Yoga Ball is What They Call It

Anyone? Anyone get the reference? 5 cool points up for grabs!

So, my laptop is set to play my pictures as a slideshow for the screensaver. The other day, I was watching the pictures flash, and noticed a trend I was cracking up about. Witness, the ever-present Yoga Ball:

You'll notice the ball rolled up on us to get in the picture.

Even Darrick became a Yoga Ball convert.

Sneaking in again....

....and again.

And here Uncle Brandon shows us how it's done.

What makes this extra funny is that a LOT of people could tell you how enamored I am with that damn ball. Not as much now, but when I was pregnant and for several weeks after Luca was born, I was convinced it was the best $14.99 I'd ever spent.

Toward the end of pregnancy, I would sit on the ball and bounce or swivel my hips to encourage Luca to move down. I can't be sure it worked, but I did deliver the day before she was due, so I'll be sure to keep that thing handy next time I get all knocked up.

After Luca was born, that thing was my dream come true for 2 reasons. The first only a woman who's given birth can truly understand. Suffice it to say, sitting is not the most comfortable thing you can do post-labor and delivery. And, more so for me since Luca was facing my back and after she was born I felt like someone had beat me with a baseball bat on the tailbone, trying to stand from a sitting position was miserable. Enter Yoga Ball. The great thing about it, other than the obvious forgiving surface, is the bounce. Instead of lifting your body from a flat surface, you can sort of bounce yourself up to standing. SO much better.

The second reason the Yoga Ball was a dream come true was that it was the only thing that would calm Luca down in those early weeks. I'm not sure what magical power it harnessed that made this possible, but when nothing else would make her stop crying, we'd hop on the ball and bounce, and she'd be content. Between the 2 of us, Darrick and I must have logged 1,008 hours on that Ball because it felt like the entire first 6 weeks of her life one or the other of us was on it, bouncing and shushing.

So, now when new moms or soon-to-be moms ask what thing they should buy that no one ever tells them about, I always suggest a Yoga Ball. As you can see, ours is in so many pictures it's practically a member of the family.

(This last picture is just for kicks. The Ball is there...and my baby looks like my dad with the old man face and the male pattern baldness.)