Justification of my watermelon fascination!

Okay so most of you know that I LOVE watermelon. I crave it so bad. Right now it's not in season so it is a real treat when I get it and oh so good! Jarred came over the other night and he brought me a quarter of a watermelon. I ate the whole thing in one sitting. It was so good!

Anyway, I heard that watermelon is beneficial and especially for pregnant women. Check out this article I found....

Watermelon Wonders
More than just a summer picnic favorite, watermelon offers important pregnancy benefits and shows its stuff in several surprising recipes.
By Leigh Brown Perkins
Photography By Kana Okada

Once considered just a juicy treat with limited culinary range and nutritional value, watermelon actually is a versatile and very healthful fruit. On a salad plate, it's a succulent stand-in for tomatoes. It adds crunch and color to entrees. It makes a sweet background for smoothies and sorbets. And it freshens up a tangy barbecue sauce.

If you're pregnant, the benefits are even more delicious. Watermelon eases heartburn and reduces swelling; its high water content (92 percent) and fruit sugars alleviate morning sickness and dehydration; and the minerals it contains can help prevent third-trimester muscle cramps. Ounce for ounce, watermelon is richer than tomatoes in lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, boosts the body's immunity to infections and naturally raises the skin's SPF, according to Steven Pratt, M.D., author of SuperFoods Rx (HarperCollins, 2003).

Even better news for pregnant women: A 2003 study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics found that daily lycopene supplements reduced the incidence of preeclampsia by 50 percent. Test subjects were given 4 milligrams of lycopene; a single serving of watermelon can have triple that amount. What's more, scientists have discovered that watermelon is packed with vitamins A, C and B6, as well as potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are important for the development of your baby's vision, brain, nervous and immune systems, and more. For you, potassium regulates water balance in the blood and body tissues during pregnancy. And you get all these benefits for less than 50 calories per cup.

With its plentiful health perks and juicy, refreshing taste, watermelon is one of summer's most perfect nutritional packages.

I love Jolly Ranchers!!

So I've noticed that I don't crave a specific thing all the time (with the exception of watermelon) but instead I have sudden earges to have something that I haven't had in years. Such as my recent desires for Jolly Ranchers! Or a couple weeks ago it was Yoohoo! There are also these cookies we called them the "S" cookies growing up cause that is the shape they are in. I recently bought those which I haven't had since I was like 13 or something.

I feel Hailey moving more and more. In the past week she has actually woken me up! Sometimes I can feel her elbow move across or when she is doing flips. Then she kicks. The other night she was kicking my belly button! Ah! Don't touch the belly button! My mom says she is going to be like 5 times stronger towards the end of my pregnancy. Oh my! No wonder why I hear women can't sleep!

I must give a shout out to God cause He is so faithful again and again! The family business is tight so hours are down which in turn effects Sean and I financially. It has been very difficult and we are really struggling. Then in the past week several things have come up that each thing costs a couple hundred dollars. A couple days ago I prayed and asked God for some help. I very distinctly heard Him say to keep checking the mail. Well, this morning I realized I didn't check the mail from yesterday. We got a check from our mortgage company! Thank you God!! Just proves again that He knows our needs and as long as we follow Him, He will provide!!!

It's busy busy in the Canada House!

I think I'm wearing my husband out! This past weekend he worked on the tile in the master bathroom. Then he helped me clean up the house. Today Sean started replacing the fence in the backyard and got a lot of that done. I asked him to look at my oven cause it's not working again... something is loose. Then he notices he needs new tires on his car. All the while he is battling some congestion in his chest that is giving him a horrible cough and making him not feel the best. Poor thing!

Meanwhile, Hailey is kicking up a storm. Sometimes she feels like she's having her own party. I wish I could peek in there and see what she's doing! Sean is enjoying feeling her move. This past Saturday my mom got to feel her kick for the first time. Three times in a row! My mom jumped up and down and was SO excited! Then my sister Rachel felt Hailey kick and freaked out. She also saw my stomach move. It is the strangest feeling yet so fun at the same time. I'm excited to see how my dad reacts when he feels his granddaughter kick!

My mom has a PET scan Wednesday and next week a DNA test to see if she has a certain cancer gene. All of these things will determine future treatment. Either way, she is supposed to start chemo within the next few weeks. Fortunately, there are many cancer groups in the area and one of them will give her bandanas or wigs and other things that she will need. They will even take her to appointments if she finds that she needs it. I'm sure that between my dad, my uncle and I, we can get her to her appointments.

Thank you for all your prayers regarding my mom. She has lifted spirits the past few days and even though there are some things she is battling, she is doing very very well.

Truly Blessed!

A wonderful friend from church blessed Sean, Hailey and I with Hailey's crib, changing table, mattress and bedding! Actually, the crib that we registered for is not being manufactured anymore and they are out of stock at Targets all over the state. Helaine found one crib and one changing table at a Target in Winter Garden... the only one left in the entire state!!! Thank you so much Helaine! You have blessed us more than we could have imagined. I can't wait to begin setting up the nursery!

22 Weeks and counting!

The baby now weighs almost one pound and measures nearly 11 inches, and is proportioned like a newborn, albeit a thinner version since her baby fat hasn't yet developed. Although she's getting heavier every day, her skin still appears wrinkled because she needs to gain more weight. The lips are distinct and the eyes are formed, though the iris (the coloured part of the eye) still lacks pigment. The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. Even this early, the first signs of teeth appear in the form of tooth buds beneath the gum line.

So Sean is in Chicago at an expo with work. He said this morning that it is snowing up there. It's been weird not having him around but I have stayed pretty busy. My sister spent the night last night and today I went to the Taste of Oveido with a couple friends. Very hot but so much fun! I'm cooling off at home for now then I plan to detail my car and add some things to the baby registry. Then Sean comes home tomorrow afternoon!!

As far as baby preparations, we need to begin to clean out the computer/music/massage/storage room for Hailey. I'm not sure where we are going to store things but we will find a way!!
We are also trying to finish up the remodel on our master bathroom. Then clean up the courtyard in the back along with repairing the fence. Oh my... so much to do!

Tata for now! Thanks for reading our blog!

BIG PAPA!!!

Hey everyone! It's the daddy speaking. This is sadly my first post because I'm pretty much fail to keep up with any type of blog spot that i still have floating in the vastness of the Internet. I'm making a change for this tho because i know that my beautiful lil' Hailey will be reading this someday, and it would be good for her to see what was going on in my head. So, I guess this post is more to her than anything else.
The last 2-3 weeks has really changed how I carry my self. before i was preparring for your ( hailey ) arrival. Making sure we had all the supplies, fixing stuff in the house, working hard for the extra money, and i was of coarse ecstatic to be in this time of life. Then I saw my your first picture, and i was blown away that i was going to be a daddy of a lil' girl. Then about 2 weeks ago Mom and I decided on your name, Hailey Hope!
I remember that night I went form worring about how I was going to pay for the hospital, time chedules, or GASP! changing diapers ? To. . . My God thank you! I haven't even seen you ( Hailey ) , and I'm already forever in love with you! I think about how I can't wait to hold you, or see you wtih your mom. I wanna kiss your tiny forhead , and pray for you as we walk the house at 2 in the mornnig, cause mommy needs to sleep. What color eyes do you have? Will they be like mine or mommy's? how many people will you be able touch with you smile?
It was spoken over your life that you would bring joy and hope! You're already doing your job. I promise to be the best dad I can, and where I fall short I pray God take control and show me what to do. Nothing will make me stop loving you! I know that God has a destiny on your life and again I thank Him for allowing mom and I to be blessed with you, Hailey Hope Canada

Hailey is 21 weeks now!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 21:

Your beautiful little miracle-gro baby will be putting on a full ounce and a half this week (and weighing up to 16.5 ounces), but that’s just the beginning! Within the next five weeks, they’ll really be packin’ it on! For now, we’re pleased to report the addition of rapid eye movement (REM) a key component to any healthy baby’s sleep schedule. While in the dermatology department: their thin soft skin is very red, rather translucent, and a bit wrinkled. Not to worry, it’s not a premature aging disease. It's just their clever little body setting them up with extra space that will smooth out once your little one starts packing on the baby-fat. That won’t be for a few more weeks, though. So for the time being, your munchkin is still a little lean mean growing machine! The beginnings of what is commonly called “brown fat” is just starting to fill in to help your baby retain some body heat, which is crucial as they’re not yet capable of regulating their own body temperature.

So today Sean and I watched "Business of Being Born" a movie by Ricki Lake. It discussed using a midwife and having birth in a home or birthing center verses a doctor in a hospital. Sean and I feel much more educated about the things we will face in the hospital. It's a little scary but we trust that God will give us wisdom and lead us through the process. I'm pretty calm about the thoughts on birthing but I'm sure as it gets closer I will have to really prepare myself. I have noticed with all the birthing shows/movies that I have watched, things go quicker and better when the mom doesn't fight the pain but works with it.

My plan is to not have any type of medications. I hope to be able to use the tub to aleviate pressure though I won't be able to give birth in it. I also want to walk a lot, squat and use the birthing ball all in preparation for the actual delivery. Tough I can write out my "birth plan" that it's totally going to get thrown to the wayside once we get there! We are going to set up for a tour of the delivery facilities at Florida Hospital Altamonte which I heard has been newly remodeled.

Some belly pics

Here's some fun pics we took today!