...the blessings keep coming!

our girl is one week old today...


being a mother is even more amazing than i imagined. i love it and i love her...more than i ever thought possible. aaron is in love...he cannot get enough of her and never wants her to cry. she is changing in small ways everyday and we are just crazy about her...we take pictures all day long! her belly button is now free from that gross umbilical cord scab...it fell off today! our next door neighbor ruth (who is in her 90's) brought paige a card, $20 and peaches today...it is nice to know that friendly neighbors still exist and we have them on both sides!

ladies from our church will be bringing us meals every other day for the next two weeks! this little diaper cake gift came with our first meal- along with a schedule of our meals to come...how amazing is that?


my mom and sister stayed for almost a week and were an incredible help to us. they did everything for me...all i had to do was feed paige. aunt fifi helped aaron clean our old apartment (only a sister could do such a yucky chore) and grandma made sure i was well fed, the cupboards were stocked and i had some new plants before she left. it was hard to see them go- but i know they will be back. here are a few pics we took before they left.

...many thanks!

*greetings from baby land*
thanks to everyone for your comments, notes, phone calls & emails...your well wishes have meant the world to us! also thanks for all the visitors & help we have had making this new transition so fun & easy! thank you for celebrating with us as we experience this incredible time in our lives! thanks to aunt fifi for keeping the blog going...I am finally feeling up for getting on the computer today and have made some updates and changes. i hope to update it every few days (my mom took a picture of me nursing with my right hand and blogging with my left hand at the same time...so i am getting the multi-tasking down).
we love you all- *aaron, laura & paige*

for more pictures check out this link of our family website (i added more pics today):
the PANFILIO family

p.s. congrats to RYAN NOWELL for winning the expectnet game...nice work ryan! did emma help? we are very impressed- paige is especially impressed!

Day 2...

After a rough first night with little or no sleep The Panfilio Family slept most of the morning. Night two is about to begin. Hopefully sleep will come, but since Paige spent most of her day sleeping and...

in the arms of Grandma's, Grandpa and Aunt Fifi, Laura and Aaron might have another rough night coming!

It's a girl!!!

Paige Elizabeth Panfilio was born at 5:14pm on September 1st. She was 20.9" and 8lbs/1oz. More details to follow when mommy is up for it!! Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

...what's a girl to do while waiting for baby?

my top ten things...

1. move into a new house- there is plenty to do around here to keep me busy
   
2. go shopping- walking is supposed to help move things along
3. try and get sleep- although tonight i have had no success (hence the wee hours of the morning that i am typing this)
4. swim- i feel "weightless" in water and as if i am not pregnant (as my doctor says- whales have it made as far as the pregnancy thing goes...she agreed that swimming is one of the best things us prego women can do)
5. check out the new fall line of cloths- i cannot wait to wear normal cloths again and actually pay attention to the latest fashions (and i cannot wait to feel comfortable in clothes again)
6. eat ice cream- i figure i only have a short time of not having to suck in after a big meal...so why not take advantage and have ice cream when i feel like it
7. go to the movies- you can stay cool and entertained at the same time
8. read a good book- from what i hear you don't have a lot of time for these sorts of things when the baby comes along...plus i need a break from constantly reading pregnancy and baby material
9. spend time praying- this is the only thing that gives me peace when i feel anxious about the labor, delivery and reality of being a mommy...i find that my strength is renewed and my mind is calmed by simply asking God to give me peace each time i start to freak out...i know i cannot do any of this alone...but i also know i don't have to
   
10. get a new hair cut & color- i have not had my hair cut, styled or colored since last october...i was trying to wait until after the baby was born...but i couldn't take it anymore! it was time. i knew my hair looked bad with dark roots & damaged ends... pictures don't lie...but i did not realize how bad until i saw the before & after (these pictures are not great...but you get the idea)
    

BEFORE

AFTER

...still waiting!

• still waiting for baby!
• all moved into the house!
  
• loving the pool during our fresno "heat wave" (when i'm in the pool i don't feel pregnant)!
• jen left today after being an amazing help (unpacking, making me rest, making food, helping me nest, driving me around, helping me tie my shoes...all those things sisters do so well)!
• thanks for all of your emails, comments, notes and prayers for the baby...we feel very supported and we feel your prayers...we are so grateful!
  

...goood distractions while waiting for baby!

little baby panfilio has not arrived yet...but we are so excited for that day to come. we cannot wait to find out if it is a boy or girl (Luke Andrew or Paige Elizabeth) and to see what it looks like. we also get the keys to our new home this week- so we are thrilled to be buying a house to bring our little baby home to! this is just after we signed our papers for the house!

we had to celebrate with food...so chili's became our "last supper" for a while now that we will have a mortgage & a baby! it was a great way to celebrate and enjoy a meal together!

last week we had several visitors...the trempers came for a few days. aaron & matt got some good fishing time in while mishawn and i had fun with elsie & carson. it was nice being auntie LaLa again!
it is really hard to believe that carson is already 6 months old! she is so cute!beau & alicia were in town and had dinner with us friday night...it was fun to talk babies (they are due with their second kid November 17th)! also, aunt FiFi came for the weekend to help us pack & to hang out. jen is always around to help when i need her- what a great sister she is. and of course izzy provided some great entertainment as well...she loves barking at aaron and playing with him. they are welcome anytime! my rash (called PUPP) has almost completely gone away...here are just a few of the items i purchased or used to try and deal with it this past month. i don't wish this thing upon my worst enemy. mishawn says she is going to start calling me "1%" because that is the percentage of women who get this crazy rash in pregnancy (and of course i had to get it)!

we'll keep you posted on the baby front!

...fresno love!

last week my new friends in fresno threw me a baby shower. the theme was centered around pampering me...which was wonderful. the best part was that they prayed for me, aaron and the baby and encouraged me that they would continue to do so. it was so special and made me feel really loved. we are so grateful for the friends we have made here through church and the fire department...God has answered our prayers and we know that this is just the beginning. the shower came at a great time because i was in the midst of a 3 week battle with a pregnancy rash (called PUPP) that was making me miserable. i needed some TLC. the rash seems to be clearing up and my doctor has cleared me of anything serious (i got to go to the hospital routinely for a few weeks to make sure the baby was okay...fun stuff). now we're just ready to meet the baby! only three more weeks- but i'm praying for an early arrival!

...babies, bellies & a house!

life is good and we are surviving the 100 degree weather...although i am not loving it. we grow more excited for the arrival of our little baby everyday (and mommy grows more excited to not be pregnant anymore)!



we have been busy with parties, house hunting and a trip to shaver lake with some of our new friends (not to mention celebrating aaron's birthday on july 12th). we also replaced our digital camera and can now get back in the habit of taking pictures. here are some shots of the house we are buying.




our friends laura & sean jackson just had their first baby...little emma. she is a strong little girl who is doing well after heart surgery...thank you Lord for taking care of their little one...your miracles never cease! we cannot wait to meet her the next time we are up in seattle!

...much to celebrate!

today we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary! yeah! we also found out that our offer on a house has been accepted...so if all goes well we will be moving in next month. with a baby on the way we have a lot to celebrate today and we are reminded that God has blessed us greatly in our lives together these past several years. a lot has changed since 2002...and the future looks bright!

...conquering half dome & pregnancy!

aaron and his buddies jeff & trent got the chance to hike half dome last week. they flew up that hike...i cannot believe how quickly they made it to the top (it has always taken me a really long time- so i guess i'm just amazed)! he said the weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded- although he and jeff decided to bypass the "slow pokes" who were going up the middle of the cables and went on the outside of them. the cables are what you see in this first picture and they help stabilize you as you head up that steep incline. for someone like me they are the only thing that would get me up a cliff like that. hiking half dome is something aaron has always wanted to do...so I'm glad it finally became a reality. i still hold the bragging rights of hiking it 4 times (with the exception of the last time in which i did not do the top mile- if you have not heard that story you'll have to ask me about it sometime). hopefully in the next year aaron and i can hike it together.

actually i feel like this pregnancy is kind of like half dome but i don't get the option of not doing the top mile...it's coming...ready or not. but i know once i "get to the top" and this precious baby is born the difficulties of the trip will have been worth it. i guess that is why people like me keep hiking half dome. even though it is challenging...there's no other way to view that incredible scene unless you do the work to get to the top. and much like pregnancy there are some incredible things along the way that keep you going despite the discomfort (like feeling the baby kick and seeing it move on the ultrasound and coming up with names). we got about an 8 week hike left!

...happy 4th of july!

i hope you are all enjoying your holiday! i love celebrating the birth of our country and i am very proud to live here and be a citizen! enjoy all the good food, fireworks and the national anthem today...i know i will!

also, thanks to dan & melissa's blog i found this cool countdown link to the baby's arrival! enjoy!

...showered again!

aaron's family threw me a lovely baby shower this past weekend in susanville. paula and shannon made me feel really special and loved with a dessert party and lots of friends. it was not only nice to catch up with people, but the weather was beautiful and we got to enjoy the new deck that paula and randy built last summer. baby panfilio was spoiled with lots of gifts and the evening was filled with a lot of laughs and delicious desserts (including a cake that mommy particularly loved)! thanks ladies for a wonderful party...i only wish our trip had not been so quick. can you tell how much my belly has grown in a month and a half?

...in loving memory of ken hill.

over a week ago i was home for a few days.

for those of you who knew me in high school, you know that I used to sing at the lighthouse bible bookstore in dublin several times a year in the back of the store where they had a stage and small coffee shop (many of you faithfully came to hear me sing every time i was there). my voice teacher Judy Curtis was always finding new ways for me to sing and practice being comfortable in front of an audience, and this was one of my favorite places to do that. Ken Hill, one of the bookstore owners, was always there cheering me on and encouraging me. he even invited me back a few times in college to sing and play guitar. he was a great guy who I would often stop by and see when I needed new music, background tapes or books.

so my mom and i stopped by on friday (june 16th) because I needed a few books and had not seen Ken in years. we were pleasantly surprised he was there and got the chance to catch up with him. i told him what i had been up to over the past few years and he of course congratulated me on being pregnant. he told my mom that she would love being a grandparent and spoke of his family. we got on a few various tangents and even talked about heaven…

…i found out that sunday (father’s day- june 17th) that he had died in a plane accident the day before. we had literally seen him less than 24 hours before he died. here is an article about him and about the circumstances of his accident: two killed in livermore & ken hill

Ken was a great man and i know that he will be missed by his family, friends and the community. i appreciate the kindness he always showed me…God used him to encourage me and build me up as a young woman, a singer and a child of God. my mom and i are very grateful that we decided to stop into the bookstore when we did…i guess you never know when you are going to see someone again.

...gilmore girls, baby stuff & fire!

it has been a while since i have had a chance to add to the blog. however, i need to point out that it has now been a few weeks since my favorite show ended forever and i am still not over it. that's right...i am still grieving the loss of gilmore girls. what will i do on tuesday nights now that it is over? it ended fine...things sort of came together as they should have...but they did not give us enough warning that it was ending...i needed more time to prepare. one week i'm watching and the next thing you know they say "next week the series finally." this is just not right. if you have never watched the show you are missing out. a few years ago i got caught up by renting and buying the previous seasons (i actually became obsessed with getting caught up and drove my husband crazy with frequent calls saying "um...i'm at target and season 3 is on sale...i know we are broke but can i buy it...it's only $20 and i don't know if can wait for netflix to deliver the next season..."). but anyways- i want to thank courtney for introducing me to the girls...who have now become like my friends...and who i miss. so long gilmore's you will be missed...



thanks to all of you who have added your guess to expectnet...it has been fun to see. i am loving that many of you are predicting that the baby will come early...and i hope you are right. today is going to be 101 here in fresno and tomorrow hopes to be 104...lets just say this summer is going to be hot and i am praying this baby will not wait well in to september to come.

we would like to post more pictures of my belly- but we need to go get our film developed...remember those fun days before digital cameras? here are a few pictures of my shower back in may that my aunt ev & cousin kim threw for me. wasn't the decor beautiful? the flower pot was actually ice cream covered with crushed oreos to look like dirt. isn't that clever?





and finally here are few pictures from aaron's graduation. as i mentioned in the past we lost most of the pictures from aaron's grad when our camera got up and walked away...so here are just a few pics with the tremper's. it took a lot of coaxing to get elsie to take a picture with uncle a in his "turn out gear" because it kinda scared her. but in the end she did let him take this one.