1/21/10 Just Breathe

We've been working on breathing and relaxation techniques in our Teddybear U classes. Our instructor told the coaches that they should help us practice the breathing techniques at home because if they waited to pull this out for the first time during the actual labor, it would probably not be well received.

Tony took this advice very seriously.

Scene: Early evening. I am innocently reading a book while Tony watches some sports highlight show on tv.

Me (reading): By the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851, a quarter of a million power looms were in operation in England, and the number grew by an average of-
Tony: hee! hee! hee! who! hee! hee! hee! who!
Me: BY THE TIME OF THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851-
Tony: hee! hee! hee! who! Hee! hee! hee! WHO!
Me (sighing): Are you in active labor, dear?
Tony (panting): supposed! to be! (who!) (hee! hee!) practicing!
Me: Well congratulations dear, I think you've mastered it.
Tony (glaring at me intently): HEE! HEE! HEE! WHO! HEE! HEE! HEE! WHO!
Me: I'm not doing this now.
Tony: HEE! HEE! HEE! WHO!
Me: Seriously, you're turning a very alarming shade of red.
Tony: HEE! HEE! HEE! WHO!
Me: Fine! Fine! hee. hee. hee. who. There. I did it.
Tony (red-faced and woozy from hyperventilating but having mastered his coaching duties, pats me weakly on the knee): Good job, sweetie!

I may not know anything about how English power looms shaped the Industrial Revolution in the 1850s, but by golly I will learn how to breathe.