This month, Olivia had her first ballet class! Of course she was excited (though perhaps a little shy) but I have a feeling Chris and I were even more excited. I'm not saying that seeing my little girl with her pink ballet dress and tiny ballet slippers learning to point her feet in some approximation of first position was the fulfillment of my own childhood ballet dreams, but...it kinda was. I didn't have a lot of dreams or ideas about what my own children would be like when I was a kid, except for a wish that I might have a girl who loved ballet as much as I did. I even saved all of my recital dresses with their over-sized tutus and purple chiffon with the hope that I might be able to pass them.
But enough about me, we're here to talk about Olivia and her three-ness. This month it seems that Olivia's language skills have jumped up a notch. She's more expressive and even making jokes. She's also started telling stories that are more involved and include more people, usually a mommy, a daddy, a princess and a monster. Both Olivia and Elena talk about monsters a lot.
This month has also been all about the carousel at Janzen Beach. I'm not sure how this obsession took hold, but one day she said to me, "Can we go to the city and see the ponies?" I thought she was talking about heading down to the racetrack to lay down some cash. I finally figured out that she was asking to go to the carousel and for the past six weeks or so we've been going every week. Unfortunately, the speed (supposedly it's the fastest carousel in the country) makes me want to hurl, but Olivia and Chris love it. They buy unlimited rides and go for four or five rides at a time, picking different horses to ride each time. Now, she asks, "Can we go to the city to see the ponies so that I can ride the girl one?"
In other news, Olivia's more aware that her little sibling will be arriving in the future. As my belly roundness increases, it is easier for Olivia to believe that something is actually growing in there. She likes to say, "I like your baby," as she rubs my belly. I have no doubt that she's going to be an awesome big sister.
