Lots of Fun "Days"

Grayson hit the 8 week mark last Friday and we don't know where the time has gone. (Actually, a fair amount of it has been spent in the middle of the night feedings.) A family in our ward blessed their 1 week old yesterday and we thought "he looks so small compared to Grayson!" The list of people in this world who are smaller than Grayson isn't very long. So it was weird to see the difference between the 1 week old and the 8 week old. We've been so busy with the comings and goings of taking care of a newborn that it is easy to forget and not appreciate this stage. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to the past few weeks.

Quirky Grayson
We realize that any facial expression Grayson makes right now is purely happenstance. Nevertheless, he does make some cute faces. 

Deep in Thought

Super Relaxed

Most Common Grayson Expression - The "Ooh" Face

Visiting Aunt Sis, Uncle Pete and Great Grandma Gosney
We took a trip down to OKC to visit Matt's Mom and Dad. While there we were able to introduce Grayson to Matt's sister Tami (Grayson's Aunt Sis) and his Uncle Pete. He also got to meet his Great Grandma Gosney, who was very excited to see another Great-Grand.
 

Out Cold Sleeping on Aunt Sis

With Great Grandma Gosney & Dad

 NWA Baby Shower
Several of Sharon's friends wanted to hold a baby shower prior to Grayson's arrival. Well, Grayson had other ideas and showed up early. So we took the opportunity as soon as we could to make our way back out to Centerton to see our friends across the border. We sure do miss NWA! Thanks to Cori Graham for organizing and Jan Saumweber for hosting. We had such a great time catching up with everyone. (We also thought it appropriate that Grayson's first Sacrament Meeting be at the Centerton Ward. That way if he cried he'd be drowned out by the 150 other babies.)

Grayson Got a Lot of Lap Time with a Lot of People

Catching up with Good Friends

Grayson Assuming the Cuddle Position with Cori - Laura is Rightfully Jealous!

Visit from Aunt Cathy, Uncle Will & Aunt Lauri, and Cousins!
A couple of weekends ago Sharon's sister Cathy flew in for Grayson's baby blessing. Matt's brother Will and his wife Lauri and their kids Tag, Lucy and Sam came up the next day. So it was an exciting time at our house! Everybody went to the Jenks Aquarium where Tag enjoyed the sharks and Lucy found them to be scary. Tag did not, however, enjoy the smell around the beaver exhibit. Evidently beavers and otters do not smell very good.

Tag Playing in the Back Yard

Lucy Having Fun in the Yard

Aunt Sharon, Grayson, Cathy, the Beaver, and a Non-Plussed Tag

Grayson with Dad at the Shark Tank

Grayson's Blessing
On June 10th we had Grayson's Baby Blessing. As you can see from the photo we had the support of so many family members, we felt very loved and supported! Grayson is now all blessed up, although we haven't really noticed that much difference.

The Whole Baby Blessing Crew

Mom, Dad & Grayson

We thought for certain that we could get some really great photos of Grayson in his cute baby blessing outfit. Instead he thought it would be a fun time to make silly faces. So, here they are, Grayson's silly face baby blessing pictures.

Excited Grayson

Grayson Knows Something You Don't Know

This is Probably Just Gas

The Smirk

Aunt Shonee & Uncle Aaron Visit
After the baby blessing Sharon's brother Aaron and his wife Shonee spent a couple of days with us in Tulsa. While we were here, we went on a tour of the local Blue Bell Ice Cream factory. It really wasn't quite as awesome as it sounds, but we did get free ice cream.

Note Sharon is Holding her Free Ice Cream

Aaron and Shonee

Grayson is Ready to Blow this Popsicle Stand

Grayson was Glad to Hang with Uncle Aaron, Despite the Frown

Penny Enjoyed the Excitement of It All

Favorite Way to Sleep
Unfortunately, Grayson doesn't get to sleep in his favorite position all of the time. But when he does, as you can see below, he takes full advantage.

With Mom

With Dad

Matt's Birthday
Matt had another birthday on the 16th of June, and as usual his sweet wife did a wonderful job making it an extra-special day. He started with breakfast at one of his favorite places (a local spot called Brookside By Day, awesome buckwheat pancakes.) Then that evening everyone (Matt, Sharon, Grayson and Penny) went to the drive-in to see The Avengers! Seeing the movie was great, but seeing it at the drive-in made it that much cooler. (Not cooler temperature-wise. It was actually boiling.) We pooped out before the 2nd feature, but still had a great time and Matt had a WONDERFUL birthday.

The Admiral Twin!

Dad and Grayson at the Drive-In - Dad Wearing His New B-Day Shirt

Anxiously Awaiting the Movie to Start

Father's Day
Matt was born on Father's Day, which means his birthday usually falls close to that Sunday. This year, the day after Matt's birthday he got to have his very first Father's Day. Grayson got his dad a beautiful personalized frame for his desk at work. (Mom probably helped with that purchase.) But Grayson is the best Father's Day gift a Dad could have! (Mom helped a LOT with that one, too.)

This One is Going in the Frame

After Church on Father's Day

Dad Needs to Work on that Double Chin

Dad and Grayson on Father's Day

Lesli & Roger and Crew
Matt's cousin Lesli and her husband Roger and their crew of three made a quick visit to Tulsa on their way to see Lesli's Mom and Dad in Centerton. The girls wanted to see Grayson. And, given how cute he is, it's totally understandable.

Grayson surrounded by Women!

Firsts

One of the funnest things about having Grayson around is we get to experience lots of firsts. Although, first poopy diaper wasn't really a milestone we were looking forward to. And Grayson has been more than willing to let us re-experience that event several times since. Nevertheless, firsts are fun. Here are a few of Grayson's firsts.

First Visit from Grandma and Grandad Gosney

Grandad Gosney holding one of his three favorite Grandsons

Very proud Grandma Gosney - note that Grayson got Grandma's nose in the genetic lottery

First Real Bath

Grayson had a few "sponge baths" prior to his "little boy surgery" healing up. But this was his first, for real bath. He immediately fell asleep as soon as he was put in the tub. Actually, that's not the absolute first thing he did. Let's just say he found the warm water very relaxing, and Mom and Dad had to change out the bath water. As the saying goes, we did not throw the baby out with it.

Enjoying a quick nap in the tub

Less excited about the hair washing

Loves the warm towel - and to be done with the whole bath thing

Grayson needs some comforting from Dad after the bath trauma

The profound sleep of a well-scrubbed infant

First Time with Dad in Charge!

Sharon took an opportunity to run up to her work on Saturday morning, leaving Grayson alone with Dad! Dad did manage to not do any permanent damage, but he did think that a little photo shoot would be fun. When Grayson was still in the hospital (the first time, right after he was born) he was scheduled to get his picture taken with the standard newborn hospital photo. Unfortunately, Grayson wasn't having a very good morning when they came by to take the pictures (and he looked like an Oompa Loompa from the jaundice) so we decided to forgo the photo shoot. Matt and Sharon's Christmas present to each other this past year was a new camera, so Matt decided to see if he could put together his own photo shoot. It's much easier to take good pictures when they feature the world's cutest baby.

First Mother's Day

Grayson decided that for his Mom's first Mother's Day he'd like to buy her some pajamas. He figured that, since that's all she's pretty much worn since he's been on the earth, she must really like them. Mom got to go to church for the first time in a few weeks while Dad minded the home front. But he sure was glad when she got home! Mom asked for one of her favorite meals for Mother's Day: beans, cornbread and fried potatoes. (Sharon has been married to an Okie for too long, obviously.) Matt surprised her with a chocolate cream pie for dessert. That won him some points.

Sharon and his Mom - Mother's Day 2012

He's keeping an eye on Mom

Chocolate Cream Pie with Cool Whip - Just like Sharon likes it!

Grayson's favorite sleep position - hands over his head

Grayson's Story

On April 19th Sharon had her regularly-scheduled appointment with the OB/GYN. It was then that she learned that, even though only 36 weeks pregnant ("only" is used here as a relative term) she was already dilated to a three, almost a four. The doctor informed us that she was on call that weekend and that we might be seeing her soon. Or, Sharon might walk around for three more weeks. That's the thing with babies. They show up on their own schedule. At this point, all of the charming aspects of pregnancy were very much over and Sharon was feeling rather miserable. The doctor assured us it was God's way to make her so sick of being pregnant that she was ready to endure labor and delivery. Here's the "baby bump."

A week later Sharon was due for her next appointment. At this point we were at 37 weeks (full-term) and feeling much less anxiety over an early birth. The doctor checked Sharon again and, lo and behold, she was now dilated to a four, almost a five. Matt's Aunt Karma lives in NW Arkansas and had offered to be a "surrogate mom" for Sharon during delivery. She wisely decided to drive over and attend the doctor's appointment with us.

Once the doctor saw how far Sharon was dilated we were sent over to the triage unit for an hour's worth of observation. Sharon was hooked up to the monitors where she was able to learn that the periodic cramps she'd been feeling every 10 minutes or so were, in fact, contractions. It was during this time that Matt's boss decided to pop in and say hello and wish us well (Matt works at the hospital.) Sharon was, of course, thrilled to meet Matt's boss while in a hospital gown and attached with various monitors and wires.  After an hour of observation it was determined that Sharon's contractions weren't strong enough. So we were instructed to walk around the hospital for an hour to see if gravity would do the work for us. Of course walking around the hospital meant running into several other of Matt's co-workers. In retrospect, perhaps it isn't a good idea to have a baby at the place you work.

An hour later and we still hadn't progressed, so we were sent home. Matt was suspicious of such a decision and insisted that Sharon sit on a towel. After dinner (Smashburger - highly recommended by pregnant moms and expectant fathers) and a little TV Sharon casually asked Aunt Karma what it felt like when one's water broke. A short while later it became clear why Sharon had posed the question. (Hooray for the towel.) At 8:30 p.m. Sharon's water broke and we were on our way back to the hospital.

Labor was definitely made more pleasant by the epidural (for Sharon, not Matt.) In fact, Sharon spent a fair amount of labor taking a nap. Things still weren't progressing as well as everyone would like, and so at about 3 a.m. the nurse pushed a few buttons and turned the bed into a chair. Sitting upright did the trick as gravity helped things along. Unfortunately our little fella wasn't a big fan of labor. His heart rate began dropping during contractions (or when anybody touched his head, interestingly enough.)

At about 4:30 a.m. it became time to push. Sharon pushed while Matt held one leg and Aunt Karma the other. The epidural will only get you so far, and Sharon got to feel plenty of the pains of pushing. The baby was really struggling now and not tolerating the labor process at all. The doctor suggested we use the suction cap to help get him out of there. It took several tries to get the cap to stick to his hair-covered head. But, at 5:31 a.m. on April 27th Grayson Edward Gosney was born. (That suction gave him quite the cone head. Fortunately that's begun to shrink back down!)

From the minute Grayson arrived he was a studier. He hardly fussed, something that has continued fairly consistently. He loves having his eyes open and observing what is going on around him, and he'll crane his head when he hears his Mom or Dad talk to him. We think looks-wise he's a pretty good mix between his Mom and Dad, but mostly he just looks like Grayson. He was born needing a haircut. You can't see in the pictures but his hair could almost be put in a pony-tail in back. He's definitely a snuggle-bunny. His favorite way to fall asleep is on Dad's shoulder. As soon as he goes up there he's out like a light.

One of the perks of your Dad working where you're born is that you do get the "penthouse" room.

And all of the staff were extra-ordinarily attentive to our every want and need. (Most of their visits began with a review of the chart and the comment of "so, you work at the hospital?" We're sure we would've received great care regardless, but in times such as this a little extra pull didn't hurt.) After a rather unpleasant second day on the planet (little boys have it rough in the beginning) we took him home on Sunday the 29th.

You'll notice he's looking a little orange in the "going home" photos. Unfortunately that jaundice didn't improve and we found ourselves back at the Hospital the following Wednesday. But, after a couple of nights in his own private tanning salon, he was back in action and home again - this time a normal color.

Those of you who've known us a while know we've been waiting a very long time for Grayson to make his way into our lives. For a while it looked as if we were going to have to take some extreme measures to be able to have a child. Fortunately, that ended up not being the case. We're both pretty much overwhelmed with how much you can love someone you just met! But, for now at least, every dirty diaper is a joy and every pitiful little cry is adorable. We're so glad Grayson joined our family and we can't wait to watch him learn and grow. We love you, Grayson!

A Very Very Good Boy

Before we thought about growing our family with kids we thought about growing our family with dogs. When Matt and Sharon got married Sharon already had a Basset Hound named Penny (who was less than pleased when she was unceremoniously dumped from her warm spot in Sharon's bed out to a kennel in the spare room.) We thought it only fair to Penny, then, to get her a friend. Since Sharon likes big dogs, and Matt likes big dogs, we figured "why not get the absolute biggest dog you can get?" So Matt did some research on English Mastiffs and, wouldn't you know, Mastiffs are well known for being very gentle, loving, low energy dogs. In fact, they're often described as "rugs with legs." That sounded like our kind of lifestyle! Of course, what we chose not to note at the time were dire warnings about the drool, snoring, gas, and just what it feels like to get whacked in the knees with a tail the size of a garden hose.

We got married in September, and we found a breeder who had just birthed a litter of Mastiffs in August. When we went to the breeder's home there was an outdoor kennel full of Mastiff puppies. The mom and dad Mastiff both seemed very friendly (and huge!) so we felt good about the puppies. We got in the kennel and played with many of them, but back in the back of the dog house was a particularly shy little boy puppy. He was bigger than his litter-mates, but he was clearly only interested in hanging out in his house and not being subjected to the craziness of all the commotion. We decided on the shy little guy and named him Augustus. Since "Augustus" is a pretty big mouthful we went with "Auggie" for short.
As you can see, Auggie was an adorable puppy (although all puppies are adorable.) It took him a while that first night to decide that he was okay coming to our house. He cried most of the way home and he wasn't too fond of Penny at first. But he soon determined that we weren't out to torture him and that Penny was acceptable as a "big" sister. (We are forever grateful to Penny for teaching Auggie the finer points of house training. Auggie was quick to house train mostly because he kept a keen eye on what Penny was up to. He soon learned what was acceptable to do in the house and what wasn't.) In those early days Auggie spent a lot of time in our laps. It didn't take long for us to learn that wasn't a feasible long-term option. (Note the drool on Sharon's pant leg in the second pic. That drooling habit started very young. Little did we know.)




Auggie entered his "rebellious teenage years" with an unfortunate habit of chewing. Matt got very adept with spackle and a putty knife as we attempted to repair the damage that a very large, very destructive dog could do. Auggie particularly liked chewing on the walls, but he also took a liking to base boards, large chunks of wood, or really anything that sat still long enough to get chewed on. He grew up faster than he grew out, and for quite some time had a fairly gangly appearance. But he was also developing into an extremely sweet dog who, despite the chewing, only seemed to want to please.


Auggie was good with strangers but a little shy. Whenever we'd take him to the park for a walk he would hesitate whenever he met someone new. Which was a problem because as soon as anyone saw Auggie they immediately wanted to throw their arms around his neck and hug him (particularly little kids.) But after a few moments Auggie would determine that whomever the new person was couldn't be all bad and he could probably tolerate some love and attention. This same pattern was seen whenever we had a house guest. Auggie would initially be somewhat hesitant to engage with the new friend. But, by the time it was time for them to leave, Auggie would be attached to the hip of the guest (sometimes even closer than that, sorry Cath.)




Auggie hated leaving home. When we'd go for a walk he wanted to go back home. When we went to the dog park instead of playing with other dogs or exploring he'd stay right next to us and whine about being there. We took Auggie and Penny to a state park one Spring and every time we'd walk past the car Auggie would try to climb in so we could go home. Auggie knew when we were at the dog boarding facility because as soon as he walked in the door he would try and bolt back out to freedom (try getting a 165 lb dog to go somewhere he doesn't want to go.) Of course everybody at the dog boarders loved Auggie because, once he was there, he'd make the most of it and play and interact like all the other dogs. But there was no question he would rather be home, cuddled up next to Penny (yes, Auggie and Penny like to spoon.)


Auggie was a quirky dog. He liked to chase rabbits and squirrels. He drank from the bottom of the water bowl and ate from the bottom of the dog bowl, meaning he made a huge mess when he did either. It was not uncommon to see 18" strands of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth. And he'd shake his head, shooting that drool all over the room. More than once we found dried drool over 8' high on the wall. Every once in a while he'd walk up behind you when you were sitting in a chair and lick the top of your head. He knew two tricks: sit and shake. He'd perform these two tricks any time you looked at him because, he figured, you must want him to. He LOVED going over to Aunt Karmas and Uncle Les, as well as Matt's Mom and Dad (to see Oscar and Molly.) He did NOT like driving through a drive-through. We don't think he trusted anybody he could only see half of. While he was never too crazy about baths, he would tolerate them and never put up a fuss. He definitely enjoyed being brushed, however, and would let you brush him for half an hour without tiring.

He was a people-pleaser and anything you asked him to do (that he could understand, he wasn't what you'd call a sharp dog) he would do. He loved peanut butter and yogurt and ice cubes (if he heard or smelled any of the three in the kitchen he'd come running.) He was scared of big dogs (Auggie always figured he was just a big-boned Basset Hound like Penny.) He loved little kids and would let them hang on him and pull his ears. He'd talk to you if you'd talk to him, and he could always hear when Matt was on the other end of a phone call. (He'd start to whine as soon as he heard Matt's voice on the other end.) He shed so much you could stuff 20 pillows with his hair. Having Auggie step on your foot was a singularly painful experience. He'd let us dress him up in ridiculous Halloween costumes (a cow, a ghost) and never complain. For dignity's sake we won't post those pictures.

All in all, Auggie was and is a very, very good boy. So you can imagine how sad we were to learn that he had developed bone cancer and that it is now time to say goodbye to the ol' Augger Dogger. Probably very few dogs in this world have been as loved as he, so in that sense you have to say that he's had as good of a life as any dog could hope. Nevertheless, we're heart-broken. Before we thought about growing our family with kids we thought about growing it with dogs. And Auggie will always be our first, sweet (very big) boy.

Coming Attractions

Those who know us well know that we love movies. Of course, one of the best parts of going to the movies is watching the coming attractions, because then you get to start planning your next trip to the movies.

Anyway, we got one heck of a coming attraction on Tuesday - a great look at our little guy. It's amazing what technology can do and it was beyond fun to see him in there wiggling and squirming. Here's what we know so far: he likes to suck on his toes and keep his hand on his chin. When his hand isn't on his chin he's moving both hands in a circle as if playing his own little game of "Do as I'm Doing." Evidently gestation is boring because we even got a yawn out of him (see movie clip below.) And, every so often he'll open his eyes and check stuff out. But, given that the scenery isn't changing where he lives he doesn't keep them open for long.

So here are some pictures and a quick 30 second clip of the big yawn. The sonogram tech said that he was definitely a cute baby, but given what we'd just paid her we'd imagine that compliments were included in the price of the ultrasound.

We're having a ...

Boy!

We visited the doctor before Christmas and she took a look to see what might be going on gender-wise with the kiddo. Matt watched the monitor and said, "I may not be a doctor, but I'm pretty sure I know what that is." The doctor agreed, but said that since she wasn't the ultrasound tech that we should save the receipts on any baby blue purchases.

Well, today was the 20 week ultrasound and sure enough, our little boy was not in a shy mood. We'd post pictures but hey, we're not that kind of blog.

Sharon continues to feel well overall. She's tired of the constant middle-of-the-night bathroom trips, and the heartburn is a pain. But all in all, we're feeling very fortunate. Sharon avoided any major morning sickness (just some occasional queasy-ness, but no "toliet-hugging") and other than an aversion to chicken she's feeling pretty good.

Other aspects of our lives continue to go well, also (we do have other aspects of our lives that don't immediately involve the fetus.) Sharon is working for an HVAC wholesaler here in town doing their accounting and financial analysis. She's enjoying the reduced stress compared to her time at Walmart. She's also the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society. She loves the sisters, but definitely misses her Primary kids! Matt's job continues to go well. There was a lot of travel at the outset, but now that it has settled down he's enjoying the work. Matt got called as the Young Men's President and is loving it! (Mostly because he hasn't had to go on any camp-outs yet.) There is plenty to keep us busy and occupied until the little bombshell arrives in May.

We'll do our best to keep this updated as we progress in the pregnancy. Thanks to all for the many well-wishes!

Worth a Post

We've been hearing for a while that it was time for us to get back to the blog and let the world know what's going on with the Gosneys. Since we last posted (back in Feb. of 2010) quite a bit has happened! Matt was called into the Bishopric. Sharon was called into the Primary Presidency. Matt and Sharon made the very difficult decision to move from their good friends in Centerton for a new adventure in Tulsa. And yet, none of this was evidently deemed "blog worthy." But for those of you who know us well, you'll agree this bit of news had to be shared.

Yup, that's what it appears to be. Due 5-15-12. We'll share more as we go, there's a great story behind this little fetus (which is, by the way, the most attractive and obviously intelligent fetus either of us has ever seen.)