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Elsa is 16 months and really hitting her stride! Around the time of her one-year birthday, it seemed her development had pressed the pause button. We think she must have overheard us discussing this, because shortly thereafter, there were some pretty major developments:

–  Reaching and grasping: This was a no-go at her one-year eval. But around the 14-month mark, she began batting at toys. Her favorites are a black-and-white cat and a lion toy. Both have high contrast features and really get and hold her attention. We think going from one day of OT a week to two days a week has played an enormous role in this success, as well as her weight gain.

– Weight gain: Elsa started tolerating more food via syringe feeds around the 14-month mark time, as well. We’re feeding her almost exclusively through her G-Tube. She can now handle up to 32 oz a day, and is really packing it on – ha! She is 17 lbs 8 oz and 28.5 inches long. This puts her just barely on the CDC chart for her age, and at the 100 percentile for babies with WHS. We lose A LOT of food to throw up when she’s sick/congested (she has a hard time distinguishing between how to cough and vomiting), so it’s good to gain a lot during the healthy times, to give her a little cushion that evens out her gaining over time. We’re about to switch to Pediasure, so will report back on how the transition goes.

– The hole in her heart: At her last cardiology appointment, the doc looked for her medium/large ASD and had a pretty tough time finding it! It’s basically closed up. So if someone’s ever told you this was possible and you thought they were crazy, it DOES happen! We’ve thought of heart surgery as inevitable since she was 8 days old, and now, it’s looking like she won’t need it at all! Praise the Lord!

– Eating: She is getting better at her puree foods all the time, now eating about 2 teaspoons/1 tablespoon of food three times a day. We don’t want to push her too much here — want her to understand and really enjoy the eating experience. So far so good! She typically laps it off the spoon. Gets a little freaked by a mouthful of food, but — if she can keep from gagging on it — loves when it “melts” in her mouth and she gets the input of the taste. She likes her veggies seasoned with garlic powder. (Got her first tooth last Sunday, big girl!)

– Sitting up: We’re ALMOST there! She is thisclose to doing it on her own. Just on her own little schedule, which is just fine — that’s definitely the trend with her development! She is loving this vantage point on the world, really taking it all in.

– Waving: She has done this on several occasions at very opportune moments, so we don’t think it’s an accident.

We’re excited to see how Elsa’s development will advance upon the arrival of a new sibling this June. Have read so many inspiring things from other parents on the WHS site, about how younger siblings can really help move things along developmentally. Will report back!