Treading water

Lots going on. The kids started swimming lessons this week. They use these weird foam squares attached to an adjustable belt to assist the kids as they learn to swim. N. hasn't had any lessons since the summer before last, but she can float on her tummy, and dog paddle underwater. She doesn't float on her back - mostly flails and freaks out, actually, LOL! But that seems to be pretty normal. I keep trying to convince her that if she just relaxes, the water will hold her up, and it's actually quite calming. She's not quite buying it. She wears two squares on her back. A. had a couple sessions of mommy and me swimming classes two summers ago, so he's starting from square one (ha, ha - he actually wears 2 squares on his back, and two on his front). He had such a big smile on his face throughout his lesson. He's going to have fun with this. Actually, I think this teacher will be good for both kids - firm, yet kind.

After their lessons, the kids were talking in the back of the car. They were talking about their mutual discomfort with floating on their backs, and I was telling N. to relax and trust the floaties (foam squares) and the water.

N: "They'll hold me up?"
Me: "Yep."
N: "But there are only two of them."
Me: "I know, but between you and those floaties, you aren't going to sink."
N: "Wow. Okay."
A: "What about me? Will I sink?"
N: "No! If I have two floaties, and I won't sink, and you have four floaties - there's no way you'll sink! And you're even lighter than me!"
A: "I'm lighter?"
N: "Yeah. Lighter means you're easier to carry."
A: "Yeah. I'm lighter, and you're darker."

LMAO. They crack me up.

Last night was our homeschool group's Annual Meeting where we had to elect board members, and appoint our operations team. I have one year left in my two year term, so I'm still on. I volunteered to be the Chair. It was that, or continue as Secretary, but I'm happy not to type up notes anymore, and now I can be a control freak, LOL! I'd been planning on volunteering to be President, but life is kind of up in the air right now. Which leads me to...

Friday night my mom called to tell me that the ENT, who was supposed to be checking out her sinuses, found a growth on her larynx. To shrink it, she'll undergo radiation treatment. The radiation will eventually cause her to lose her voice, which should return 3-6 weeks after treatments are over. If the growth is benign, then presumably that's as bad as it gets, and life returns to normal at the end of summer. If not, well... we just have to wait and see. I can't let myself get worked up about the unknown. I can't allow myself to speculate about the Worst Case Scenario. I just can't. I have to stay hopeful until.... I don't know. Over 90% of laryngeal cancers occur in people who are heavy smokers or drinkers. My mom doesn't fall into either of those categories. But she's sick. She's been sick for months, and she's not really getting better. She's had a low-grade fever for over a month now, and swollen lymph nodes... but I can't go there. I just can't. And so we wait.