February 2018

We knew February was going to be an interesting month for us.  With a due date of February 2nd and Quincy's 8th birthday on February 3rd, which also happened to fall on the day she could be baptized we planned for a bit of drama.  We would either have to push Quincy's baptism date to March and plan and prepare a baptism with a newborn, or I would have to attempt to make it past my due date so that Quincy could be baptized on her birthday.  We let Quincy make the decision (fully aware that I would have no control over going into labor early) and she chose to risk it and try to have her baptism on her birthday.  I can't tell you how much I prayed that we would make it for her.  So the last few months have been full of preparations... both for the baptism and for the baby.  

Back in December we took Quincy to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple to take some baptism pictures. She wasn't thrilled about the process and kept saying, "Alright, we have enough!" But they turned out  so beautiful.... 

The Invitation...

After talking about a theme for her baptism and how it was important to keep it related to why she was being baptized she decided this was the theme she wanted to go with.  Though it may seem a bit of a stretch to relate, we talked about how baptism is the first step that we take to prepare ourselves to go to the temple one day.  So months before we began planning and making the decorations.

And then suddenly the day was here! There were definitely moments that I wasn't sure we were going to make it to this day.  The night before, I thought we were headed to hospital because I was having so many contractions. But they slowed and we made it! Quincy turned 8 years old and we couldn't be more proud of this loving, spunky, funny girl.  Quincy is loved wherever she goes and its not unusual to hear the phrase, "Quincy is my favorite!"  She has such a kind heart, makes friends wherever she goes, is always making notes to tell us that she loves us, loves to make people laugh, and can tease her sisters to the point of screaming.  She is such a joy and we love her so much.  She was so excited to wake up and have her special day! In the morning she opened presents...

And daddy surprised her with a ginormous monkey (her favorite) cake...

And then it was time for the baptism.  She was so happy that she could be baptized and confirmed a member of the church on her birthday.  It really made it such a special day.  

The program consisted of both Grandmas speaking and Addie and Quincy singing "I Love To See The Temple."  Quincy was baptized and then confirmed by Devin in which he talked about her being a light to those around her. It made me tear up because its so true of her and I hope she not only can recognize that in herself but continue being a light to all she encounters.

Afterwards we had a luncheon and it was exactly as Quincy hoped it would be. So many people there to love and support her.  We really couldn't have been more blessed that this day worked out just as we had hoped it would. 

 We even had everyone sing Happy Birthday to Quincy...

Since we had scheduled the c-section for Feb. 6th, the next few days were basically just waiting for that day to get here.   Here I am 2 days past my due date, making it the longest I have EVER been pregnant before.  Being able to give Quincy her special day was worth it but man that last week and a half was pretty rough knowing that I could have had the baby much sooner!

 The night before we decided to head out for our last meal as a family of 5!  It was hard to believe that baby girl #4 would be joining us the next day.  

That night I started having some major contractions... like the real kind.  I knew that the ones I was having prior to this were just braxton-hicks but these were very different and it almost felt like she knew it was time to come.  Luckily we made it until our scheduled time of 6:15 am.

Devin was making fun of me because I saw another couple heading towards Labor and Delivery and I jokingly said, "Let's hurry so we can get in ahead of them!"

We got to the hospital and barely slipped in before an emergency... I overheard them calling later patients telling them not to come into the hospital yet.  And then things moved fast.  They took us right back, gowned me up, hooked me up to IV's and monitors, and quickly prepped me for the c-section.  

Then it was Devin's turn to get gowned up while they took me to the Operating Room to get the spinal tap.

He then joined me in the OR and the c-section began...

I felt very fortunate in the doctors that I had for this c-section.  Throughout my pregnancy I had been working with a group of doctors and when it came down to scheduling my c-section I had decided that I wanted to go with a particular doctor, Dr. Cloward.  However, the only day that she was scheduled was on Quincy's birthday, so I was really disappointed that I wouldn't be able to schedule with her.  After asking around for recommendations Dr. Lamoreux was at the top of the list and it just so happened that he was scheduled for February 6th.  I finished off my pregnancy seeing him for all of my appointments and I was so impressed with him and ended up being so happy that I had scheduled with him.  Turned out that on the day of the surgery Dr. Cloward ended up being the 2nd doctor performing the c-section (something that they do for people who have had multiple c-sections).  They made such a great team and I felt so blessed to have such great doctors.  Within 10 or 15 minutes of starting we could hear little baby cries and they said that she had started crying before they even had her all the way out.  

And then at 7:55am  Colette Krystal Payne was born weighing 8.1 lbs and 19.5 in long.  The nurses took her to clean her and check her and then they brought her right over to me for some skin to skin (which was never allowed with my other 3 until we out of the OR).  It was love at first sight and such an amazing feeling to have her here. 

Later in the day we had the older girls come in to meet their new sister.  They instantly loved her and they were so excited that she was here. 

We gave the girls some sister bracelets at the hospital to just really enforce that sisterly bond...

We had such a great day with Colette with grandparents and sisters visiting, her taking right to nursing, and lots of loves and cuddles.  In the middle of the night she suddenly became really fussy and just seemed to want to eat all of the time.  We couldn't seem to get her to calm down.  When a nurse came in to take her vitals she offered to take her to the nursery and hold her for a little while so that Devin and I could get a little sleep.  The next thing we knew her pediatrician came into our room at 2am to tell us that Colette had spiked a fever.  Because that was so rare for babies born via c-section they immediately took her to the Level 2 Nursery (similar to a NICU), put her on antibiotics, and called her pediatrician to come in.  He felt that it was necessary for her to have a Lumbar Puncture so that they could test her spinal fluid to see if their was an infection on the brain.  We were dazed and confused and couldn't understand how our perfectly healthy baby was suddenly so sick.  Because it was unclear what was causing the infection they also put her on isolation which meant every time we wanted to see her we had to put on a gown, gloves, and a mask.  Luckily I was still able to nurse her and the nurses would call us every time she was ready to eat and we would walk down to feed her.  My very favorite moment was when the nurses were taking her vitals just before giving her to me to feed her. She was crying and crying and then the nurse handed her to me and I said, "Hi baby girl."  She instantly stopped crying like she knew exactly who I was. It was so sweet.

By the next evening her labs had come back showing that there was no infection so they took her off isolation and we were finally able to touch and kiss our little baby again.  They decided to run more labs to determine if she needed to have a longer dose of antibiotics which would mean she would have to stay in the hospital for 7 to 10 days.

Big sisters were able to visit later in that day with grandma...

By Friday morning all of her labs came back clear which meant she was cleared to come home with us after her last dose of antibiotics.  We were so happy to hear that she was healthy and that she would be coming home with us.

The girls could not have been more excited to have their new sister at home.  Everyone immediately wanted to hold her and love her.  The fight for her attention was just beginning. It felt so good to be home all together.  

First sponge bath at home. She didn't exactly love it.

We just can't get enough of this little one...

This year for Valentine's Day only Addie had to make a box at home.  She found this idea and worked really hard on it. Turned out so cute!

The night before Valentine's Day the Young Women in our ward brought over a cookie decorating kit for the girls.  Decorating cookies is a bit of a tradition for us but this year it wasn't going to happen with a new baby in the house, so I was thrilled that they did this for us!

Couldn't resist getting the girls a few treats to show them how much we love them...

Our Sweet Little Valentines...

Next we had Colette's newborn pictures taken and we are so happy with how they turned out...

 At her 2 week appointment the doctor said she was growing well and looking great.  He could still hear a heart murmur and although he wasn't overly concerned, he referred us to a cardiologist just to be sure.  She will have an appointment next month so we will just wait and pray until then.  She really makes it hard not to just hold her and stare at her all the time though. 

 Colette was not a fan of the sponge baths that she was getting in the beginning but she really enjoys having a real bath!

Next we got to celebrate this amazing guy's birthday!  It was a simple celebration but i sure hope he felt how much he is loved.  He truly is the best person I know and I am forever grateful to be on this journey with him.

 First time out as a family of 6 for Devin's birthday dinner!

 Daddy got some of her first smiles and I was able to catch one of them on camera!

Hard to believe that February came and went so quickly.  We were blessed with so much throughout this month and we could not be more grateful.  We have been shown so much love and support from our family, friends, and ward that we appreciated beyond measure.  Although we are still adjusting to this new "normal" we look forward to whats ahead.