Another Birthday Story!

Well, here we go again with another "birth"day story! 16 years ago at about 5 in the morning, our home was FINALLY blessed with the birth of our youngest daughter Ashley. What a story we have here!! Let me see if I can figure out where to start. I suppose it would be best NOT to go to the very beginning :) but rather to start out by telling you HOW I found out I was pregnant.
One day, I broke out in hives and was completely miserable. For a few weeks, I just about went insane. I had hives from my head to the middle of my legs. I went to the doctor a couple of different times who prescribed 2 different creams which simply didn't work. We went up to my moms who got me in to see their doctors. Lo and behold, the doctor who walked into the room was someone my husband knew in grade school! I wanted to die! He asked a few questions and then said, "Hey, any chance you could be pregnant?" Well, a few minutes later he walked back in the room and said, "Congratulations!" Not something we necessarily had planned but the journey began. The hives went away the DAY I was 3 months along.
So - fast forward to around July 4th 16 years ago. We had gone to TN for a visit with Joe and LaDonna and had come home and while I was sitting in a lawn chair watching fireworks, I had my first contraction - SIX weeks early. About a week later, I ended up in the hospital for 2 days in labor and put on medicine to stop the labor to give my baby a little more time to finish growing. I remember on a Monday getting to stop the medicine and being told I could have the baby anytime and thinking that it would actually happen but this child was stubborn from the get-go!! She fooled us more than once!! I can't tell you how many times I was in and out of the hospital. My poor husband was NOT enjoying himself. He was working 3rd shift, would come home and just get to sleep and I would say, "Ummmmm....LABOR!!!!" and off we would go to the hospital. Labor would stop and back home we would go. July 24th dawned bright and hot and at about 10 in the morning, we headed off AGAIN! I remember telling the doctor who checked me in that I wanted to see MY doctor ASAP!! When she arrived, I pulled her close to my face and said very politely, "I AM NOT GOING HOME!!!!!!!" No problem with her - we were going for a birth! At about 5 the NEXT morning, our youngest and LAST child made her appearance weighing in at 6'13. Ashley Nichole Fulton had FINALLY arrived.
I remember going up to my room and the nurse settling me in said that she would be right back with my baby. My response? "I will have that little baby with me for 18 years. Right now I am going to sleep and if ANYONE wakes me up, they had better be prepared for an insane female!!!" I know - I was horrible!!
Today - Ashley is.........oh man, what can I say??? This girl made our family complete!! She is bright, loves to talk, bubbly, loves to talk, outgoing, athletic, loves to talk, loves to sing, and is pretty smart too!!! Did I mention that she loves to talk?? She has more guys for friends than she does girls but I think that is because the guys know she is more than capable of handling herself (just ask her brother)!!!! She loves Jesus with all her heart which is best thing in the world about her. She wants to be a teacher and I am sure she will accomplish that in time. Give her something to organize and clean and if she is in the right mood, look out!!
Happy birthday, Ashley! You make your family proud!! Your dad and I love you to bits and we can't wait to see what God has in your future!!!