Sonogram art & remixes for new/expectant/sentimental moms

Skip cookware, a new vacuum cleaner, or pink electrical devices this Mother's Day. The gift of life is plenty. What a mom doesn't necessarily need, but will cherish forever is artwork based on her baby's first portrait, and even heartbeat.

Companies like Baby Heart Art will transpose the data points from a sonogram onto paper, then place those BPM's within an acid-free mat and 11"x14" frame -- all for $125 (or less if you skip the mat or frame). All you have to do is email a file, select a color combination (I like green/blue), and decide which data you want graphed: the more chaotic pulsed Doppler pattern or condensed M Mode pattern (tough call).

Too pricey?

Try a simple ultrasound art-y photo tweak. Sites like iCanvasArt charge $35 (?) to do some Photoshoppery to make your baby's first pic look like a Warhol (sorta). No idea why you'd use one of these sites, unless you are strapped for time, or for whatever reason, are completely incapable of stumbling your way through consumer-oriented editing programs like iPhoto or Picnik.

Too boring?

Go for SonoArt. They'll remix your sonogram in some amazingly odd ways. The "Robot" version of your baby might seem strange, but who doesn't think of his/her baby as a "Future Leader"?

Warning: it is not advisable to conduct non-medical sonograms purely for "keepsake" purposes.

[top image via Flickr; note: Baby Heart Art sample is not based on top sonogram]