Our World Turned Right-Side Up

I did not realize our lives were being lived upside down until shortly after my daughter McKenna arrived in 2004.  Seven weeks premature, McKenna was a shock to our collective ‘systems’ the day she arrived; unexpected would be a HUGE understatement.
For the first couple of months our lives were chaos:  a lengthy NNICU (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit) stay, a rare blood disorder, countless doctor appointments poking and prodding my little girl, and sleepless nights wondering what the future would hold for her and our family.  A world of uncertainty and unknown becoming our new normal – funny how wrong we were.
I am not a man who easily accepts help from others; I would rather tough it out than show any type of weakness to the outside world.  This position is very difficult to maintain when you and your family are thrown a life altering curveball.  I was extremely uncomfortable at first with the outpouring of support and offers of help from not just close friends and family, but often times from people and families we had only casually (or in some cases never) met.  From simple thoughts and prayers, to meals, clothing, research/resources, and most importantly time (taking our son to activities or just having him over to play).  Over the course of McKenna’s first year, I came to understand and accept this outpouring of help and support for what it truly was – genuine kindness and love for our daughter and our whole family. The tough-guy attitude was cracked by my newborn daughter; the first of her many duties in this world.
While our son has always been kind and thoughtful, the addition of McKenna to our family has only enhanced traits any parent would wish for their child – kindness, understanding, patience, and acceptance.  Through his daily interaction with his little sister, our son has grown into a young man who has shown friends and classmates what it means to accept and befriend others who are not like us.  His patience and understanding for those with special needs is truly a remarkable thing and will serve him well as he grows older.  Our daughter McKenna has already succeeded in helping form our son into a much better person than I was at his age, and she is his biggest fan.  Another success story in our daughter’s book!
My wife Michelle is an incredible mother.  Her love for our kids cannot be overstated.  With that said, Michelle probably has had the toughest time reconciling who our daughter is with what her expectations were prior to birth.  I understand where my wife is coming from as McKenna is her only daughter and had such grand plans for the two of them.  While it took longer for McKenna to work her magic on Michelle than it did me, I feel my wife now sees our daughter as the gift she really is – a typical little girl who loves dolls and playing house, who wants to learn how to use make-up, enjoys dancing and loves ‘girly’ things (shopping, clothes, cooking, and high school musical!).  All the things any Mom would want for, and do with their daughter.  Plus, there are the incredible benefits that go along with McKenna:  a smile that could brighten any foul mood, an individual who says exactly what she thinks or feels, and a soul that does not care about the outside world’s opinion, as long as she has her family.  The end result – another person captured under the spell of my little girl.
The number of people who have been touched by our McKenna grows with each passing year.  Family, friends, teachers, or new acquaintances all have more love in their hearts after meeting and knowing our little girl.  It never ceases to amaze me the smiles she can generate and the looks of affection she gets from just the simplest of actions.  A perfect example just happened on Halloween.  Instead of simply going up to our neighbors doors, ringing the bell and asking for candy, McKenna made each stop a social event (average time at each stop approximately 5-10 minutes).  They would talk about pets, her costume, swimming, dancing, and school.  Any and all topics were open game for my little girl!  The best part – after each and every stop, a big smile on the faces of those people she had just been with.
Over the last eight years I have come to believe God sent us McKenna for a very specific reason – to make us better people and open our eyes to the incredible world around us.   Her duties to each member of our family are different, but equally important.  Her job here on earth is far from finished, but she has a great start in making each and every one of us better people – which in my opinion is one of the greatest gifts anyone can ever give.   –Steve, McKenna’s Dad