I was a terrified little girl, 3 months to the day after my 16th birthday, giving birth to a baby. It was not an easy experience, even all these years can't sugar coat the fear and pain and trauma of the event itself.

I've watched her grow through the years, amazed at how similar yet alien she is. She's expressed ideas and opinions that I never gave her, and she's slowly becoming her own person.

Happy birthday, Paige, I couldn't have asked for a better little girl.