BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – Sunday is a special day for fathers around our region, and it’s been a special week for the Rhymer family, as dad Anthony took on an unexpected role.
Maeleigh Blaine Rhymer is celebrating her first Father’s Day with her dad, and although she’s just five days old, they’ve already got a close bond. Flashback to almost a week ago, she was preparing to make her grand entrance into the world.
“It was probably right around 1 o’clock in the morning, Ashtin wakes me up,” Anthony Rhymer said. “She’s like we gotta go, we gotta go, I’m having contractions. We got to get to the hospital. So I’m like alright, it’s ‘go’ time.”
The couple was driving along Highway 394 near Weaver Pike when mother Ashtin tells Anthony they won’t make it to the hospital in time.
They pull over and call 911, but before first responders arrive, Anthony has to take matters into his own hands.
“She has a contraction,” Anthony Rhymer said. “I’m like, ‘Oh I see it, I see it,’ and just in a split second after that, I was like, ‘alright the heads out,’ and then all of a sudden you know another split second, ‘oh I’ve got the whole baby, the baby’s here.'”
At 1:24 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14th, the Rhymers first daughter was born, and their oldest child Kasen became a big brother.
“We’ve waited forever for a little girl and to have her here with us and for him to have his little sister here,” mother Ashtin Rhymer said. “We’re so happy, everyone loves the story.”
The night Maeleigh was born was unforgettable making this Father’s Day one of the most memorable for the Rhymers.
“It’s definitely special,” Anthony Rhymer said. “She’s my little roadside baby. You know I got to catch her, you know deliver her myself, so I feel like we got a special connection.”
