There is now a special delivery zone of sorts in front of Berkot's Super Foods in Manhattan, Ill.
An 8-pound 11-ounce baby girl liked the parking lot at 100 Market Place so well she decided to make it the place where she came into the world.
Little Ashlyn's parents, Geralyn and Travis Goers of Peotone, would have preferred Silver Cross Hospital, less than 10 miles away.
"I knew she was coming," said second-time mom Geralyn. "I tried not to say anything to my husband until I had to but we were right in front of the lot when my water broke."
It was around 9 p.m. Wednesday, and luckily there just happened to be a police officer in the lot. The couple flagged him down and asked if he would summon the paramedics.
"They got there in less than two minutes," Geralyn said. "I knew she was crowning. It all happened so very fast."
Ed Ludwig, a full-time paramedic with the Manhattan Fire Protection District, was on duty when the call came in.
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"I had once assisted on a birth when I was an EMT so I had an idea of what I needed to do," Ludwig said. "It happened so quickly I had no time to think. It all went so well that I gave a big sigh of relief as soon as I heard the baby cry."
The bouncing baby girl was due Tuesday and came a lot quicker than her older sister, who, after 22 hours of labor, still required five hours of heavy pushing.
Mom had been in labor 13 hours and had left her home when her contractions were 10 minutes apart, thinking there was plenty of time to make the trip.
"The contractions kept coming faster and faster," Geralyn said. "I knew we were not going to make it any farther."
Ludwig is about to become a first-time dad himself, in February.
"I am not sure if this experience makes me more nervous or not," Ludwig said. "I am just glad everything went so well. Everyone stayed so calm."
Travis said the real reason everyone seemed calm was because there was no time to think about what was happening.
Dan Forsthye, chief of the Manhattan Fire Department and 32-year veteran of the department, said this is probably the seventh live birth in which the department has assisted during his tenure.
"It does not happen every day, that is for sure," Forsthye said.
Ashlyn is eating and sleeping well, oblivious to any commotion her birth may have caused. Mother and daughter were released from the hospital Friday.
"My husband suggested using Manhattan as her middle name," Geralyn said. "That place will always have a special meaning for us."
