Keeping busy

It has been a busy week in the Phillips household and not because there is a new member to the Phillips family. During the week my mother and I were sure to keep Ethan busy and did so many fun things. We started off the week at the Discovery Museum which currently has a Bob the Builder exhibit which Ethan loved.





Then we went to a local petting zoo in nearby San Juan Capistrano. Ethan was so funny, he loved seeing all the animals but when he has a chance to feed the bunnies carrots he became very scared and ran away. Can't say I blame him as we were in a huge fenced in area where there were about 40 very hungry bunnies who are not afraid of people and would charge right over to whomever was holding food.



Surprisingly, even though he was scared of the feeding the bunnies, he jumped at the chance to take a pony ride and loved it.



As well as riding the mini train over and over and over again...

Our next stop was Legoland which was amazing. We all had a ball, especially Ethan. I wish I had known that is was geared towards his age sooner as I would have taken him a long time ago. Everything there is constructed out of legos (see the picture of the giraffes) and there are tons of rides. Ethan kept begging us to take him on the rides and even would wait up to 45 minutes patiently in the lines. There was one ride where you rode in a car about 20 feet up in the air over a lake and he loved it, can't say the same for my petrified mother!



It was a hot day and thankfully Legoland has a fabulous water park which Ethan enjoyed immensely. He literally just ran and ran through all the sprinklers. We practically had to drag him away! We stayed there for over 6 hours and you would think that walking for 6 hours would have put me in labor but no such luck!


Our busy weekend ended with a block party with a bunch of neighbors. These block parties are always over the top and this year, one neighbor bought the huge inflatable water slide in the picture below. It might not look that big in the picture but the slide is a steep 20 feet off the ground and the landing pad is about 15 feet long and ends in a swimming pool. I am not sure who liked it more, the neighborhood kids or the adults! Ethan went down it a few times with Bryan but soon wanted nothing to do with it and would just stand at the bottom near the pool and enjoy getting splashed by everyone coming down.

All in all, it was a fun but exhausting week. I am not sure how we are going to top it this week as I am not optimistic that I will go into labor. I have an induction currently scheduled for September 7th though there is a chance that it could get moved up to September 5th if there is an opening as they were booked for that day. Hopefully I will not need either date and go into labor on my own but it is at least nice to know that at the most I only have a week left until we can meet our new little man!

The Red Rail Gang and baby update

Yesterday, my mother treated me and five of my dear friends to a wonderful afternoon of tea at the St. Regis Hotel. What a treat it was! The weather was spectacular, the view amazing, the food heavenly and the company fabulous. It had been too long since I had spent an afternoon with just the girls and with all the kids safely at home with the dads it was OUR turn to relax. My wonderful friends were so generous and gave Baby Phillips so many adorable presents. Now all he has to do is make his appearance. I feel so lucky to have found such amazing friends who have been so supportive of Bryan and me with everything we have been through since our arrival to California last year. We couldn't have moved into a better neighborhood where everyone welcomed us with open arms. Thank you again ladies for such an amazing afternoon and ongoing friendship. A special thank you to my amazing mother who has always been a source of strength and so generous!


(please ignore my HORRIBLE tan lines!!)
If anyone is ever in the Laguna Beach area, I highly recommend tea at the St. Regis. I think we ladies might make it an annual tradition! Thanks Cristy for taking wonderful pictures to capture a perfect day, you're the best!

No labor news to report unfortunately. At my last doctor's appointment there was not much dilation progress and I have no doubt that I will make it to my next appointment this coming Friday. My gut feeling is that it will come down to an induction the first week in September. Ethan is doing well, albeit he is super hyped up that my mother is here and follows her everywhere but that is to be expected. He had one of the cutest moments the other night when I was putting him to bed. I was reading him the usual bedtime books and he wrapped his arms around my neck and said "Mommy, you are my best friend, I love you". How can you just not melt at that? I might not be his best friend anymore in a few weeks, poor kid doesn't know what is coming!

Oh What a Night...

In an odd twist of role reversal, the Phillips family ended up in the emergency room last night. No, I was not in labor (I wish) but instead Bryan was fighting off a severe strain of strep throat and had a fever of almost 105! By the time Bryan asked me to take him to the ER (I knew he was really sick as this he a typical man, one who never sees the Dr) it was only 10p and I figured I'd just put Ethan in the car, drop Bryan off at the ER and then Bryan could call me when he was done. Well, by the time we drove to the ER, I realized just how truly sick Bryan was. He was delirious and couldn't fill out any paperwork or talk to the doctors so it was family night at the hospital. Ethan woke up and was wide awake, charming everyone there. He was thrilled to watch an Elmo video over and over and in an attempt to not scare him with the situation, we made it out to be an adventure, which it was. We were quite the scene, a 9 1/2 month pregnant woman, with a sleepy toddler and a delirious husband. The doctors were not sure who to treat first. We arrived home at 1a and all settled in for the night. Today Bryan is definitely better than last night but still touch and go and hasn't gotten out of bed all day. Let's hope the meds kick in by tomorrow or else it is back to the doctor. Not great timing huh, all I need is to go into labor while Bryan is laid up in bed. My mother arrives on Friday to rescue us:) Just another day in the life of the Phillips family!

The Last Hurrah

This weekend marked the last time that the Phillips family will be an official threesome as my mother arrives on Friday to help out before and after Baby Phillips arrives. We decided to spend some quality time together and head down to the beach for some fun in the sun. Call it pregnancy hormones but I was a bit sad about this being the last time that we would be going out with just Ethan. Not to say that we are not super excited about meeting our new little boy, or that there won't be times where we will just take Ethan out alone, but those of you who have more than one child understand what I am getting at, it will never be the same. I always knew that Ethan would have a sibling but now that we are on the threshold of adding another, it makes me look back over the past 3 years and cherish the wonderful times.

I finally gave in and decided to take a picture of my large belly. Although my doctor says I am measuring small I still feel (and look) huge! I am now full term though do not feel that I will go into labor anytime soon. At my last Dr's appt there was little to report and no signs of imminent labor.
This weekend my mother is treating me and five of friends to tea at the St. Regis to celebrate the newest addition of the Phillips family. I am looking forward to a nice relaxing day with the girls. Then my mother and I will be occupying Ethan throughout the week and stay on our toes in case Baby Phillips decides it is time to meet his family!