A bit of this...

Let me tell you...so much on my mind. This may be long (or I may get sick of rambling and stop) and for that I apologize in advance. So, forgive the ADHD going on here....

First, Mom to 2 Anglels (who has THE CUTEST SHIRTS!) had a post about a Vera give-away on her site. I went to the site, Be Thou a Knight and not only loved the site, absolutely and positively identified with Lianna. Go there and you'll see why. Anyway, the cutest bag (which would replace the one some inconsiderate JERKS stole at DISNEY) is offered as a give away as part of a program to help build her IVF fund. I read a bit of her blog and saddened to see that she had gotten posts similar to some I've seen here (and immediately deleted) that trashed her for trying IVF, being selfish, etc. I don't know why people haven't figured out that if you don't like what you are reading, STOP READING. I guess it's just more fun to belittle and defame; hurt and hurl hate just because your life is miserable. Well, kudos to her for continuing her quest to be a mom, no matter WHAT path she chooses, and I totally entered the contest. Yes, I'd LOVE the bag, but I know every bit helps...we don't have much, but hey...if I don't eat at Taco Bell this weekend, and instead win a Vera bag? Yeah, worth it.

Next, on to my beef with Kodak. And Kodak, don't go getting crazy on me. I'm still a customer, I still root for the home team and won't even consider Fuji. I'm just frustrated with your Lab. And website. And service. But other than that, I'm great. Last week I got an email that said if I didn't order $19.99 worth of products, all 4 gig of my pictures stored for the last few years would be gone. Not all that fond of the change in service, but no biggie...I truly do think Kodak has the best quality out there and prefer it to Fuji. I'll use the service, I have lots before. So, I ordered two mini books, some prints and a card. Amy, if you are reading this, one of the books was for your birthday and now won't even come close to getting there on time, so sorry. Blame Kodak. Anyway, today I get an email that says the books were cancelled. No explanation, just due to service terms. I called Kodak and a lovely young gentleman named Ignacius tells me that the lab cancelled the books for "Unexplained Reasons" and I need to recreate and resubmit. (Apparently it is the day for incompetence. See Mala for more...) I told him that was unacceptable; I needed more than unexplained reasons. After much more wait, he tells me that the lab said there was a brand name in one of the images and they cancelled it. WHAT? So stand in front of a Gap store naked and you can't print that picture because you can see the GAP sign? The poor guy was obviously getting some line from the lab, but said that was Kodak's policy--they don't print images with brand names or logos in them. WHATEVER. Supervisor, please.

I told the supervisor that I wanted an explanation and NOT that there was a brand name issue because I was looking at a KODAK printed book that had picture on top of picture of my family from last summer with brand names ALL OVER THE PLACE. He puts me on hold forever and then says, "Only one book didn't ship. The one that didn't print didn't print because there was an image error uploading." So where the HECK did that first guy's story come from? For clarification, Kodak WILL print a picture of me naked standing in front of GAP because there is NO policy about brand names or logos, just copyright for the pictures. Sounds reasonable, right?
(For the record, actually, Kodak will NOT print a picture of me naked standing in front of GAP because NO SUCH PICTURE opportunity will exist!)
Long story short--after an hour--I still have to create the other book and resubmit. Uh-huh...I'll get right on that. For the record, there is NO LOVE LOST with Kodak. I still will use them, still find them better than most photo companies (even with the price because of the quality) and all is well. Just AGGRAVATING.

And not a good day for it. My uncle passed away, suddenly, last night. Now, it should be stated that though my mom's family (my dad's for that matter) is pretty large, it is safe to say that there's a lot of ... disconnect, for lack of a better word. I have oodles and oodles of cousins that I couldn't name if you gave me Hawaii as the prize for it, and am not really that close to my numerous aunts and uncles. Or, I guess as close as I'd like to be. In any event, close or not, there were a couple of brothers that I know my mom felt particularly close to and with whom they shared some rough days as children. This uncle was one of those brothers. I actually was just really reconnecting with him after a bit with Facebook, and my cousin was going to go visit him in two weeks with his new granddaughter. It's just sad, and makes me think of my mom as well. So, rest in peace, Uncle Dewitt.

Last, we saw the famous Dr. Polko yesterday. Around these parts, she is THE OB-GYN. We liked her. In truth, she was pretty laid back (not like me) and different than Dr. Davis (notes, white board, type A, the works) but just as fabulous. SO far, I cannot imagine us being anywhere else. Even though they were running late (an HOUR!) it was worth it. Dr. Polko gave me a prescription for PT 2-3 times a week because of the pelvic/sciatic pain. She said she totally knew it hurt and wanted to help. Loved that. She looked at pictures of baby from last week, and said they were adorable. Loved that. She told me she was fine with my caloric intake (though I think I need to up it a bit, but not too bad) and that all the labs looked fine. Loved that. She listened to baby with the fetal heart monitor and said she was "Wiggly" and "Ornery" (she kept moving all over the place every time Dr. Polko got a heartbeat. VERY MUCH my and John's child!) Loved that! Best of all, she said I could have a C-section if I wanted to! LOVED THAT! She told me I'd pay now or I'd pay later, but either way, I'd pay. I'm fine with that, and think I'm going to take the route that will let me pay as I IMMEDIATELY sit down after birth. I'll be glad to pay as I tinkle or poo with no pain or stitches tear. On that note, I'll pay as I poop IN PRIVATE instead of spread eagle for all to see on the table. Yep...Operation Air-Lift Baby M will now commence.

Okay. Seriously, enough rambling. If you read this, please continue to keep the families of Kyrgyz (and all adoptive parents and children everywhere) in your prayers. Please pray for my uncle's family and their heartache. Pray for Lianna and her IVF success, as well as the success of all those who desperately wish to become pregnant. Pray for the poor puppies and kitties (and all the stray animals of the world) because that darned commercial KILLS me. Pray for people all over the world who are persecuted for their beliefs and their desire to help the hurt. Pray for the hurt and suffering. Heck...just pray. I'm thinking there's lots of us who could use it.