38 WEEKS!!

WOW! We are currently 38 weeks! This is just a VERY QUICK update on what is going on! I believe Karlin is starting to descend, but is still kind of up there! :) We went to the Dr. on Wed and we are a FINGERTIP dilated! LOL! KNW <----About the length of those three letters! :) We are still very excited and in no rush to get our baby out of her wonderful playland! We have had an amazing pregnancy thus far and only expect it to be better! I think when people ask how we have been feeling they expect to hear negative feedback! NOT HAPPENING! We have been very blessed and as I stated are in no rush to get Karlin out. Just allowing God to continue to form her in these last couple weeks. We are very excited to see what she looks like...Im thinking she will have

Dave's & My hair (Thick & Curly)
Dave's eyes
My Nose
My Knees(LOL--INSIDER!)
Dave's Mouth
My feet :)

Okay....So We will let you know who's features she has! We are soooo excited to meet her!
Dave picked out her coming home outfit and it was so awesome that we received it as a gift at our friends shower! Its a really cute little sweat suit! We will take plenty of pics! You know! First car ride! First time outside! First time in her new home! ETC ETC! So stay updated!

Also, we have been having some Braxton Hicks contractions so things are starting to happen!
We also had a shower thrown by two of my friends (Thank you Stace & Jimeka!!!)! Also, thank you so much to Stephanie for all of the cupcakes! Thanks to my mama for the food!! It was sooo good! YUM! It was so great to be with some of my girls to celebrate baby Karlin! We had a lot of fun and received a lot of beautiful gifts! The shower was also beautiful & again the food was amazing! LOL!

I will post pictures soon!

PS I celebrated my birthday on August 27th and I received my first card from my hubby and my daughter! It was so beautiful! It said " We love you mommy" It felt great to read those words! Dave also got a camera for my birthday, which means that we wont have to miss any of Karlin's moments because of a bootleg camera! LOL! Another insider..Kinda! Love you all very much! Thanks for checking the blog!

Dave really enjoyed pushing the stroller around her room! LOL! Notice the Hospital bag in the back! It hasnt been packed yet!

WOW! So…here we are Week 35!!! Time has gone so fast! We have been doing our best to continue to prepare for little Karlin’s arrival. In the process of finding a pediatrician, setting up her room, putting together furniture and all of that good stuff! God has been amazing! Still no complications or sickness! No swelling, no indigestion, no cramping—NOTHING! Its been amazing! Just goes to show you that we can really pray for what we need & believe God for it…then watch Him work!

Last week we had our Family Baby Shower which was such a blessing! It was great to see all of the people who love us & baby Karlin! My mom, Audi, Kim, Talisa & Mary did a WONDERFUL job of putting everything together! I was wowed! Everything was beautiful! I really enjoyed myself & am VERY appreciative of all of the things that we got for the baby!

One of the games that we played at the baby shower was “Musical Bottle”! It was a hit! We didn’t play the music, so I randomly selected people to play the game by putting a piece of tape on their chair! So we had 6 of our beautiful family & friends competing in an apple juice drinking contest! It was pretty fun, but Im sure their cheeks hurt! My sister Breezy won the contest! J

Karlin has been moving around a lot! I think her favorite position is when she puts her knees directly up under my ribs. I’m so thankful that she hasn’t kicked me in the ribs! She’s so cute! She is obviously getting bigger, because I now get up about 3-4 times during the night for a bathroom run! WOW! That is something totally new to me! J Its all for a great cause!

J Starting next week, we will be going to the Dr. every week which should be fun! So I will update you all after each visit to let you know if any changes! Check out & enjoy the pictures! We have def gotten bigger since our last post! J Love you all & Thank you again for your support!

~The Woods Family

Almost 30 Weeks YO!

WOW! Here we are approaching 30 weeks! We will be 30 weeks pregnant on Tuesday and things are great! We have started our every two weeks doctor visits and will soon be down to the every week visits! Still feeling amazing! Although very hungry! LOL! We went to the Dr. last Friday, Karlin seems to have already turned head down in preparation for birth! We are praying that she stays that way, but I know that we still have some time for her to change and then reposition...God has continued to bless us with a complication & sickness free pregnancy! The Word of God is so clear...Delight yourselves in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart...It also says that if you ask, you shall receive according to God's will. If you are delighting yourself in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart. We asked for a blessed pregnancy and it is God's will that we have that, so it is TOTALLY what He has given us! Thank you Lord!

Thanks to everyone who reads our blog! We appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to stay up to date on our little gift that God has given us! Love you all!

So I usually wouldn't do this publicly, but my husband has been so amazing throughout this entire pregnancy and I would like to take some time out to say a few things to him:

David,

Words can't express how very much I love you & adore you! God has truly placed us together to fulfill a purpose for His Kingdom. You have been amazing during the entire pregnancy. We are both still learning & I appreciate you being patient with me. Thank you for reading the Word of God to our daughter, for showing & teaching her at an early age the promises of God, for rubbing the tummy butter on my tummy, for making me grilled cheeses upon requests, for rubbing my feet after a long day, for encouraging me to walk to ensure a healthier pregnancy, for being committed to providing for our daughter and me, for loving me unconditionally, for telling me that everything is going to be okay when I feel a little uneasy, for being at EVERY SINGLE Dr.'s visit, for telling me that I'm beautiful, for taking weekly pictures to document our journey, for celebrating pregnancy milestones (27 weeks, 20 weeks, 13 weeks), for asking me "Are you okay?" every time I get out of the bed at night, for helping me think clearly, for going to do baby registry with me and for simply striving to become who God has called you to be. You are an amazing person, man, daddy and husband. I promise to continue to strive to be the Proverbs 31 woman that God called me to be, so that I can love & serve you better. Thank you for being such a great leader & I want you to know that I truly enjoy being submitted to a man who is so submitted to God. Thank you for your integrity, commitment and love....

~Keena

14 more weeks to go!

Okaaayyyy! So we are now at 26 weeks and 2 days and I have been craving a funnel cake since last weekend! LOL! Dave and I are going to cure that craving by going to one of the local festivals tonight! Im pretty excited as you can see! We are so excited! Only 14 more weeks until the arrival of our baby girl! As we sat in church last night, for the first time I actually seen my stomach jerk when she kicked! It was soooo coooool! I loved it! Last week Dave laid his head on my tummy and she kicked him! It was pretty cute, but she def better not make a habit out of that!

Our last doctors appointment went great & she was measuring at 23 weeks & 5 days, which we were about 23 weeks and 2 days at the time. We were glad to see that everything is growing properly. It was nice to see her on the screen and feel her in my tummy kicking around! She was sooo cute! We have more great ultrasound pictures and those will be up soon!

It's Dave's first Father's Day and I have been going back and forth on what to get him! I guess we will see...

So, this is hilarious....So my mom seen this baby pool that she wants to buy for our baby girl...Karlin will obviously be too young for the pool when she first arrives, so my mom plans to put the pool in her living room, turn the heat up to 85 degrees, put on Karlin's swimming suit and they are going to pretend that they are going to the beach! Absolutely hilarious! Im excited to see this! I actually might join them! LOL!

We have also been working on the Baby Shower invitations, which has been fun, but I am excited to get to the actual putting them together part! (Thanks Jen!)

Everything is beginning to come together (Thanks Jimeka & Stace)! I appreciate you both!

Not sure what else to write about! I know you people want pictures, but I will be sure to take some tonight with that funnel cake! Love you all! God bless!

Oh yeah...Dave, Karlin and I LOVE this song...just thought we would share it! God loves you!
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps )

Did you know that when the Bible says that God is a JEALOUS God that it means that his face becomes intensely red. It seems to refer to the changing color of the face or the rising heat of the emotions which are associated with intense zeal or fervor over something dear to us. In fact, both the Old and New Testament words for jealousy are also translated “zeal.” God is zealous—eager about protecting what is precious to Him. (bible.org)

I looked up the word jealous, zeal, fervor and these are the other meanings that came up: concerned, anxiously desirous, eager, enthusiastic, intense, passionate, warm, fervent....

When I think about these words it shows that God strongly desires us....Loves us with an unfailing love...no matter what--He loves us all the same. It just amazes me how much God desires us....as we go to worship Him, he is excited that we are doing so.....it really does amaze me that God loves us sooo much...that the creator of the universe fills with emotion over us! He's excited about us...WOW!

Be sure to check out the video!! :)

23 Weeks!

Hey! So we are in our 23rd week of preganancy & our baby girl is kicking strong and growing well! She has been such a blessing to us! We enjoy feeling her move! Dave was finally able to feel her last weekend! On a different night Dave was rubbing my stomach she was kicking as if she knew it was her Daddy! It was so cute! We have another Dr.'s appointment today and we are getting more ultrasound pictures! YAY! As well as a tummy check! Excited to see our baby girl again! Well Im off to drink my 32oz of water before our appointment!! :)

20 WEEKS!!!!

20 WEEKS!!!!

So, yesterday, Cinco de Mayo was our 20 week milestone! Its amazing how fast this journey has gone & how fast I am sure it will continue to go! So now I push on my stomach sometimes and I feel her kick where I am pushing, as if I am taking up her space! LOL! I totally enjoy feeling her kick around now! As well as when Dave rubs my tummy with tummy butter and prays in the spirit! Amazing! She also kicks often after I eat & while I read the Word! I read Romans 5 to her the other day & I think she really liked it! (Thanks to her big cousin Meleah) :) So our next doctor appt is at the end of the month & Im really excited to hear her heartbeat again! I Love our baby! It is truly amazing how you can love someone soooo much that you have never met!

Its almost time to register for classes at the hospital...Lactation, Lamaze, etc. We are also looking for a "Growing Kids God's Way" class, so that we can take a deeper look at how God would like us to raise our children! I hear that it's a great class! Nothing fully prepares you for being a parent, but classes help! So, classes along with our faith in God---I know we will be "ALL GOOD!"

We have been pretty busy with Baby Registry lately! It does take a lot more time than I thought! We are in the process of registering for the main big pieces like crib, bassinet, play yard, stroller, car seat, swing, etc. Its harder than I thought to find a 5 piece unisex set that matches. The goal is to use whatever we have for our next babies, so it doesnt really make sense to get only pink things! LOL! Unless God will surprise us with about 5 girls! :) WOW! I would really be in prayer circles then! WAAAYYYY too many hormones! LOL!

Since we did celebrate 20 weeks yesterday, Dave brought home some leftover cake from a party at work--LOL! So we got some candles, table cloth & celebrated the 20 week milestone! We also recorded a short video message for our baby girl, which I am sure she (just kicked me!) will appreciate when she is older! Below you will find some of those pictures! :) Enjoy & thank you again for being apart of this amazing journey!

ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!


ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!


ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

WoW! We are soooo amazed & so surprised! Dave and I enjoyed seeing every little part of our baby and watching her do acrobatics in my tummy! She was sooo active! Her hands were moving everywhere! Her little feet were moving all around! As I write this and listen to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman, my eyes are filled with tears of joy....Unexplainable joy....God has given us such a beautiful little girl to be stewards over....Im sooo excited to show her how a woman of God worships God, fullfils her purpose, submits to and respects a husband and much more....I am sooo appreciative of life...of God....She was absolutely perfect! Just amazing....We just knew we were having a boy, so it took some time to process and actually believe that we were going to have a little baby girl, but we are soooo excited....

She truly was amazing....We got some GREAT pics of her in my tummy! Our favorite is the one above where she is yawning and stretching at the same time (Second one). The first one is our second fav, because it looks like she is smiling....We also have a picture where she is using her arms to cover her face...It was the last picture & I guess that she was tired of taking pictures....LOL!

We are so amazed and excited! Dave is going to be a great DADDY! WOW! God you are awesome! I love you sooo....

MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE OUR LITTLE BABY GIRL....ITS SO AMAZING HOW YOU CAN SO QUICKLY FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE THAT YOU HAVE NEVER MET...LOOKING FORWARD TO SEPTEMBER....LOVE YOU BABY GIRL.

UPDATE!!! YAY! I really have to do this more often!

WOW! So here we are in our 17th week of pregnancy! Things have been great & we only see God doing greater things for the weeks to come! We were blessed to hear the heartbeat of Baby Woods during week 11 as well as at our week 15 visit! (Gotta hear Dave's rendition of the heartbeat--ITS PERFECT) It was very strong and fast! The heart rate was about 152! We are soooo excited!

During our week 15 visit I had all that gross stuff done! LOL! I am sooo not used to all of that! A bunch of testing & checking,but all of that is over until 36 weeks! We had a great doctor who was VERY patient through the process! If it had not been for Jesus & Dave being with me at that visit...I dont know how I would have done it....Im glad its all over for now....We found out that we will find out the sex of the baby on April 29!!

So I had been feeling these little things under my tummy...they were first on the bottom (under my belly button) and then they moved up to more of the top of my tummy...I had begun to call them diamonds or gems, because I didnt really know what they were, but I was 100% sure that they were like the Placenta or something! LOL! I got a rude awakening...I asked the Dr. "what are these?" She whispered to me: "Thats your fat tissue" LOL! It was soo embarassing yet funny! I had been calling my fat: DIAMONDS!!! Basically my uterus & my baby are pushing EVERYTHING up! LOL! Dave & I thought this was Hilarious!!

Dave has continued to lay hands on my tummy and speak the Word of God (Bible) over the baby...praying for wisdom, excellence, peaceful spirit & much more! He is going to be such a great Father!

We have begun registration at a few places including Baby's R Us, Target & Walmart...with one more registry to be completed at Baby Depot (which has a HUGE selection of clothing)!

People have really been a blessing to Baby Woods already & we want to thank Uncle Noah & Aunt Steph! LOL! Brother and sister from two otha mothas! We all have the same dad! LOL! That sounded kinda weird! Anyways...Everyone has really been a blessing!

We are planning the Baby Shower for Little Woods to be on August 8th in Canton! We hope that you all can make it! Invitations/save the dates will go out soon & if we somehow miss you, since the list is already at 112 (and thats NOT everyone), just forgive us and let us know! We got love for you!

So the tummy is measuring at about ____ inches! LOL! WOW! Im really not about to put that up there so that yall can get your tape measure and see how big it is! LOL! Yes some of that was already there, but Little Woods is beginning to stretch mommy out already!

We have also felt a few flutters so far! It was very exciting! Kind of felt like a butterfly flying and then stopping immediately! LOL! It was a great feeling once I got passed the fact that it wasn't gas! LOL!

Last week we got the book Supernatural Childbirth, for the second time...And are still believing that God will move supernaturally during the remaining weeks of preganancy and delivery! If you have not read the book---IT IS A MUST READ! Really! It will change your whole mindset on pregnancy, delivery, the whole process!

Dave was sooo cute the other day...I told him to talk to the baby and he told me that it was hard talking to a stomach! That was sooo hilarious to hear! I think that he is more ready than me to find out the sex of Little Woods! LOL!

Over Easter weekend, we also moved into a townhouse and are really excited to have our own place again...We truly appreciate my mom being a blessing to us and allowing us to stay with her for the last 9 months, but we are all (including mom) excited about getting a new place! Little Woods will have a nice size nursery so we are excited to decorate! Dave's parents were really a blessing to us in helping us prepare to move in so we def appreciate them! We went in & cleaned the place from top to bottom...kind of...we didnt really do the basement! But we did a lot of cleaning & of course we protected ourselves by having all the windows open and wearing masks...to protect Baby Woods!

Other than that....Easter was awesome! We had some really close friends and family join us at Faith Family and the message was awesome! A couple of the young people mentioned that they will def be coming back so I was pumped about that!

We still are soo excited about holding our baby in about 5 more months! OH my goodness! Sooo...If you come to the hospital and I seem to NOT let you hold the baby...LOL! Forgive me! HA HA!

Yes!! Yes!! Yes!!! We are Pregnant!!!

<---The picture to the left is a bit unclear, but that is our "YES!" pregnancy test!!!

2/24/2009---Soooo....I guess my first post seemed a bit unclear! We are indeed pregnant! As a matter of fact we are now 10 weeks strong! 10 weeks closer to meeting the little one that God has blessed us with! We are so delighted to be able to pour love and blessings into our little baby.....I would like you to understand a bit about us before we go on.....

David and I met while we were studying at the University of Toledo. We were introduced by a mutual friend eventually had chemistry class together for the entire year that David went to Toledo! As the year went by our friendship grew stronger and we were able to get to know each other better. Toward the end of the school year we enjoyed 1 date and on that one date was when David announced to me that he would be moving to Vegas to start over....VEGAS???? To start over? I wondered what he was thinking....Vegas is "sin city"! How can anyone do better there???? Although I was crushed I eventually trusted that he was making the right decision. He would be moving to Las Vegas to stay with his Aunt. That following summer David left for NV. :( I was in Toledo completing summer school courses so that I could continue college...LOL! David and I lost touch over the summer, although he had called my house many times. My brothers NEVER gave me the message!
Later on that summer David and I were FINALLY reconnected! We picked up where we left off and continued to build our friendship....A very long 2 years went by before we were able to see each other...But we eventually did...We went on a quick date to the mall! LOL to get some food and then I was on my way to my friends bridal shower!
Over the next year we got closer and finally in February of 05 David decided that he wanted to make things official...He came home to Cleveland for a quick trip and I made my way from Toledo to Cleveland to spend some time with him! We were able to spend a LOT of time together and he eventually told me that he was ready to make "US" official. During that year 05 I graduated from the University of Toledo and later moved to Elgin, IL to accept a higher position with Boys & Girls Clubs. A couple months later David moved to Tucson to also accept a higher position with 84 Lumber (2006) . Our relationship was stronger than ever...we supported each other spiritually and emotionally as well as unending encouragement in our careers.

Later that year (Sept) I was preparing for HUGE event for work. I planned to implement plans for this event and then travel to Tucson to help David move the following weekend. After being out in the community promoting all day I needed to definitely have one of my "phone dates" with Dave! We plan to speak later and go out to eat at the same time as we had often done! Once the time came I was VERY tired and opted to just get some Dairy Queen and relax at home as he ate. As soon as I got home and sat down I called him and he was asking me how hes supposed to season fried chicken. As I was giving him intructions the doorbell rang.....I went to the door to see who it was and I didnt see anyone there...So I went back up to my room. I thought that it was probably just some drunk neighbors. Once I sat back down, the doorbell rang again....Im like...Oh Lawwwd! So...I told Dave that I was scared and he is telling me just go see who it is...Sooo...I grabbed a pair of scissors and went downstairs...Something told me to open the door Thank youGod!) and here David is....standing outside of the door! HE DROVE 30 HOURS! NONSTOP!
Eventually he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him in so many words! LOL! He is sooo non-traditional! I said yes!!! 30 HOURS TO PROPOSE!!! WOW! I was in AWE!!!
David moved back with his parents as we prepared for our wedding, because we wanted to continue to honor God by abstaining from sex and living together until we were married!
We got married December 31, 2006 in Canton, OH (3 months later). We had a beautiful wedding day and were surrounded by family and friends!!!
After we got married we prayed and asked God to bless us with children within two-three years. We wanted time to get to know each other as well as accomplish some of the things that God had set before us. We also opted to not take ANY birth control or contraceptive, but instead decided that we wanted God to have TOTAL control. We were not going to stop ANYTHING!
We continued with our lives after we got married...Dave worked for the ministry (Living Word Christian Center) and I continued to work for Boys & Girls Club of Elgin. Eventually (Sept 07) I was led to walk away from my job and start Level 7, a youth ministry organization. We continued to build our marriage, our relationship with Christ and Level 7. That year David also enrolled in the Joseph Business School and later finished at the top of his class! Praise God! He truly has a gift for business! During the summer Spring of 2008 we went on a pretty lengthy fast to hear from God on what we needed to do next in our lives...We got the answer that it was time to move back to Canton, OH.
On July 3 we moved back to Ohio to pursue Level 7. Dave was also blessed with a position at a well known insurance company where we have really great pay and health benefits! Later that year David was also able to incorporate Royal Business Development, which is a business consulting firm where he helps entreprenuers start and develop businesses!
After all of that happens we finally celebrate our two year anniversary and then we find out three weeks later that we are indeed PREGNANT!!! We were so overwhelmed with joy that God would choose us! As well as the fact that God fulfilled His promise...
Remember I told you all that we prayed and asked God to give us a baby in 2-3 years....Here we are 2 months pregnant after our 2 year anniversary!
Psalm 37:4-7 (KJV)⁴ Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.⁵ Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:
If you delight yourself in the Lord, listen to Him, trust Him, follow His commandments, wait patiently...He will GIVE YOU the desires of your heart!

Hellloooooo!!!!

WOW! Soooo...This is our first time doing this whole blog thing! The purpose of our blog is to keep our family, friends and many others up to date on the blessing of life that we are experiencing firsthand!

At the beginning of January I began to feel just a bit different...having a feeling that there was something different with my body, but I didnt know what it was...I continued to tell Dave--I Bet im pregnant...I think Im pregnant "Dave, there is a reason why I am drinking pickle juice out of the jar" LOL! So I kind of knew something was different!

Then came signs of implantation....I asked a friend what could those signs mean and she said that it was a GREAT possibility that I was pregnant...WOW! An overwhelming feeling of joy and excitement came over me!