Baby Walt Update: 7 Months Old and Chunky as Can Be

After a few horrifying weeks in the NICU, things took a turn for the worse and his doctors moved him to the PICU. On December 9th, Walt had heart surgery. Surgery which could not have gone better (according to the surgical team who was a-mazing). He then had to learn to breathe on his own, and he did. And the final boss was learning to eat, which took some time, but he eventually mastered. Miracle after miracle after miracle and he came home December 30th.

When he was born, we were told Walt might not make it through the night. But he did. Then we were told his heart might not be able to function properly. But after a little snip and tuck, it did. Then we were told his lungs might not work as they should and he might need a respirator indefinitely. But he didn’t. Last it was trouble eating and a call from a doctor on Christmas Eve explaining the potential need for a permanent feeding tube. Walt now weighs more than 20 pounds and is growing like a weed. He’s SO chunky and has the most adorable Michelin Man legs. It’s common for cardiac babies to struggle gaining weight and miss developmental milestones. Walt hasn’t dealt with either.

Our last pediatric cardiology appointment was at 6 months. It went so well that we don’t have to go back until his first birthday. Two issues they were continuing to watch are completely gone. While there’s still a mild malformation, his heart is functioning without issue.

He is the happiest baby ever. Truly. He is allllllll smiles unless he’s hungry or about to crash into napdom. He’s super playful. So far, has zero interest in learning to crawl and would rather stand up or pull himself up. And he adores his big sisters.

I hesitate to type this out of fear of jinxing us all, but Walt is finally sleeping decently long stretches at night. He’s on the verge of cutting what feels like 4 teeth at once. He blows raspberries all day long. It’s so sweet. He loves splashing around in the water, any water — pool, bath, he loves it and doesn’t like to get out. He has the most pitifully adorable lip roll when he meets a stranger or is upset by something.