facebook notes...

hi baby=)

there's this thing called facebook. it's for online social networking and it's a little bit addictive. you'll see. i always thought it was ridiculous until daddy and i moved to richmond and i was really homesick. about a year later i gave in and joined facebook and it has made me feel a lot more connected with my friends back home. that's my excuse, at least...

so facebook has these quizzes called "notes" where you answer all these questions about yourself. i feel like i'm in 4th grade just telling you about them, but it gets worse: i absolutely LOVE them. last winter when you first came home i filled out at least 10 of them, easy. it's shameful, i know. your daddy was incredibly bored one day and did 2 of them. i loved that day=)

so as embarassing as it is to admit i actually like these things, i started thinking about how you would maybe enjoy reading this stuff about daddy and me one day. i think it would be fun to read things my parents would've said about themselves when they were 20 something, and hopefully you agree. here are a few of them that we wrote when you were about 6 months old...

25 Things (by katie)
1. as i'm hearing songs or people talking or i'm reading a book, i type out the words on my own palms or whatever surface my hand is resting on...so weird...that's also why i type crazy fast.
2. i'm a bit ocd--like in the way i count the steps as i'm walking up them, or how many times i blink, or especially a pattern where i blink and type a word on the table and bounce my leg and chew my gum....i can't believe i'm admitting these things.
3. i feel completely elated when my house is clean and tidy. especially when it smells like pine-sol. i go from room to room admiring my work. this doesn't actually happen very often, but i love it when it does.
4. my favorite thing in the world is how my little girl reaches up to put her hand on mine when i'm holding her pacifier in her mouth and patting her head when she's falling asleep. she is the most amazing little thing=)
5. my favorite color is blue (like the color of the sky on a cloudless day). my least favorite color is purple.
6. i have dubbed these days with no clouds in the sky "katie days"--i love them and am usually blissfully happy during them.
7. my only aversions during pregnancy were gum and ice cream-which is only weird because pre-pregnancy i chewed gum constantly and ate ice cream at least once a day-healthy, i know.
8. i loved elementary school. especially the game "crab soccer" we would play during PE. i was really good at it.
9. i absolutely loved being pregnant. i was so much nicer to my husband during those 9 months. we both agree i should be pregnant all the time.
10. pet peeve: putting dishes in the sink without at least rinsing them off first. and if you get that far, why don't you just stick them in the dishwasher.
11. in the middle of summer or winter, i always want it to be the opposite season because i get sick of the extreme temperatures. spring and fall are my favorite.
12. i secretly like thuggish music. i can't help but dance to it.
13. my favorite part of living in richmond is running down monument avenue. my favorite part of my neighborhood is how the giant trees make a huge canopy over the streets.
14. i love lists. mostly to-do lists. i love making them and then i really love marking through items when i finish them. i also love writing things i have to do on my calendar. my purse calendar is white with blue polka dots and very cute.
15. i have a huge fear that i won't be very good at teaching catherine how to love jesus.
16. i was just typing on my hands what i just typed on the computer (example demonstrating # 1).
17. i love diet mountain dew and goldfish (the snack). and peanut butter m&m's.
18. i'm terrified of my dad getting sick.
19. i'm oddly stubborn, considering i am also a people-pleaser.
20. my husband rolls his eyes at me every time i come home with a People magazine. i roll my eyes at him every time he turns on desperate housewives.
21. my paradise is sitting under an umbrella on a beach on a katie day listening to the ocean. and going to target.
22. i am finally able to admit that we are big TV people. i used to be ashamed of that and tried to lie to myself about it. watching television makes me very happy. what can i say. i own all 10 seasons of "Friends" and watch them when i am sad. it was my happy place when i first moved to richmond and was super homesick.
23. i hate HATE cleaning toilets. i will do laundry all day long if donnie will just clean the toilets.
24. "Cars" is one of my favorite movies of all time. i think mater is so funny and wish he was real so we could be friends.
25. i sometimes think i'm a horrible human being because i don't at all want to own a dog. or any pet for that matter. i'm of the mindset that children are worth the trouble, but animals are not. i might lose some friends for this one.

25 Things (by donnie)
1. My daughter is sleeping on the floor right now with a blanket over her head. Because she has a trach, I don't need to worry about her.
2. I used to run an unlucrative bread business during my homeschool days.
3. I don't like being bored.
4. I am very focused when I work. I used to play with legos for 8 hrs or more. Usually it's a gift. However, my wife has to get my attention before she talks to me or it leads to marital conflict.
5. The most excited I can remember being was when I saw my daughter's eyes for the first time. It was several days after she was born. After this, I decided that, for better or worse, I was going to get ready for her to live.
6. My dream is to live on a lake with Katie. I see myself waking up early and watching the sun rise off the misty water, waiting for her to wake up, while sipping coffee black.
7. I was a mean older brother sometimes. I traded their Christmas presents away from my siblings. My strategy was to offer them several things that I hadn't shared with them. Even after my dad required all trades to be approved by him, I was quite successful.
8. I love the fall.
9. I'm an artist. I took lessons with my mom and this was one of our favorite things that we did together. When I'm old, I'll spend more time with it. I like to give art to others to show them how special they are to me. I did a picture for my wife before we got married. I recently did a lion for my daughter's room.
10. I love the farm (my dad's family has a 1500 acre farm near Savannah).
11. I hope catherine will let me do here hair till she's at least 6. I used to do my sister's hair, but then I lost my job when she became aware of how she looked. I plan to improve my skills.
12. My favorite thing to do with Katie is eat out. We also like to take drives and travel. We have several expensive trips planned in our heads for when we have money.
13. I don't like being told what to do, a truth that accounts for most of the conflict I've had with people.
14. I used to like soccer more than football, even though I went further with football.
15. I used to work out several times a day, bench close to 400 lbs, squat over 600, and run a 4.4 40-yard dash. Now I lift one day per week. I do not dash.
16. I miss my family. my mom was the hub of our family and when she died she left a void that, until now, none of us has wanted to fill. I hope one day we'll be closer again.
17. I have two masters degrees and I insist that people call me 'master master Davis.'
18. I love teaching and writing and I'll probably do some of this kind of work until I can't walk.
19. I like gadgets. I'm generally not very impulsive, but Katie has to watch me in electronics and computer stores.
20. I like snuggling and so do Katie and Catherine.
21. I don't like most dogs. We had a smelly, untrained dog growing up. However, I've met several trained dogs that have made me reconsider.
22. I believe in God. I had a team mate in college who said he thought the reason was because I was raised a Christian. Perhaps. It seems like one of those magic eye things or one of those gestalt pegboards that once you see the word, it's hard to see it the old way. Underlying my faith, I just cannot imagine that God does not exist. How did it all get here. Evolutionary theory starts after all the matter is here, but how did that get here. Of course, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that God always existed. Eternity forward makes sense to me, but eternity backwards makes my head hurt. My reasons for believing in Jesus are a different story.
23. The thing that scares me most about God is that he often seems silent.
24. Along similar lines, I have a few experiences that have helped me come to peace with the silence of God. I had a dream after mom died. We were in a car and we drove over the edge of a bridge. We were floating towards our imminent death (I say floating, because gravity was not working as it should). I was full of terror. Finally, we hit the water of a river. I frantically helped my mom out of the car. Then, for some reason, I realized that it was a dream. Mom was peaceful. So was I. I was at rest. The water was warm and refreshing. I also realized that she was dead but it was very real that I was with her. I also knew that the dream would end. Then I turned to her and asked her, "Mom is it true that He loves us as much as they say He does." She was silent, but, strangely, it was not an empty silence. The silence had more meaning than any words would have. I suppose it was the emotion I could see on her face. She knew the answer to my question and her calm set my fears at ease. I woke up.
25. I miss my truck. I used to have an F-150, but sold it to head to Richmond to Graduate school. So add that to my list: a beautiful wife, a lake, a daughter who will let me do her hair, and a truck. That's all I ask.
25b. I should say, I'm competitive.

it's mommy now. i have some things to add...#17-he does not make anybody call him master master-i assure you i would have something to say about this. #19-you really have to watch him in the school supply aisle-he has an obsession with writing utensils. #22-daddy comes up with analogies for everything. sometimes i don't follow them, but this one is my favorite. #25-when daddy got this truck i was leading his sister's small group at church-she asked me if i had seen her brother's new truck-i told her yes and that those were my favorite kind of trucks-she said "oh! maybe you'll be my sister in law one day!"-she does not remember this. i had a crush on him, so i definitely do.

this one is where i answered questions about your daddy...

spousey=)
1. He is sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? espn or some law/crime show (csi, law and order, bones, ncis, etc)
2. You're out to eat-what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? caesar
3. What's one food he doesn't like? peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. he was home schooled till 7th grade and ate them every day. he says he's had his fill.
4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? a drink drink? guinness. other than that either coke or sweet tea.
5. Where did he go to high school? harrison high school
6. What size shoe does he wear? 12
7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? gadgets. like usb storage things for computers or a wireless mouse. geek.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? buffalo chicken sandwich
9. What would he eat every day if he could? peanut butter on banana
10. What is his favorite cereal? chex
11. What would he never wear? muscle shirts or track suits.
12. What is his favorite sports team? dallas cowboys
13. Who did he vote for? he didn't.
14. Who is his best friend? me. really truly. but if that's not an acceptable answer, i'd say josh or stacey or chad or dan or daryl or jeff...he has great friends.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? get anxious and take it out on him. i wish i wouldn't do that too.
16. What is his heritage? irish and german or something very white.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday. What kind would it be? chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no-bake cookies
18. Did he play sports in high school? football and soccer
19. What could he spend hours doing? writing papers. super geek.
20. What is one unique talent he has? he can "gleek" on command. you know-spit from under your tongue? unbelievable. and he CAN'T burp. i think that's great.

i think he's so cute. you like him too. you laugh so hard at him. harder at him than anyone else.

so there you go. kind of fun i thought. no more facebook talk, i promise.

i made a book on kodak gallery this week of your first year. mommy is not very good at scrapbooking, so this is my resolution. to make one of these books for you and your little siblings each year. we'll see...but anyway-i LOVE the book. it's so sweet. i look at it over and over. you are a precious little thing=)

you love riding on daddy's shoulders. you hold on so tight to his hair-he's a little worried you might cause some premature balding...but you get the biggest grin on your face and laugh and laugh and take in your little world from a different view. we love watching you having so much fun.

we go back to uva on wednesday to try to take your trach out. i, in true katie style, am trying to expect it to not work again. i'm sure you've noticed by now that i try to prepare myself for the worst of the options. we could handle the trach for another 7 months, right? yes we could, but i hope we don't have to. daddy gets to come this time. i might just sit over on the bench and watch the whole thing. i'm not sure i'd be good at doing that again...i'm kidding baby. i'll be fine. so will you=)

i love you sweet angel-

mommy