Birth Control Challenged

Today is Ashlyn Rose's birthday (November 7th)! She is 6 years old now. I can't believe it.

The time really does fly by so fast! Wasn't it just yesterday that I held her in my arms for the first time. I was completely in awe of her. And after 1 hour and 45 min pushing, I finally got to meet the little girl that had been growing all those months inside me. What a dream.

I went into labor on a Wednesday night November 6th. Nathan was at youth and I stayed home to do some cleaning in preparation for little Ashlyn's arrival. I remember I was bent over cleaning the tub when all of the sudden I had this really hard contraction. I waited till it was over then resumed cleaning and scrubing the tub. Then I had another one... and another. I thought to myself, " I better lay down and take it easy. Maybe I just pulled a muscle or something." Ha! The contractions didn't go away.

At this point the contractions were just 15 min apart. Well I was by myself and didn't really want to drive anywhere alone, so I picked up the phone to see if my sister could come pick me up and take me to my parents house while I waited for Nathan to be done with youth meeting. The call went something like this:

(phone ringing)

Des: Are you in Labor?

Court: Hello to you too? And I don't know. I think so.

Des: (In a screaming voice) Oh MY GOSH, Oh my GOSH!!! I can't believe it!

Court: Des calm down I just need you to come pick me up and take me to mom's house.

Des: Ok, Ok awesome! I'll be there in 5 mins.

And she just hangs up on me.

Des gets there and all but pushes me out the door. I swear the energy on that girl was irritating. We got in the car and all she kept asking me was, "Are you having a contraction? Are you having another one?" as she drives like a mainiac. She was so excited that I was going to have a baby.

I get to my mom's house and go sit in the living room. My parents were trying to play it cool and just time the contractions but I knew the suspense was killing them too. Finally they reached 3-5 min. apart. I said, "We need to go to the hospital." and when i said that, the chaos began. People jumped up and started running into one another, all talking really fast and not knowing what they were to do. They soon began to file out of the house, but who did they forget, Yes!!! The pregnant lady in LABOR. I seriously was scene out of Father of the Bride 2.

When I arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to a 4 and 100% effaced. I got checked in around 12:45am, they broke my water, I got my epideral (Woo Hoo) and settled in for the long haul of labor. Which really wasn't a long haul at all because around 3:30am just as I was about to dose off, I felt this wierd sensation down in the lower regions. I woke Nathan up and told him but about that time the nurse walked in too. When she checked me, I was fully dilated and ready to push. What a shocker! Only 7 hours of a labor for my first child I thought was pretty good. But the pushing was the not so fun part. I guess because my epideral was working so good (Thank you Jesus for that), I couldn't really feel when or where I needed to push. Which in turn made me have a 1 hour and 45 min. pushing session to get this baby girl out of me.

There she was....gorgeous in every way. She looked like a porclain doll. Perfect round head, rosie cheeks, and beautiful full lips. She was my daughter...MY daughter! The feelings are indescribable. When i held her for the first time, all the cares of the world just melted away.

So my baby girl is 6 today. And although some things have changed like, no more colic, no more reflux, she is still the same beautiful, perfect girl. Ashlyn is so smart and intelligent. She loves people, life and Jesus. Her favorite things to do are (1.) Read, read, read (2.) Go to church so she can dance and Sing (3.) play with her siblings and friends (4.) watch movies (5.) Try to act like she is 12. Right berfore her 6th birthday, I was able to pray with Ashlyn to receive Jesus in her heart. That is a memory that will stay with me forever. I cry just thinking about it. She really understood what it meant and there was such a sweet presence of the Lord that was there as we prayed.

Ashlyn is AMAZING!!!! I am so grateful to God for blessing me with her. She has an Awesome Destiny on her life, of which she is already walking into at this very young age. 

Happy Birthday Sweetie! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!