Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The cat ate my ultrasound pics...

Tuesday Nov 20, 2007

Wish I could say that the title was some sort of pitiful attempt at humor. In fact, it's the truth - no stretching, no exaggerating, no embellishing. That troublesome, good-for-nothin', fat, lazy feline ate my ultrasound pictures. For a scrapbooker, this is nothing short of criminal.

We actually have 2 cats, Bonnie & Clyde. Bonnie (my cat) is an angel. She jumps into my lap to snuggle every time I sit down and generally stays out of the way otherwise. Clyde (from now on referred to as "That Blasted Animal") is the devil. He has scratched every surface he can get his claws into, tries to escape the house every time a door cracks open, and will occasionally attack my legs for no apparent reason. I have scars to prove it. This is the same animal who once climbed onto the top of our fridge where we were storing a lovely decorative bowl. He climbed into the bowl, tipped it over, and rode that thing all the way to the kitchen floor, bouncing the bowl only once off the countertop. Needless to say, that lovely bowl is now a lovely mosaic tray.

So, you may remember that back on October 4 (date is significant) I had THE ultrasound. You know, the really good, detailed one where we learned that Torquil is a boy. The doctor's office gave us some souvenir pictures including the most incredibly adorable picture of his tiny feet. Before my ultrasound, a friend told me to take a CD and ask to get the pics on it then. Did I take her wise advice? Nope. Another friend told me to take good copies of the ultrasound pics because they fade over time. Did I listen? Of course not. I carried those pictures around in my purse so I could SHOW people!

When I finally decided to clean out my purse on 10/29 (again, note the date) I pulled out those pics and put them on the top of my "To Do" pile. I really did have plans to copy them. Next thing I know, I hear this crunching sound ... (you know what's coming here.) I turn around to find That Blasted Animal chowing down on my ultrasound pictures. Bleepety Bleeping Bleep! It was all I could do to stop myself from drop-kicking him out the back door.

While I really was mad, I thought to myself, "I'm going to the OB next week, and I'm sure they'll be able to print more copies. Boy, I bet they'll think this is funny." So at my appointment, I ask the nurse (she has no idea if they can be replaced) and the doctor (again, no clue). Both said they would talk to the ultrasound tech the following day. Neither seemed especially amused by my story, but hey, it was almost 5:00. I never heard back, so yesterday I called the office. I'm going back for another appointment, so I'm hoping I can bring a CD and get copies then. Guess what? They destroy ultrasound records after 30 days. Yes, That Blasted Animal destroyed them on day 25. So, if I had not procrastinated, I might have been able to get new ones. Frankly, it never occurred to me that my medical records would not be kept, if not for eternity, at least until the big arrival.

So now what? I do have the all the chunks, and luckily the best shots are still in one piece. There are multiple puncture holes that look much like the dental records of That Blasted Animal, but I'm hoping someone with mad PhotoShop skillz can repair the damage. Photo refinishing looks to be ~$50 a pic, which I would love to bill to That Blasted Animal (not that he has the means to repay me). Got a better suggestion? I'd love to hear it.

Comments:

Here's my suggestion....make a "that blasted stuffed cat." Is that too harsh? Forget declawing, how about a full mouth extraction? I'm so sorry that the cat ate your pics on day 25 instead of day 2.
Of course, since I'm not the least bit creative I have no idea how to save your pics but for some reason I keep thinking about that little tool that you showed me to make fancy little pin holes in your stamping projects.
Good luck, Jen

Posted by Jennifer B. on November 20, 2007 at 09:30 PM EST #

I would like to second that idea of making Clyde into a stuffed cat... I also have scars from his evil-doings! Really, don't stuff the cat,but I am very sorry about the pics. And by the way, you look SO STINKIN' cute preggo. Thanks for posting pics so us out-of-staters can see how things are progressing. Love you and can't wait to see you in a month!

Posted by Jamie J on November 26, 2007 at 08:11 PM EST #

Hey Jen, if you still need someone to put your ultrasound back to together, I basically got a college degree in Photoshop. I'll be glad to help.

Posted by Jennifer Papp on January 18, 2008 at 11:25 AM EST #

Monday, November 12, 2007

More baby news...finally!

Monday Nov 12, 2007

Okay, okay - 50 lashes with a wet noodle to me and another 50 to Derek. (Just don't hit me on the belly, please.) I know it's been forever and a few days since I posted here. Really, I just didn't have anything all that interesting to say. Everything is going just as smoothly as it can. Torquil is kicking away and his heart is ticking away, just like the doctors say it should. I'm feeling fine as a preggo possibly can, so what news is there to share? Hmmm... I guess I'll just share what we've been up to lately.

Halloween was uneventful - Derek wanted to paint my belly like a pumpkin and send me out trick-or-treating. I had to veto that idea.

The office-to-nursery conversion is coming along, if slowly. We're still on Step One - get out all of the office junk. But we're very close to cleaned out and most stuff has found homes in other places - just one giant empty filing cabinet left to move elsewhere. I'm trying to pawn it off on my mom, and she seemed open to the idea of using it at her house for her files. Hey Mom - I'll trade you a rocking chair for a filing cabinet!

Torquil got to go to his first basketball game, thanks to my wonderful boss who gave us a pair of tickets to an exhibition game. (One ticket for me & one for Derek - at this stage, Torq doesn't need a ticket.) He was kicking lots at the game - Uncle Matt said he's just kicking along with the Fight Song. Apparently he's got his father's sense of rhythm - we're going to have to work on kicking in time to music. Now, if I could just get him to kick when the whole crowd cheers "Go State!" ... We'll have to work on that.

I never know whether lots of kicking means he wants something (like wants me to EAT!) or if he's mad about something. I suppose that in a few short months, I'll say the same thing about him crying. Experienced moms always say that you learn what your baby's cries mean, and I trust that maternal instinct will kick in on that. Right now when I hear a baby cry, all I can think is, "Somebody give him what he wants to shut him up!" True confession - I'll probably be saying that about my own kid, too.

Okay, so to make the wait between blog postings worthwhile, I've put some pics on here for those of you who don't see me often. Is that belly getting big, or what?!


20 weeks


25 weeks


Comments:

Our visit in Raleigh was so short a couple of weeks ago that I didn't realize how pregnant you really were! Pregnant or not, you are still pretty as a picture! Kelsey and Livie are enjoying reading about your progress. I will see you in a week or so.

WALYADTB

UDave

Posted by Uncle Dave on November 13, 2007 at 06:18 PM EST #