It was 15 years ago this very morning! Kris Ketz, now a regular member of the FirstNews zombie squad, was filling in for Maria Antonia. Around 6:15 a.m., the phone on the set rang...a rare occurrence...and it was my lovely wife, Jessica, telling me that baby number three, Samantha, was on the way. As I mentioned in this silly spot just a few weeks back, Mr. Ketz insisted I get going. Jessica and I were pretty calm. After all, it was number three and we knew how lurky babies can be. Still, mostly to ease the mind of Mr. Ketz, I left in mid-show...something viewers have been hoping for ever since.

Samantha shares her birthday with her Great-Grandma Myrtle on my dad's side. Myrtle was born on December 14, 1902. Unfortunately, Samantha never had the chance to know her birthday-mate. However, Samantha also shares a middle name with her great grandmother on my mom's side, Ann Christine Wheeler, and the two of them did have many happy times together. In fact, Samantha still makes sure a little green stuffed teddy bear from that Great Grandma is safe from the rest of her bedroom, about which you will hear more below. In addition to a name and memories, Samantha also resembles her Great Grandma Ann in temperament: ready for anything and, almost always, with a ready smile.

I'd like to tell you that we named her, Samantha, because of an obscure but lovely Cole Porter song featured in the movie High Society. That sounds kind of classy. But, in reality, I think it really came from Bewitched. When the boys were little and we didn't have cable, we watched a lot of old sitcoms. Who am I kidding? We still do. I always call her by her full name. She used to insist that she wouldn't let anyone ever call her Sammy or Sam. Then, her Uncle Mark started calling her Sammy. Well, she kind of liked that but ONLY from Uncle Mark. Now, I come to find out she goes by Sam a lot of the time around school. Oh, well. I will only really get perturbed when it comes time to change her last name! That I may have to fight, tooth and nail. That saying, "fighting tooth and nail" goes back to around 1576 and has to do with biting and scratching so I guess I'd better do a better job flossing and get a combination manicure and pedicure.

Of all four kids, I think my wife would agree, Samantha was the easiest delivery and most agreeable baby. She slept almost all night...in her own bed...from the time she got home. As a little one, she rarely cried to let us know she was awake. Usually, we'd go in and find her smiling in her crib. When she got to where she could stand, you knew she was awake because you'd hear the "thud" of toys being hurled from the crib to the floor. That should have been a warning. Her room still looks like things have just been tossed from somewhere else. We have three boys and one girl. I am here to tell you that the one girl's room is in far worse order than the boys' places. We sometimes have to call in Haz-Mat teams just to wake Samantha up in the morning.

Samantha visited Channel 9 quite often as she grew up...often on those Take Your Daughter (later Child) to Work Days. The first time, Maria Antonia gave Samantha an inflatable flamingo. I'm not sure where it came from or why Maria had it on her desk...and I don't really want to know, frankly. But, she was nice enough to let Samantha drag it home. Every visit since, Samantha will ask if she's going to receive an inflatable bird of some kind. She's quite an ornithologist, specializing in birds of the latex variety.

That rubber bird is one of Samantha's fondest memories. Now, she's been to the Rockies and Nashville and DisneyWorld and Washington DC and Gettysburg and Branson and, of course, Wisconsin. She's had lots of good times and opportunities. Still, in addition to the flamingo episode, when you ask her for a favorite time past, she'll talk about a day when just the two of us went for an outing. She was very little at the time. Her brothers were in school. Our first stop was the bank. The teller at the window couldn't see the little sweetie in the backseat so I made a point of asking for a lollipop. Samantha remembers that. We went to FAO Schwarz and Samantha picked out one little doll. Samantha still has it...somewhere in that room of hers! Then, we ate at a place called Canyon Cafe. Samantha could tell you what we both ordered. It was just a day. Nothing too exceptional. No plane trip or pony or anything like that. Still, she always brings it up when her birthday rolls around.

Her remembering of that day, is the gift she gives me every December 14!

Happy Birthday, Sweet-Pea.