Sunday 30 January 2011

Someday soon

Round 30: May 2031 (Autumn)

Kimberly Carmody is 60, Nick Moretti is 28 and Sarah is 26.
(
Caleb is 49, Abigail is 48, Jesse is 46 and Cara is 42)

Narrated by Nick Moretti

Before I moved in, I didn't realise Kimberly worked as much as she does. She's at the salon about 10 hours a day and even works on the weekends sometimes.


She's on her feet all day, so it's tiring but I don't know if she'll ever give it up completely. She prefers it to staying home. She gets lonely in the house when Sarah and I are at work and she likes interacting with all of her customers.

Kimberly's made friends with a lot of her regulars, including my mum. They met at the wedding and Mum decided to start going to Kimberly for her hair.

Once the baby comes, she's planning on stepping back and spending more time at home. When Sarah goes back to work, Kimberly wants to watch the baby at home for a couple of days a week.

I don't think we're going to have trouble finding a babysitter for the other days. My parents and step-parents are all eagerly anticipating the baby as well.

It wasn't always this way but both sides of my family get along well enough that we can all get together frequently. I'm looking forward to keeping it up when the baby comes but I guess we'll see how we go.

Dad has finally got over becoming a grandfather before 50 and is now doling out the advice.

Mum and Dad raised me while Mum was in college, with little help from anyone else. Sarah and I are in a completely different situation, so I hope parenthood isn't too much of a shock to the system.

Mum just keeps asking me what names we've chosen. We shouldn't have told her we'd decided, because she won't let up now. She's dying to know.

All I've told her is that if it's a boy, we'll have some kind of tribute to my grandfather in there and for a girl, we'll honour Betsy somehow.

Sarah and I have been having a lot of fun shopping for baby stuff. There's only one baby store around here but luckily, they have a decent range and the prices are fair.

We chose not to find out the sex, so we're trying to stick with neutral colours for the nursery.

Boy or girl, this kid's nursery is going to have everything he or she will need and a lot they won't as well.

We finally finished the nursery and it turned out great. It's all ready for the baby.

Sarah is due any day now and she only just stopped working.

Her boss was really generous and offered her maternity leave a lot earlier but Sarah waited until a couple of weeks ago to start it.

She took a position on the hood council, so she's felt like she's been a bit behind at work and wanted to catch up completely before she left.

Sarah loves her job and I think she's missing it a little. But it's nice to get such a warm reception when I get home. I usually get home a few hours before she does.

I think Sarah stopped working at just the right time. She was coping with it really well for a long time but near the end, she was finding it pretty exhausting.

Sarah is very health-conscious and she didn't want to use pregnancy as an excuse to slack off on exercise. She's been swimming every day since she stopped working.

I was a bit worried about it at first and thought maybe she should take it easy with the exercise.

But Sarah assured me that she'd run everything by Cara before she started, so she had a doctor's seal of approval. I couldn't really argue with that.

As soon as we found out Sarah was pregnant, we knew we wanted Cara to take care of Sarah and the baby. She's my stepmother, so we obviously know her really well but she's also a fantastic doctor.

She's been so good with addressing any concerns we've had throughout the pregnancy. Thankfully, we haven't had any real cause to worry; everything has gone really smoothly.

We've been excited all the way through but it's still a little hard to believe that we're about to be parents!

The last few ultrasounds have been so clear and detailed though that it's now kind of hard to deny it! It's amazing to think that soon enough, we'll be holding that little person in our arms.

Sarah's pregnancy seems like it's gone by so fast but now that her due date is only a few days away, time feels like it's really dragging. We can't wait to meet our baby.

Extra:

A full shot of the architecture office. Small and functional - my Master of Architecture students need to complete some drafts as a part of their degree and this gives them a place to do that.

Notes:
  • Title is from Someday Soon by Wilco.
  • I completely redid this house a little while ago. It was furnished exactly the same way as it was when Sarah's grandparents moved in, so it was time for a change.
  • I always think it's silly that Sims take their maternity leave before they have the baby, so I tend to make my pregnant Sims go to work. Save the maternity leave for when you'll actually have something to do with your time!
  • Everyone gets along freakishly well in this family. All the in-laws have wants to be friends with each other, if they're not friends already.
  • Nick was very close to his grandfather Filippo (he was the first grandchild, so there was a special bond there), so I thought it was fitting that Nick would want to put a little nod to him in there, if they have a boy. With Sarah's mum Betsy dying so suddenly, a tribute to her if it's a girl seemed like a nice idea too.
  • I'm about to go into the game right now and let Sarah have the baby (and Asha, who is also due). Birthdays post should be up tomorrow!

15 comments:

  1. Okay, I'm sold on Sarah. Plus she's so cute being so pregnant it's hard to resist her.

    Ah Nick, how much he's grown!

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  2. I can't wait for the baby, hubby doesn't understand why I am willing to be late just to read this post :) That is amazing about the families getting along so well, wow.

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  3. Oh what a tease! I thought this was leading to the delivery! I can't wait to see what they have, and what the name is. I think they'd be such sweet parents to a little girl to spoil. But a little boy for him to play catch with would equally nice.

    It's great that everyone gets along so well, that doesn't happen often in any world, sim or otherwise. That's gotta be nice for Nick to not have to not have that stress.

    Sarah is adorable pregnant, I love the shot of her getting out of the pool, let me tell you, getting in a pool is *the* best while pregnant, you feel light and like your old self... getting out, you feel like you weigh a ton more than when you got in, and pretty much like a beached whale. I can see why Sarah would pick to swim, less strain than out of water!

    Lastly, I really like the pictures in the nursery, I want those in real life.

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  4. Lunar, LOL, I was wondering how you were coping with Sarah and Nick! You weren't sure about them when they got together. But you know, Nick's pretty fond of her and he just had to marry her. ;)

    In game, the baby is born (and I'll write up the birthday post when I tear myself away from Body Shop!) and it's very strange thinking of Nick as a father! I guess it's because he was born in such unusual circumstances but his birth and childhood are still very clear in my mind and it doesn't seem that long ago.

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, LOL, you're too funny! I've done the same thing with other people's blogs.

    Nick and Sarah are both so nice, so I guess they influence those around them. This family really does get along so well.

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, aw, sorry! Tomorrow though, I promise! All the pictures are taken and once that's done, it usually doesn't take me long to write the update. I didn't really mind what sex Sarah and Nick had but I was happy with the outcome; I got to use the name I liked the best. ;)

    Nick's parents didn't get along nearly so well for quite a while during his childhood, so he really appreciates seeing them so friendly now, along with his step-parents (Caleb is still a bit funny about Jesse but he hides that from Nick).

    Ha, I always wondered why pregnant women seem so nutty for swimming and aquarobics! Now I know. I can imagine that would be a relief.

    If I remember where I got those pictures, I'll let you know. It's on the tip of my tongue. But I love them too. :)

    Thanks for reading!

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  5. Haha I agree that this was a great teaser. I'm excited to find out what they had and the name you chose. I really like the nursery and the shots of the family all together. It's great that they can all get together now and each enjoy each other's company.

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  6. Aww, Sarah and Nick are the sweetest couple. I think they're going to be wonderful parents. How nice that they're going to honor either Nick's grandfather or Sarah's mother with their choice of name for the baby.

    I think it's really weird that sims go on maternity leave when they enter second trimester. In Finland the maternity leave starts one month before the due date and ends when the baby is 9 months old. Often the mother-to-be gets a sick leave before the actual maternity leave if they do physically straining work to avoid a premature delivery. But never on the second trimester!

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  7. Sarah and Nick are great together - they are two really caring people. :)

    I'm curious about the name, too now, and I'm looking forward to meeting the baby!

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  8. Danielle, LOL, well, I haven't kept you in suspense too long; the birthday post is now up. :)

    I'm really excited to play these two as parents. I might have to pop in a time or two to check them out.

    Thanks for reading!

    Sari, Nick and Sarah really are very sweet. They're always wanting to kiss and flirt with each other; even once the baby was born, they still had some wants for each other in their panels.

    It's similar in Australia, though the amount of leave you get depends on who you work for (it's now always at least 18 weeks, because the government funds that much). But the point is, no one stays off work from their second trimester on unless they have a pressing medical reason, more serious than just simply being pregnant.

    Thanks for reading!

    Shake, they really are - I love playing Nick and Sarah!

    By the time you read this, the birthday post should be up. I hope I haven't disappointed, with all this lead-up!

    Thanks for reading!

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  9. I meant to tell u over an N99 that I really love teh office. And I too think Maxis got it all wrong with maternity leave. I have my knocke dup sims working too, unless they're put on bed rest for some reason.

    Can't wait for the baby!!!!

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  10. I'm sure Nick and Sarah will do great as parents! And they will get a lot of help from their families too, maybe too much sometimes!
    I like the idea with the babynames, that are going to honor their dead relatives!

    Seeing yours and Maisie's babystore, makes me wish I had one too, so I'm going to put it on my, already very long, to do list!

    How do you make your sims go to work? I like the idea of letting the sims work, because like you said, it's something silly of maxis to let the sims stop working that soon!
    I'm jealous of Sari, because in Belgium a pregnant woman stops working, at last a week before the duedate, and maternety leave ends when the baby is 3 months old!! But I've heard that Belgium has one of the shortest leaves in Europe ...
    Anyway looking forward to the next update!

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  11. Riverdale, thanks! The architecture office was fun for me. It's a small lot, so I wasn't racking my brain trying to think of things to fill it up! It's a shame I don't think I'll have any more Sims working there until Chris graduates university!

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, I think Sarah and Nick will do pretty well too. They have no shortage of help and Kimberly's there all the time.

    I like to use family names in the middle, when I think to. It seems realistic to me.

    Oh, Maisie's baby store is so much better than mine! Mine needs a major overhaul. It's really something I just threw together one day. I think it was specifically for a photo of Gordon and Lia, when she was pregnant with Gabriel.

    The carpool won't come for pregnant Sims but you can either click the Sim and have them walk to work or they can use a car to drive there. If you have the pregnant Sim set as the owner of the car, I think they'll even go to work autonomously. When I play a pregnant Sim, I always make them go to work.

    Thanks for reading!

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  12. Nick and Sarah are a very cute couple, and it's great that their families get along so well and want to be so involved in the baby's life. And your hospital looks great!

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  13. Sarah, thanks! I'm happy I get to use my hospital as much as I do, though I'd like to get even more use out of it.

    Nick and Sarah both have very close families, so this baby will probably end up spoiled!

    Thanks for reading. :)

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  14. Aww, they are so lucky that they have their family right there and they'll have plenty of babysitters!

    The nursery is too cute! I love it. :)

    Your community lots are always so amazing--that architectural office is so nice!

    I'm so excited to see the new babies!

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  15. Rachel, they really are lucky! They've got one permanent babysitter at home and two other sets of grandparents to choose from should Kimberly ever not be available!

    I have completely pointlessly put those two baby toys in the nursery, not remembering I might not even play them properly until the baby is a toddler. But I like it anyway!

    And thanks! I actually like building community lots more than houses, provided I have a good idea. I'm crap at planning the layout for houses.

    Thanks for reading. :)

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