365 days. ONE year. 
One year ago today our lives were changed forever- for the better. Mackenzie Jean was born weighing in at just a mere 2 pounds, 8 ounces. This little girl, who came a lot earlier than we expected, has brought so much love and joy to our lives it is indescribable.

To be honest, the days leading up to today have affected me more than I care to admit. Mackenzie's birth and the days leading up to her birth were beautiful- but traumatic. I have been reminded of the sadness, the incredible fear, and the unknown. The perfect birth plan and preparations that went out the window and my lack of control over the entire situation. I know that most moms, probably all of them, feel guilty at times and I am no exception to that. 

Then I reflect on the beautiful- extremely brave courageous, stunning little girl that we get to care for day in and day out and am just overcome with joy, gratitude, and extreme faith. She made it. She is here. She has defied the odds. This precious baby who started out so small in our hands, that we would place on our chests inside our shirts, is now getting too heavy to hold for an extended period of time.

Mackenzie is doing so well. She still has follow ups with doctors. She still sees her pediatrician, pulmonologist (lungs), developmental doctor, and GI doc. Each and every doctor appointment fills me with anxiety and most of the time we hear great news, however it is a quick reminder of just how precious and fragile she once was. She has therapy 3 days a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Her therapists: Laura, Kara, Emily, Mollie, and Kellie have become family to us much like all of her NICU docs, nurses, and RT's did as well. Mackenzie is working on sitting on her own. She is army crawling and pivoting on her stomach. Our sun room in our house has turned into a play room and she just loves being in there, on the floor, playing with her toys. If she had the chance to do something for the majority of the day it would be bouncing or standing- she just LOVES to bounce and stand. We get some of the sweetest smiles when she is doing these things as well. Her therapists think that Mackenzie will be walking before she is crawling because she just always prefers to be on her feet. Keeping her still is a challenge now- girlfriend likes to move and roll. Our hands are full!

She is still drinking lots of bottles throughout the day and she is now eating some food. She eats purees and has tried bites of bananas, peaches, and a finger dipped in broccoli cheddar soup. She loves rice rusks and wants to feed them to herself and will get mad (along with shedding a few tears) when you take it away from her to avoid putting more rusk in her mouth than she can manage. She does have 2 teeth and it seems as though some more are coming in.

She loves going to school and her daycare family takes such good care of her. We are so thankful for them and know that she is well taken care of throughout the day. She plays with toys, does arts and crafts and gets lots of snuggles from them. The app that keeps us updated with nap updates, bathroom break updates, and photos is such a blessing as well!

I hope and pray that 2021 brings us a year that we can introduce Mackenzie to many more members of our family and friends. She is oh so loved by so many people and I know that she has no idea the number of people that want to get their hands on her.

And you all- please know, if you do not already, just how much a blessing each of you has been for Tim, Mackenzie, and myself. You were our strength when we were weak and we thank God every day for all those who have supported us in the many different ways over the last year. 

All our love,
The Craig's