MamAnomolie

There have been so many things that I've been wanting to write about, but this week we're in serious need of some comic relief, so I've decided to share a Brian Regan clip instead. Of course, there is a story that goes along with it.

A few things are important to know for this story. The first is that Brian Regan is one of Jonathan's and my favorite comedians. We like him so much that if we find out that you have never heard of him and we're near a computer, we consider it our moral obligation to show you clips of his standup routines. He is absolutely hysterical. Really, if you don't watch the clip I've included in this post, you're doing yourself a disservice.

Another fact that's important to know for this story is that my husband Jonathan is the most even-keeled person that I know. He manages to stay calm and level-headed in situations where I would freak out or get angry. It's a quality that I admire and hope rubs off on me.

Having spent so much time with Jonathan, I have realized that in some extremely stressful situations he'll react inappropriately. Not inappropriately in an, "I can't believe you just said that" sort of way, but just in a way that doesn't quite fit the situation. It's probably something that most people wouldn't think twice about, but because I know him so well I've picked up on it.

I first noticed this when I was in labor with Sophie. We had just arrived at the hospital. My contractions were four minutes apart. Every time I had one my legs shook uncontrollably. I had just been told that, despite all of this, I was not dilated any more than I had been a week before. The nurse asks, "On a scale of one to ten with one being no pain and ten being having your arm cut off, how would you rate your pain?"

At this point Jonathan, who has been calmly holding my hand and telling me how great I'm doing, says, "Say eight! Say eight!" He then turns to the nurse and says, "It's a Brian Regan bit."

Here's what I wanted to say: "Seriously, right now quoting comedy skits seems appropriate? I'm in agony, and this woman has no idea who Brian Regan is (seriously, she had absolutely no sense of humor) and no idea what you're talking about. Plus, I was going to say eight, but now I can't because she'll think I'm joking."

Here's what I did say (actually it was really more of a whimper): "Seven."