Party in the Ultrasound Room!!

We tried to gather all of the women to see the BIG 20 week ultrasound. We had it planned for 3:30pm in Penfield. Thankfully it was a snow day and all schools were closed so everyone here could make it. Joe's mom, Julie; Joe's step-mom, Carol; Joe's sisters, Susanne and Molly; Joe and I were all able to come. We knew my mom and sis couldn't make it with them being in Tennessee and going through the big move to Atlanta. So we made foolish plans to have my mom on speaker phone and record the appointment to post here...

Did you know you can't bring a cell phone into a doctor's appt? Did you also know that you can't record an ultrsound?? ummm, sorry mom! So unfortunately they had to learn of the news after the appointment :(

Rewind: The Ultrasound room is about the size of 2 bathrooms and we all squished in there. She asked if we wanted to know the gender and 6 voices bellowed, "YES!!". It wasn't to long after she finished measuring the HUGE 'little Joey' head, that she said, "Well, this one is not shy at all!" ... and there was the image of our babe with spread legs... "Yep, he's all boy!" There was a squeal of excitement and all of the old wives tales were confirmed:

-no morning sickness, huge headaches, salty cravings, clear face, lack of sleep, etc., etc.

The sonographer was really interested in measuring bones and taking pictures of close up body parts. It was awesome to see the baby, HIM.. I can finally say HIM!, to move around and all 10 toes, 10 phalanges, and a smiling face... but I really wish she would have zoomed out to see the whole babe. So here are some close up shots of Mr. Baby Shaver. Yep, we've got to get cracking on boy names. Susanne and Molly are trying so hard to get a nephew with a British accent, hence all of the British name suggestions.

Regardless, we are THRILLED to have a little baby boy on the way. Joe is ecstatic about having a boy, but not too thrilled about all the colorful diapers and clothes I keep buying. I think boys should be able to wear pink with brown argyle socks. We are now 1/2 way there, and I'm just starting to show. More photos to come!

Avocado News

We got the great news this week... Baby Avocado is genetically safe!

There's a 1:1600 chance that baby avocado could have Downs Syndrome and 1:26,000 chance that baby avocado could have Trisomie 18. Those are amazing numbers and yes... we were concerned with everything, since we've chosen to wait so long.

My doctor told me that I was one of her top 10 healthiest pregnant women.. which Joe was SO excited about, and it actually made me so sad. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that she thinks I am healthy, really... but in the top 10?! I know that I could eat better, exercise more, make better life choices.. and this means is that there are 1000's of women out there that are in questionable health conditions. Yep, that' the mercy in me...

Both Joe and my mom had to remind me to keep positive, and worry more about me and the babe. So I did have another chat with my doctor who reminded me that of all the crazy ideas I've had in my life about; worrying about organic clothing, organic vegetables & milk... stressing about housing products that gas-off, making conscious decisions to be environmental.. all of this has helped keep me healthier. (ok, there is a small part inside of me that wants all my crazy ex-boyfriends to know that I wasn't crazy... being environmentally smart is healthy smart!!) and Joey, you are the best!

So, all in all... we are doing great! Baby Avocado is moving around a little. and I can't wait to see if you are a little Aimee or a little Joey!

"I tricked you..."

I had my second ultrasound scheduled along with genetic testing. One of my bridesmaids warned me (knowing my huge fear of blood) that they'd take 15 viles of blood. Everyone else I talked to, said that was rediculous. It didn't matter, I knew I would pass out and vomit and, and, and...

I have never donated blood. Yes, I am a girly-girl when it comes to blood, hence why I am a teacher, not a doctor. If you were in my 4th grade class, you'll remember my oral presentation of "What I want to be when I grow up: NOT a vet!" I spent a few days researching the job and shadowing our local vet. I got nauseous during shots and blood draws, but the worst was when a little Schnauzer was being checked for... I don't know, foreign objects up the bum? Anyhow, when that gloved finger went in... the dog's neck went straight and boom! Aimee went down. From that day, I never wanted to be a vet again, nothing in medicine. I took several F's in Biology to opt out of any dissection or blood. elck.

So, Joe-Joey gave me adult pep talks about how smart and strong I am, that I can do this, give 15 viles of blood. I actually thought I could too. Until that morning, I crumpled. Joe was already at work and I needed a hand to hold. I quickly called Jimmy, Joe's step-dad, whom cleared his schedule to come save this damsel in distress.

We got to the appointment and the ultrasound was first, but I wanted to trick Jimmy. When we went in I was talking about how I need my dad to hold my hand when I give blood and started rolling down my pants and up my shirt. I could only imagine what he was thinking... "Where are they going to take the blood from, your belly?" I tricked you!! It's an ultrasound, you get to see the baby today!!

Now, even though Jimmy helped raise Susanne and Joseph, I don't believe he had ever witnessed an ultrasound. It was so awesome to see it through his eyes. Being the true Jimmy, he asked a gazillion questions, "What's that?", "Why is the baby doing flips?", "Where did you go to school?"... it really was amazing to see the baby SO active in there, arching his back, flicking his head and floating up and quietly sinking down... just to do it all over again. I think the Sonographer was so happy to see Jimmy so tickled that she printed off many photos for us to share. :)

Then we went across the street to donate my buckets of blood. I just asked Jimmy to keep talking to me so I'd laugh. He was great. I was SO distracted that she only took one vile of blood and it was easy. Too easy, only one vile?! I can't believe I've never donated blood before. I'm totally doing this after my delivery. I was instructed to go get a Frosty (ok!?) and rest. Jimmy and I separated and I drove home. Upon getting out of my car, I noticed the stack of papers I had in my hands while giving blood. UMMMM, what are these?

My worst fear was correct... I drove back to the vampire shop and gave them the papers, they almost lost their face, trying not to laugh. Yep, I had to give 12 more viles of blood. Well, I am actually grateful of how it turned out. If I had to give 13 viles of blood all at once, I think I would have been a puddle of tears, but the phlebotomist did a great job and I didn't cry. It was all worth it... look at these beautiful photos of Baby Lemon!

Merry News...

Wow! It's so hard to keep a secret from Joe-Joey each year... Me: "No, I'm not telling you what I got you for Christmas, or your birthday."... Joe: "Ok."... Me: "So, do you want to know?"... Joe: "No, don't tell me."... Me: "Ok."... "How 'bout now? please, I just want you to open it!"

So Joe learned real quick, that I stink at keeping BIG secrets and if bullied, I break. Yep, it's true. I crumble like gluten-free waffles (yuk!). So when we had big news to share... we had a really tough time not telling anyone for months!? By Thanksgiving we broke... we pinky swore that we would keep it a secret to our parents until Christmas... but we could pick one person to tell around Thanksgiving. BAD IDEA... it just opened the flood gates and we wanted to tell everyone. We didn't, and getting the flu made it much easier on me for an excuse of why I couldn't drink ;)

Then I got a great idea to pour white grape juice or watered-down apple juice in wine glasses at holiday parties. Unfortunately there are 2 problems to that solution:

1. I was SO thirsty that I would chug the juice and looked like a wine-O.

2. I kept the small tupperware bottle of juice in my pocket... when hugged it would leak.

Despite the several people that constantly called us out on being pregnant, I really wanted everyone to know. Thankfully, Christmas came quickly. We had planned to give each parent/family a framed photo from our wedding with an empty frame that read, "Reserve this frame for Baby Shaver, due to arrive July 21, 2010". The irony is that all 3 units were SO emotional over the wedding photos that the 'baby frame' was put to the side, while Joe and I bit our lips ("omg, just read it. we're gushing here!!) Then after the painful few minutes they read it and exploded!

We slept so well that holiday week, having the secret out! We are blessed with awesome families and amazing friends that are so excited with us and very supportive. Thank you. We are all better when we're loved. xoxox

Moloka'i Calmness

For a Honeymoon, we sure did laugh a lot!! From losing our luggage to being stalked by dinosaur sized turkeys, we had a blast. We also learned that we will probably never retire as we can't sit still and relax for too long.

Moloka'i is an island between Oahu and Maui. It used to be a large ranch, but as the people of Moloka'i have expressed, the evil white man came, stripped the island and left. It looks pretty barren from the air, and there's barely any tourist stops along the way. It was exactly what we wanted at first.

Our friends, Kyu and Natalie, joined us for 2 days from Honolulu to explore this island with their son Colin. We explored King Kahmehamea's coconut grove, ancient fish caves, ad some great swimming holes. We also found that this island was not a tourist island, therefore it didn't have strip malls, more than 2 restaurants, and a grocery store that was in the middle of the island, about 30 minutes away! We definitely had to plan ahead!

By day 3, we had accomplished the week's worth of tour plans. It was now the week of long coffee walks and hours of soaking in the pool. Yep, we quickly decided to hitch a boat taxi over to Maui.

Maui was everything opposite of Moloka'i and was a bit overwhelming at first. We sat at this cute fish house watching the sun set upon Moloka'i island and then strolled the streets and shops. By nightfall we found our luxurious abode. I wanted to move into this resort! They did not have a water shortage, as it felt like we were walking through a Coasta Rican jungle of flowers. The resort was old Hawai'i of hand carved wood, and the food... omg!! We ate so much passion fruit and pineapple on everything. That was a magical excursion!

We returned to Moloka'i and the kayakers and outriggers were just preparing for the big race from Moloka'i island to Oauhu island. We had one last day to fill with a hike into these old ancient ruins. The wind howled up the cliffs and through these asian pines, it sounded like old grandfathers were sharing secrets. We took a day trip on mules down one of the other sides of the island to the leper colony and back up. We tried to get photos of each other on these amazing animals, which we were very cautious and grateful for their sure-footedness. A long night in the hot tub was so needed after a day on a pack mule!

Hawai'i is such a great place to explore and relax. 4 islands down... who knows, maybe more to come??

The Most Amazing Weekend...

Thank you all for being a part of our most amazing weekend of our lives so far! Here are some highlights of the week's events in photos. Joe and I drove home from Toronto a couple of days after the wedding (dropping of the Dutchies to the airport) and finally could hear each other's perspectives of the week. There are so many great stories to remember!! Thank you for a magical weekend of Autumn in the Leaves...

Many weeks went into this event. Over achievers are us... and I do mean our family and friends in that category! We had several Mai Tai nights of making the flowers, painting flowers, wrapping corks for place settings, and well... drinking Mai Tai's just for fun! Several days were spent organizing photos for the guest book. Months were spent caring for baby trees, herbs and plants in several gardens to decorate. The week started with family and friends coming in from all over. Mom and I spent a day driving up to Toronto to pick up my family from Holland. We spent a few hours in Niagara Falls having fun.

As family and friends poured into Rochester... I would get up to make breakfast at 7am and have a full day of activities from making pies and cookies to delegating little shopping favors of last minute items. On Thursday, we took everyone on a tour of Wegman's and then just played in the back yard - eating, drinking and being merry while more guests came into town.  Friday was a full day of excursions with the bridal party. Most of the guys (one one brave gal!) went golfing in Rush - a great day to golf as it was a perfect 80 and breezy. A crowd of 24 came to Bay Creek to go kayaking and canoeing. We all returned glistening with a slight tan and sore arms. Several requests were made for straws for tomorrow's wine. We returned home to bake a few pies, thanks to Sierra, Krista, Inge, Tina and Mom! It was a hopping place, while the guys ran one last round of errands and of course, a trip to Wegmans! We ended the evening with a trip to Jeremiah's Tavern for dinner and karaoke night. The boys whisked Joey away for his Bachelor party and the girls stayed at Jeremiah's to finish some Blue Moons and sing "Kiss me deadly". Was that all in one day?

Saturday was again a magically sunny day. Now, Rochester has been unseasonably rainy EVERY day this summer. Joe and I just accepted that we'd get rained out of every activity... we were SO blessed! The day's first tears arrived when Joe's family from Indiana made a surprise visit to our home. It finally hit me at that moment that I was going to marry Joseph Shaver tomorrow! People are coming for our wedding! My sister helped me keep it together with her beautiful humor and storytelling. :)

The bridesmaids and Julie did an amazing job at organizing the food, set up and games for the jack and jill shower. So many people came, and we still can not believe how we were literally showered with gifts. There were several teary moments from mom's gift that she saved for years from my dad, to a beautiful handmade quilt from Sierra's mom. Thankfully there were several funny moments too from Joe declaring his favorite item int he house is his power drill, to his dad asking for clarification on 'their first kiss' during one of our NewlyWed games. The love was felt all day, thank you. A few hours later Jenny organized us at her first Wedding Rehearsal. We walked the 'aisle', practiced pacing and then dined on a wonderful spread by Julie and an amazing toast to 'Bliss' by Jimmy.  Joe and I parted that evening with my last image being of the fairy tale lights in the tent as the sun was setting.

The next morning coffee was planned at 6am and breakfast at 7am. Unfortunately, I slept so well that I awoke to my hair stylist knocking on my door! Full gear ahead, I made breakfast and woke everyone else up to start the dominoe of hair styling. 9 heads in 4 hours... Crystal is amazing! 12 women packed up the house from pies to flowers, dogs to bags, one last boutineer to make... did we forget anything?

And we're off to Glenora! IT might have seemed chaotic at the time but my amazing circle of women kept reminding me to soak it all in... every drop of the day. It was a beautiful... clear blue... 75 and breezy... a-maz-ing day!

We all got dressed in one room while the guys started their photos in the vineyard. All of the women looked like gems! The girl's photo shoot started nad then we went to to big weeping willow for the meeting of the bride and groom. It was slow-motion to see Joey under that quiet tree, so dapper in his tux. All of the men looked amazing, and little Michael in his man-tux! Susanne kept us on task and we made one last stroll through the vineyard, smoochied Caliente, and parted again for the ceremony. Walking up the stairs to go outside was fairly difficult to hold back the tears...and then I came a bit unravelled when I saw Margie, our minister. A few deep breaths and several pep talks to keep it together, I was ready. I put on my big-girl panties and walked the aisle. I'm not quite certain why they worry about the bride walking too fast down the aisle... I was so amazed that so many people came to witness this event, I kept stopping to say hello and smile, and wave.. that they had to remind me to keep coming... whoops! Focus Aimee... make it to the altar. 

The rest is a blur, and I'm grateful for my Uncle Ken and Tina for capturing it on video. Joe says I'm only allowed to watch it once every six months. I do remember an amazing dinner, our cousin Zach thanking us for having beef at a vegetarian wedding, and several tears and laughs from all of the beautiful speeches from Michele, Sierra, Greg, Molly, Susanne and Mark... I heard there were a few tears from the crowd as well. I also remember Natalie Sinisgalli taking some amazing photos down at the secret waterfall... Well, it was a beautiful day and as Margie said, my dad gave us one beautiful gift from heaven... a full weekend of beautiful sunshine!

Thank you all for boogying down on that floor, and for Travis taking an amazing amount of photos that captured the evening! This truly was a magical weekend and it wouldn't have been the same without everyone involved in spirit or in person. 

<3 Aimee & Joe Shaver

Wine Tasting?

Several of you have asked about wine tasting before getting to Glenora. We've created a map for you to print that includes several wineries along with how long it will take you to get to Glenora from there.

Make sure you get to Glenora by 4:15pm!

Karaoke Night

Jenny Castle will be updating this part of the site with the time and location for the evening's activities.

Stay tuned for more after August 15th, and get your song choices ready!  So it looks as if the Karaoke business in Rochester likes the late-night life... Sorry for those wishing to Karaoke at 6pm... but plan B sounds awesome!!

Looking for a place to go out on Friday night?

Come on down to Jeremiah's one of our local favorites.

Enjoy some great beer, yummy wings, and darts!
Friends will be there around 8 PM  and Karaoke starts at 11PM for all who are interested!

Jeremiahs:1104 Monroe Ave Rochester NY 14620 (585) 461-1313
www.jeremiahstavern.com

The Bride says, "Holy Cats! I hope you all have some great music selected... I will need some good laughs to stay up that late. Thanks Jenny for keeping me young!"

Golf Excursion

Joe's Step-Dad, Jim Davidson will be setting up the tee-time and location as soon as we know how many people will be joining us. (most likely in the south-east part of Rochester/Monroe County)

So stay tuned for more information around August 15th!

www.southernmeadows.com

The Golf Excursion is planned for Friday at Southern Meadows Golf Course. Tee Time is at 11am, plan to meet outside the building at 10:45am OR we can carpool, meet at Joe's house at 10:15am.

It's a short course, so you can easily walk it, or they have carts available. If you need clubs, they are also available, no worries! Have fun golfing with the groom.

Directions:

Southern Meadows is located a half mile west of I-390 at Exit 11 (Rush exit), on Route 251W. This is the Rush-Scottsville road.)   IGNORE THE ROUTE 251 DETOUR SIGNS follow the Southern Meadows signs posted at I-390 exits.  (Unless you're coming from the West on 251.  The bridge is out at Scottsville, west of us.)

The Wedding in the Vineyard

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Glenora Winery, Seneca Lake

www.glenora.com

*Outside Ceremony in the afternoon

*Barrel Room tasting immediately following

*Inside Reception in the evening