Butt exercises

So at my 31 week appointment I was informed that little Ellynor is in a breech position, meaning she has her butt towards the exit rather than her head. Although there is still plenty of time for her to turn, my doctor told me some exercises to help make her roll over. I had one that I did when I was pregnant with Evie that was effective. Or I guess it was because she turned. So I figured I'd start doing that every night again. My mom told me the exercise and she was taught it by her midwife when she was pregnant with me.

I'm not sure how to explain it so you can picture it but its kind of like child's pose (view here...ABC's of Yoga) only without resting your butt on your feet, keeping your butt up. Supposedly it loosens your hips and allows the baby to turn. I don't know. Either way, my husband thinks its hilarious and it weirds out my toddler.

Whenever Evie is worried she does this adorable little thing where she wrings her hands. You can't really appreciate how adorable this is until you've seen it. It has effectively saved her from several time outs and possibly a couple of spankings because it is that adorable. She does it when she knows she's done something wrong and some sort of punishment is coming and its kind of like sad puppy eyes in that it makes it nearly impossible to do more than chide her and tell her not to do it again. Once she figures out that this little hand-wringing act is so effective at helping her escape punishment, she'll start abusing it and it will become less adorable. But for now, I honestly believe she has no idea.

Anyways, I do these butt exercises (I have no idea what else to call them) for about 15 minutes every night in the middle of the living room floor. The living room is the only room in our house with carpet (therefore making it the least painful room to spend any time on my knees) and this way I can watch some T.V. while hoping the baby rolls over. My husband makes jokes and cackles at me. A lot. No amount of threatening has stopped him from laughing at me. And I don't even see how it can possibly be funny night after night. The first couple of nights, sure. But five nights in, he's still laughing. And I'm still telling him to shut up in the most PG way I can come up with.

Evie on the other hand pats my head and asks "Mama?" over and over again. Then she'll stand a short distance away and wring her little hands watching me closely. This is not "normal" Mommy behavior. Considering the wide range of behaviors that Evie has dealt with from a pregnant mommy over the last 32 weeks, for her to be completely weirded out is saying something. She's dealt with my morning sickness, mood swings, hot flashes, painful baby kicks, food cravings and more and has taken it all in stride. But apparently exercises where Mommy lays in the floor with her butt in the air, occasionally asking some "Elly" person to please turn around, is beyond her ability to cope with. I've tried to tell her that Mommy is okay and I'm just doing some exercises, but that doesn't quite get it for her.

 Sometimes its nice that my16 month old is a little behind in talking because I can only imagine the ways she would try to explain this new nightly ritual between Mommy and Daddy to her grandparents. Sometimes as a parent you just have to pray that you aren't permanently traumatizing your kids.