Leta Elise Has Many Talents - Facts about Heather Armstrong's Daughter

From playing the piano to breaking it down on the dance floor and having exceptional taste in music, Leta Elise gave her mother, Heather Armstrong, every reason to brag about her on her mom's popular blog. The mother/daughter duo also shared a close relationship before her mom's passing.

After many hours of labor, Heather became a first-time mom after welcoming Leta. And over the years, the famous mommy blogger used her signature sense of humor and wit to share about her daughter's childhood and little quirks with her millions of online readers.

Heather was not only her daughter's biggest fan—and admired Leta's independence and talents—but the pair were also very close before the news broke that Heather had recently taken her own life.

Leta Elise's Behavior Led Her Parents to Have Her Tested

In February 2004, Leta's mother and father, Jon Armstrong, were listening to "Elevator Love Letter" by Star on repeat on the car ride to the hospital to welcome their first child. In one of her blog posts, Heather humorously recalled her painful labor and pushing Leta into the world for three hours in one of her blog posts. She wrote:

"That was the first indication that her life would be lived on her own terms and no one else's."

But it was all worth it, Heather revealed, the second they laid her daughter on her chest. Leta received her first name from her grandmother's late sister, who died as an infant. However, Leta's mother handpicked her middle name from her favorite song, The Cure's "A Letter To Elise."

Shortly after Leta was born, her mother began struggling with anxiety—a disorder she had been burdened with since college—and revealed that she would take a break from her blog to check herself into the psychiatric ward. "This anxiety is so painful, and I don't see an end to it," Heather said.

However, life was able to continue for the Armstrong family, and as Leta grew, her mother documented her every little quirk, including how Leta hated the feel of grass or sand on the soles of her feet when she was a little girl. Concerned, her parents took her to be checked.

And after over ten hours of testing across two days, to their amazement, the doctor told Leta's parents that there was nothing wrong with her. And through boisterous laughter, the doctor added that Leta was the most independent child he had ever seen. Heather shared:

"Leta was born being the firm ground upon which she would stand when she decided that she was damn well good and ready to stand. She didn't walk until she was 18 months old, and she spent a solid two days on the ground before she started soaring."

A few years later, Leta went from an only child to an older sister after her parents welcomed their second daughter, Marlo. In honor of her "Lil Donette Butternut"'s 11th birthday in 2020, Heather took a trip down memory lane and recalled realizing she was going into labor at an Outback Steakhouse and meeting her bundle of joy for the first time.

Leta Elise Has Her Father's Eyes

Three years before Leta' was born, her parents were at a Deli in California, and as her mother looked over at her husband, she remembered thinking, "I want my children to inherit this man's eyes." Her wish came true, as she later revealed:

"Of the many ways she (Leta) resembles her father, it is the color and the shape of her eyes that bear the hallmark gene of an Armstrong most."

Heather reported that Jon had comfortably settled into fatherhood. If anything, she had a lot to learn from him in her mommy blog. It ran in her mother's side of the family to have a military-esque approach to raising children.

On the other hand, Leta's father— the tech-savvy brains behind Heather's blog— was patient and "incredibly skilled at working through her brain to find out why she's reacting a certain way." However, when Leta was 9, her parents finalized their divorce, which led to a difficult spell for her mother.

Leta Elise Is a Talented Musician & Dancer

Through her mother's blog, viewers followed along as Leta grew from a sand-and-grass-hating four-year-old to a multi-talented teenager. By the time she was 12, Leta was playing the piano in front of judges in the Federation twice a year, participating in a concerto in the fall and playing two solo pieces in the spring.

"It's hard work. These pieces are never simple..." Heather shared, sleep-deprived from staying up for up to 90 minutes every night with her daughter to help her practice.

By the time she was in high school, Leta was the captain of the dance team, had obtained her driver's license by herself during quarantine, and applied and was accepted to multiple universities with scholarships, all while never ceasing to amaze her mother with her humor—which one could argue she inherited from Heather—and kind-hearted nature. Heather said:

"Shall I brag about my kid for just a moment... This kid has wit like no other. Her comedic timing has often left me sore on my sides from laughing... She cannot abide gossip of any kind, does not want to hear an unkind word about anyone."

Leta's rhythm on the dance floor goes hand in hand with her impressive and diverse taste in music, which her mother humorously said makes her "bow down in reverence."

Leta Elise's Relationship With Her Mother

When Leta was 14 years old, she gave an interview and opened up about what it was like to be the daughter of a famous blogger and writer and her close relationship with her mother.

She was 13 when her parents allowed her to interact on social media, including getting a VSCO account, where she documents her everyday life. Still, it came with a "long discussion" about her mother's career in the public eye.

Heather's influence was compared to that of Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks during her peak. However, after splitting from her husband and struggling with her mental health, it all grew too much for Heather.

In October 2021, she shared a colorless photo of herself and her daughters and expressed how glad she was to spend time with her children. Less than two years later, after a long bout with depression, the news broke of Leta's mother's death.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.