6 years 2 months 12 days

Day 2264. Yesterday morning I lay back down after all the kids had gone to school but already got up at 9 am. I got my lesson ready and left the house at 9:30 to go to a radiology center two subway stops away. I had a 9:50 am appointment there and was called in after only 2 minutes of waiting. They then did an ultrasound of my neck vessels and inner organs. After a few minutes I was done, and 15 minutes after arriving I already lef the place to go back home. 

That was perfect as I had plenty of time to cook our lunch, chicken soup, before sitting down to teach at 11:30 am. I finished at 12:30 and got it ready for us to eat. At 1 pm Randy left to pick up Tammy and Emmy, and I left 20 minutes later to pick up Sammy. At 2:30 pm I started teaching, just as Randy was coming home with the other kids. He then left only a few minutes later with Sammy who had an x-ray scheduled at the same place I had been at in the morning but at 3 pm. 

I had two students, teaching until 4:30 pm. Randy and Sammy were home by then. A few minutes later I left with Tammy and Emmy to catch the 4:50 pm train.

After a few delays because construction of the new swimming pool hadn't been finished, the first day of their swim class had finally come. After we got off the train, we rode the tram for two stops and walked to the swimming pool. It was already dark, but the lights from the new pool were shining through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. We found the entrance, walked in and figured out where to go. We had to tick our names off a list, then we were given a key to a locker. Since the new pool is only accessible to swim schools and schools right now, we didn't have to pay extra and had no access to the rest of the pools. That's also the reason why Sammy didn't come along as he couldn't just have had fun in the baby pool.

We changed and went inside the new hall. It was beautiful with a big sports swimming pool. There were several classes going on at the same time. We walked to the corner where our swim school was, with the previous class still in session. We were early; our class was starting at 5:30 pm, so we were watching the previous class. We didn't know their new teacher who is already their third teacher in this swim school. She seemed really nice. The kids were really impatient for the class to start and then it finally did.

Like the others, the teacher did a greeting song, but it was one we hadn't heard yet. Then she told the kids to swim to the other end of the pool and back. I guess she wanted to see where they were at. Last class, Tammy had been able to swim without anything but Emmy not quite yet, so he struggled a bit. Tammy hadn't forgotten how to swim. Back where they had started, she then gave them swim goggles and had them take a swim board, and they had to swim to the other end and back with their heads going under water, the way the professional swimmers do. That was new to our kids. It made it harder for Tammy who can already swim, but easier for Emmy who prefers putting his head under water. I talked to the teacher, and she said that's how professionals swim, and that's how she does it. It's a very different method from the other teacher. I interacted with her a few times during the class. At one point she was looking for me to point something out while Emmy was swimming and said, "Where is Grandma?" I then let her know that I was their Mom, not their Grandma. Ouch.

After half an hour the class was over. She did the same good-bye songs they all do (but with different actions) then we got changed again and left the pool to walk to the tram stop. We made the 6:30 pm train and were home 15 minutes later. I then cut up fruit for them, they ate, did piano practice and skipped the bathtub because of their swim class, so only Sammy went into the bathtub. We then did storytime as I did not have a 8 pm student. Because of that we went longer and it was 8:30 pm before they were in bed. Emmy stayed with me longer, just cuddling, then I sent him off. But I stayed in bed to get a few more minutes of rest - and fell asleep. Then the unthinkable happened: I never got back up but slept through the night. Randy had to load the dishwasher instead of me.

This morning was a regular morning. After Randy returned from taking Tammy and Emmy to school and got Sammy to take him to school, I went back to bed, but not for long. At 9:15 am my alarm went off. And I wasn't any less tired than any other day. I got up and got ready for my 10 am student. I taught until 11:15, then started my next student at 11:30 am and finished at 12:20 pm. Then I got our food ready for Randy and me, and we got to eat. At 1 pm Randy left to pick up Tammy and Emmy, and 20 minutes later I left to pick up Sammy.

At 2 pm we were back home. Sammy sat down to watch videos and drink ice-tea, while I sat down at the computer and prepared for my 3 pm student. At 2:30 pm Randy returned with the other kids, and he then went downstairs with them all a while later. From 3 to 4 pm I was teaching, then we got ready and left the house just after 4 pm. Tammy, Emmy and I walked to the train station and took the 4:20 pm train, then we took the tram and walked to the school where their exercise class was to start at 4:50 pm. Tammy had to change, then they went into the gym for their class. I stayed in the locker room reading today's paper and using my phone. Today was their first of five sessions of gymnastics. At 5:45 pm the class was over, Tammy got changed again, and we left. We took the tram, then the train and were back home at 6:15 pm. Randy and Sammy were not back yet from Sammy's wheelchair class, but they called me on the phone from the bus while I was cutting up fruit for the kids. Once they had all eaten most of their food, we went downstairs for piano practice. Back upstairs, we spent some time with me dictating words to write to them as they have dictation in school every Friday morning. Then it was bathtub time. After they had come out, I still spent a few minutes reading a story to them but there wasn't much time. I prayed for them and sent them to bed and sat down to teach from 8 to 9 pm. After I was done, I got myself something to eat and relaxed while eating, then I started working again. Now it's 1 am, and I still have to do the dishes before going to bed.