Cora’s had a rough week so far, and my heart’s breaking for her. I’m afraid it’s one of those bad congruences of lots of big events going on with a significant change in routine, and I’m not sure how we’ll we’re going to come out of this.

First and foremost, Cora’s been taking swim lessons. This may not seem like a big life change, but it’s the first time Cora’s taken instruction from anyone other than me. She’s just begun tolerating babysitters (that she knows REALLY well) for the last few months, but since she’s only recently turned three, she’s never taken solo ballet or gymnastics or soccer or whatever. So these sessions exhaust Cora, mostly because she will play happily in the water until the instructor turns to her – at which point she’ll begin crying furiously.

The pool is officially open here in our house, which means summer’s truly begun. And I have to confess – the pool’s been open since early May, but I’ve kept that fact hidden from Maddie because the water’s too darn cold right now. But since the girls started swim classes on Monday, I felt like the pool needed to open so we could reinforce their lessons. So yesterday we hit the water.

Yes, the water was cold. Not too bad, but cold enough, trust me. But what I’d forgotten was how much freakin’ gear a trip to the pool requires in our household.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

All within the span of five minutes.

Yesterday was a packed day for Maddie and Cora: the first summer swim lesson EARLY in the morning; several hours at several different stores, including a mall, running errands with Mommy; a truncated nap so we could have an afternoon play date at a sprinkler park; and a picnic dinner in the park with friends for a free outdoor concert.

Halfway through the day I began waffling on the evening concert; both girls were looking tired, I was exhausted, and I feared a colossal meltdown if we were out doing stimulating things at a relatively late hour. But the girls perked up considerably and were well-behaved for the afternoon play date, so I decided to push my luck and hit the concert.

Yep, Maddie’s officially a grad now. She’s got the whole summer to hang out with her friends, go to the mall, and get ready for school in the fall.

Wait, didn’t I just describe my senior year summer?