Loie girl

Our Loie girl is doing sooo well!

She is a pro at sitting up now, though she likes to keep her legs in a "W" position for extra stability. She has the occasional tumble, which always takes her by surprise and makes her cry, but otherwise, she is really good at catching herself if she tips! She is eating a lot more food, and is not the least bit picky AT ALL. She will try anything, and wants whatever we're having. She loves cream cheese, pizza, yogurt, cheerios, peanut butter, candy, noodles, and whatever she can get her hands on! She prefers to feed herself by hand, even though most of the food winds up on the floor this way. She is going to be our stubborn, independent lady!
So Loie had her cardiology checkup the other day, and we are proud and relieved, to say that she has been discharged from cardiology! Yay!! Her ASD hole has almost entirely closed on its own, and the extra membrane (cor triatriatrium) continues to not block any blood flow or cause her any issues. Other than being an anomaly, she is good to go! Everything checks out just great with the doctor, so yay! She's also been discharged from Neurology, for now. Since she's got nothing going on at the moment, she does not need to continue seeing the neurologist, unless (knock on wood) she starts having seizures. I can't remember if I already mentioned that before...  She has started seeing the new physical medicine and rehab doctor, who will be tracking her development, getting her any mobility devices she may need, and any treatments which may help her, like Botox injections to relax her tight muscles. (we're not to that point yet though!)
Loie loves to "walk" in her baby walker, and is getting really fast in it too- She used to just push herself with both legs at the same time, but I think, thanks in part to all her swimming therapy, she has gotten the hang of alternating her legs, and she now almost runs when she really gets going! Speaking of swim therapy, she continues to thrive and to enjoy her time in the water so much. She doesn't cry, and she is all smiles through the whole session. She loves to kick her legs in the water, blow bubbles, and "paddle" with her arms. She also works on sitting on the steps by herself. We are so proud of her progress everyday!
She is being a true stinker about wearing her glasses. She has started taking them off constantly, making it a struggle to be consistent with them. She has an upcoming appointment to check her vision again, so it's quite possible that her prescription has changed, and that's why she doesn't want to wear the glasses right now. Fingers crossed that her strabismus is continuing to improve, and with time she won't need any corrective surgery.
She is a little chatterbox, and says all kinds of sentences, paragraphs, monologues.... we just don't know yet what she's saying! She will "talk" with us all day long, in her own special language. I wonder sometimes, if it's her "twin" language that she would have had with her sister, had she still been here to share it with her. I like to think it is, and that she's having conversations with Pearl. Loie loves to laugh and finds something to giggle at, whenever she can. She gives the absolute, SWEETEST smiles, especially to her Daddy, (her favorite person) and no matter where we go, we get strangers commenting on how cute she is. She is so beautiful! With her wild hair, and her expressive face, and the fact that she is just so teeny tiny, you could fit her in your pocket! A whopping 18 pounds, 12 ounces (on a heavy day)
I can't believe her 2nd birthday is looming just around the bend...  She looks more and more like a toddler  and less like my little baby, all the time. There are great things in store for Loie, and she is living proof that amazing things happen. Doctors sometimes just don't know what the future holds, (how could they?) and she has shown us that her strong will to persevere, cannot be snuffed out. She is strong. She is a fighter. She is my hero, and my sweet baby girl. She is the spitting image of her Dad, and the mirror image of her sister in heaven, who I miss everyday, so much, it hurts. Loie, I don't deserve you, sweet girl! You are amazing. I'm proud to be your mama.