the right one that stopped the crying madness.   

It's hard, when you have so many kids, so close together in age.  They have the same friends, they go to the same school.  They get invited, sometimes as a group, sometimes individually.  I don't mind, either way, and I certainly understand when it's one and not all, what with the prices per head some establishments charge when you are having a party: "How much for the 20 tokens, 2 slices of pizza, a drink, yes, we'll bring our own cake...mmmhmmm, a pot of gold?  Per child, not for the whole party?"  That, and the whole each-kid-should-be-able-to-cultivate-his-own-friendships/identity thing makes me NOT one of those "invite one, invite them all" kind of Moms.  (Oh, and they are out there, believe me.)

A bag of buttered popcorn can do wonders to soothe the psyche.  He had a great time.

Which leads me to my next beef with the little personality in the house, who has progressed from "I do it" to her latest Audrey-ism...I told her she wasn't coming along last night, and she was crying (no nap) but managed to throw in:

"It's not fair." <complete with tears and a pout>

I just can't win.  I was about to cave...

Which is where my hero stepped in, and pried her out of my arms, pointed to the door, and said "go."

I left without her, realizing that sometimes the progress comes to me, sometimes I'm pushed into it.

Maybe I can win afterall.