"Barely saying first words"- Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian quips about his daughter Adira saying "Papa" as opposed to Olympia's "mama" chant
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian recently shared details about their daughters in an interview. Both of them are reaching important milestones in their lives, as per their father.
The couple welcomed their first daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. on September 1, 2017, and their second daughter, Adira, on August 15, 2023. Speaking about the one-year-old, Ohanian shared that she recently started forming her first words.
"Well Adira, she's already taken those first steps and barely saying her first word and it sounds if you ask me like she's saying, 'Papa.' Mama would dispute this."
The American entrepreneur and investor revealed he had encouraged Olympia to say 'Mama' first by repeating the word to her often.
"Olympia is doing great. She's almost seven now. Olympia's first word was 'Mama,' because behind the scenes, I'd be telling her like, 'Mama, mama, mama.' The least you can do for Mama is make sure that it's the first word."
The proud father further shared details about his daughters' relationship with each other and that Olympia is exploring various pursuits, including golf and tennis. He posted a video from the interview on Instagram.
"The two of them are so good together and Olympia, now I'm her daddy caddy on Sundays, so she's learning golf, she is taking tennis lessons. I tried to get her into soccer, obviously, with the Angel City, but she's still content to be a fan. Doesn't want to be on the pitch yet, but we'll see."
Serena Williams expresses her joy in raising two daughters - "My heart simply now is doubled the size"
Serena Williams gave birth to Adira five years after she and Alexis Ohanian welcomed Olympia. The tennis superstar recently praised her older daughter in an Instagram post, stating she has always been a constant source of support.
"Olympia is always there for me. Before having a second child, I always wondered, 'How could I love anything as much as I love @olympiaohanian?' Then Adira came along …" she said.
Further, while describing her younger daughter, Williams added:
"She (Adira) is so special, so fun, so funny, so loving, so sweet and so strong!!! You see, God makes your heart get bigger. Because my love for Olympia has not dimmed. My heart simply now is doubled the size and I have a greater capacity to love more!"
The family recently celebrated Adira's first birthday on August 15, 2024.