Cora and Olivia

Olivia is 16 months old now. It's interesting to see the differences and similarities developing between Cora & Olivia. I'm suprised to see how similar and yet how different they can be at the same time. Cora much prefers to be naked, although she also loves to dress up (most often like a princess or ballerina). Olivia seems to like clothes and especially shoes; she will try on any shoes she finds. She can even walk around perfectly well in Cora's dress up high heeled shoes. They both love to dance, Olivia starts twirling almost immediately when I put on classical music. Cora gets pretty athletic with her dancing, putting in plenty of jumps and twirls.



Cora was an early talker and by this age was talking up a storm, repeating just about everything she heard. She continues to be very verbal and has a tremendous vocabulary for a 3 year old. Olivia on the other hand doesn't seem to be very interested in talking. She communicates her desires very effectively; lots of pointing, sometimes very loud vocalizations, leading you around, some sign language, but a very limited use of words. She uses the words "dada", "cat" (sounds like hat), "moo", "up", "app" for apple, and a particular sound effect that is difficult to describe for the word "dog". She doesn't seem to have any desire to try to say new words, she just yells more when she wants something or is trying to tell us something. I've been trying to steer her into using more sign language and that seems to be working out okay so far, but I need to look up more signs.



Both of the girls love to be outside and playing in the water. I've always thought of Cora as a huge water lover, but it almost seems as if Olivia likes the water even more, something I wouldn't have thought possible. Over the hot summer, they both have spent a good deal of time in the sprinklers, in the pool, and with the garden hose. Olivia likes to sit in a little bucket full of water that I got for washing our feet off before getting in the pool, it's just the right size for Olivia. Olivia is always really excited when it's time for a bath and she likes sometimes to lay down on her back in the water while she's in the tub. Cora used to love taking baths, now she always says she doesn't want to take a bath, but once she's in she usually has fun and sometimes doesn't want to get out. Cora hates having her hair brushed, she has pretty fine, easily tangled hair, much like mine, but hers is a lot curlier than mine. I have to use a good conditioner on her hair, or it would be impossible to comb through. Olivia doesn't have enough hair yet for there to be any problems.



Cora quote, from July 17, "We go together like a puzzle," said while laying next to Daddy on the floor.
On an unknown date, "Cousin Dana is my best friend."
Cora likes to call Olivia "sweetie."