I need a Back up back up

So I thought I was really with it. I had a great back up system. I burned my photos to dvd and stored one copy at home, and one in my bank vault. Yes, I have a bank vault just for storing my precious valuable...no, no cash or stocks or expensive jewelry. I have the truly priceless things in there...an invitation from our wedding, the hat Josh wore home from the hospital as well as his binkie, Katelyn's Chinese documents, and lots and lots of photo DVD's.

Enter the external drive. Isn't this a great idea? Just copy everything over to this 4 x 6 inch box and no more stacks of DVD's right? Great idea...until you drop it. Yep, doesn't like to be dropped, or in my case, pushed off the top of my too small desk.

Well, I am heart sick. Of course it never stopped working and never recovered the data. I have been more than anxious to get it back. It has all the pictures of Noah in the hospital in them, as well as the first few months of his life. There are precious few pictures of him in the hospital, you see,because he was so sick. Hour to hour, we didn't know if he would need open heart surgery, intestinal surgery or what. He spent most of his time hooked up to machines and in the special care nursery. I spent my time in a rocker when I wasn't allowed to hold him, or trying to figure out how to nurse him with 6 feet of wires dangling all about.

As terrifying as it was, it was also special to me. It was just me and him, although now he was out of my body. But it was a special time of bonding for us. I was worried if I could bond to a third child after not bonding to my second. During this time, it was impossible not to. Rob spent much of his time trying to take care of the other two, and getting the drs to make sense. I will forever remember my quiet easy going husband challenging the the CHoP drs full force, protecting his own...both me and baby Noah. So while bitter along with the sweet, it was sweet none the less.

It's going to cost about $1000 to get it back if they even can. It's the "if they even can" that makes me so heartsick. I don't have the $1000 to spend on something like that. So now that I have the quote, I will have to save up for it. I'm guessing it will take me a year of "saving my egg money" to get there, and another year of being patient to see those pictures (no, I never even got to see many of them - what newborn mommy has time to sit and look at pictures?)

So lesson learned...Even if you have a back up, make sure you get a back up for your back up.