The Eye of the Tiger

Ah birthing class. Last night we were instructed to wear messy clothes, because we would be painting and doing other types of fun art projects. The painting involved meditating on a rock for 15 minutes, then wiping the image from our mind and painting whatever. I looked around and everyone's pictures were swirly and heavily colored, and mine was not. This is why I do not like art projects. Also, halfway through the teacher got up and splashed water on some of the paintings, I guess to illustrate the "tigers" that come up during labor. none got on mine but she got alot on Jeff's. I know how seriously he takes art and i was thinking to myself "whoa, lady, now you've done it" but he kept his cool. Mine might have benefited from a splash or two.
We spoke more about tigers, and how to look in their eyes and lock them away. Of course you can imagine that I am trying not to say "So we are to rise up to the challenge of our rivals?" and so on, that of course being a line from the magnificent opus "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, which was in my head the rest of the night.
Then on to pain coping, which, to Karen's chagrin no one had again practiced over the week. I held the ice to my wrist this time, instead of in my hand. By the way, this freaking HURTS!!
Then for the last round our partners had to hold the ice on us and help us cope. This is a reenactment:
Me: Just put it on my wrist
Jeff: ok, do you want me to say anything?
M: No, just hold my hand
J: I can't help feeling that I am doing this too you
M: um, you are...
Jeff: I guess you're right
M: If you think about it, you did this whole thing to me, its all kind of your fault
M&J: hysterical laughter, which not only took my mind off the pain, but also probably annoyed everyone around us that was chanting "seeing hearing touch breath"
Oh well.
Then we were separated into women and men again and got to play with clay, which was fun and reminded me of summer camp except no one was trying to make a bong.
Its nice to have women time and all, but we talked in the car on the ride home and agreed that we took these classes because we wanted to learn how to do things together. So far all we have done together is hold ice to our wrists.
But we only have 2 more classes to go, so we will suck it up.
34 weeks today, for those of you counting down with me!!
I entered this thing that Pam did last year where you blog every day for the month of November and then get entered to win a prize. It sounds fun, and I guess there is a lot of opportunity to read other blogs, and to have people read yours etc.. The only way I can see this getting tricky, is, of course, if Sam is born on time. Even so i think it would make for interesting reading, and I can always set aside a few minuted a day to write something. Pam won the Grand Prize last year!!