Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!

15 years ago tonight, I had my best friend from high school spend the night. We were freshman and spent the night gossiping and watching chick flicks - and naturally - staying up as late as possible.

I awoke to my mom nudging me at 5:45am…. "You should get up. Samantha is headed to the hospital." I immediately shot straight out of bed, and woke up my friend shouting, "Meredith, my sister is having the baby! You should call your mom now and go home, we have to go RIGHT NOW!!"

So I was a bit of a drama queen……so what!?

Paige Alyson made her appearance 12 long hours later. She was our first everything…my sisters first child, my first niece, the first Grandbaby, and my Granny's first Great Grandbaby - which meant she was destined to be spoiled. We didn't know the sex until she was born, but I was SO positive it was a girl, I used my allowances the entire time Sam was pregnant on dresses and everything pink.

When Samantha was in labor, she was only going to be allowed to have 2 people in the delivery room - which was my brother in law & our mom. As a 14 year old drama queen, I was heartbroken. The split second she was born, though, being the good brother in law, John burst out and shouted for me and said "Girl! Head full of black hair!" Mom wasn't so nice, who smugly came out of the delivery room and smiled…"Guess who was the first person ever to hold her????"

I say spoiled, and I meant it. Paige was downright spoiled ROTTEN. My sister worked with my father in his garage for the first years of Paige's life - which meant Paige stayed in the house with my mom & I M-F until usually after dinner. And when she was 3 days old, we implemented the "every Tuesday and Thursday Mommy & Daddy want to go out, so Aunt Nicole is baby-sitting and spending the night". I ate it up, and I wanted every single waking moment with that baby. If I spent the night, my sister never got up once, because the instant Paige cried, I was at her crib with a bottle.

Paige was 4 when I took her on her first road trip to Ashland, KY to see Patty in concert. She was always my little sidekick, and had me wrapped around her fingers since day 1.

I don't know where the time has gone….but she's grown into a beautiful young lady, and I'm so proud of her. Happy Birthday to my beautiful, favorite girl.

Granny was so excited to become Great Granny -- she couldn't get enough of visiting this sweet baby girl after she was born! 

with my beach baby!! 

Becoming a big sister!