Thursday 6 January 2011

Wishing well

Round 30: January 2031

last update/next update

Adam Gottlieb is 76, Athena is 71, Amelia is 42, Wade is 41, Noah is 13 and Emma is 11.
(Sophie is 18, Elspeth is 17)


Narrated by Wade Gottlieb

Amelia took me by surprise all those months ago when she told me how she really felt about the whole situation with Joanna and Rose. I guess I shouldn't have been so shocked, because it's so obvious to me now that it should have been a joint decision. But that's meant that we've been talking more, which is better. Amelia sometimes likes to let things stew.

I've offered a few times to back out on Joanna and Rose. We've done a few cycles but so far, they've been unsuccessful so there's still a chance for me to quit, if that's what Amelia wants. Amelia is quite adamant that she doesn't want that though, so we've mostly been talking about another baby.

Amelia has always wanted another but she knew I didn't, so she mostly dropped the subject. But the possibility of Rose getting pregnant, especially with me helping her out there, brought back those feelings for her.

We helped Sophie move into her dorm and that seemed to intensify the baby lust for her.

She feels like all her babies are moving on and that our family is not yet complete.

Almost as soon as we got home, she asked me if I would seriously consider another baby. I'd been wondering if she'd float the idea again, so I was only mildly surprised.

I agreed that I'd give it some thought and even that by itself made Amelia happy.

I never really saw myself having as many kids as we do now. Sophie was a surprise and though I loved her right away, it didn't make me want to have a ton more.

But we ended up with Noah and we were suddenly parents of two. Then Amelia talked me into having Emma and we had three kids. And we did adapt.

Four just seems like so many kids though! Amelia says it wouldn't feel like it, because our other kids are so big now.

She might be right. Sophie is at college, of course and Noah and Emma are almost grown now. Noah actually asked me for advice on girls the other day!

He's 13 now, so I guess he's at that age. It's still hard for me to believe though.

Noah has a crush on an older girl. Her name is Elspeth and she's in Grade 12. She's a friend of Sophie's.

He says he's talked to her a few times and it's gone okay. It sounds like she sees Noah as her friend's little brother and nothing more.

He tried to ask her out though and she was definitely not into it. Noah was quite crushed.

I don't really want my 13 year-old son dating a 17 year-old girl anyway. I told Noah he might want to focus on girls his own age, at least for now.

He didn't like that too much - most of the girls he knows around his age are his cousins, so he's not exactly spoiled for choice!

Emma is growing up too. It used to be that her friends would come over and they'd play or jump on the bed.

Now they spend all their time gossiping instead.

Emma even begged us to let her have Sophie's old room, proclaiming her old room to be for little kids. She's still in primary school but she's already acting more like a teenager.

Starting over with a baby, 11 years after our last one, is a little scary.

But as Amelia keeps reminding me, I was really nervous before Sophie was born and we got through that. And Amelia had to work pretty hard to convince me to have a second and then a third.

She's right and I can't really imagine our family without Sophie, Noah and Emma now. I can't go back in time and change the way I handled the thing with Rose and Joanna but I can do this. If a fourth is going to make Amelia happy, then I want to try.

So I told Amelia that yes, we could start trying.

I haven't seen her that excited in a long time!

Seeing Amelia is 42, I was expecting that we'd have to try for a while before we were successful and I wasn't even sure we ever would be.

I guess we're super fertile, because Amelia got pregnant pretty much right away! She's completely ecstatic.

I'm adjusting; I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly, so I'm kind of in shock at the moment.

Notes:
  • Title is from Wishing Well by Phantom Planet.
  • Poor Noah! The only romantic wants he's rolled have been for Elspeth, which is just not happening. And the girls around his age really are all his cousins. I'll have two new teen girls (well, three but one is his sister) next year though, so hopefully he'll take a liking to one of them.
  • I have been rolling each month to see if this is Rose's month for getting pregnant (I have a little thingy set up with Hook's Randomiser). No luck so far, which might be a good thing, at least for my population!
  • I decided to take Amelia off BC and just see what happened and she and Wade tried for a baby just about every time! It was several times before they were successful but I was quite surprised it happened as quickly as it did. It will make my population even more crazy (argh!) but I do think Amelia needs to satisfy that baby want if she has any hope of being okay with Rose being pregnant, when she eventually does. It is a fairly big compromise on Wade's part, perhaps, but he's kind of a take-them-as-they-come guy and I think he'll do okay with this.

16 comments:

  1. Whoa, I didn't see this coming. Wade is very...uh...I don't even have words for it, but the man values peace in his house-even to the point of having another baby to bring peace. I'm not sure if that's the best option, but babies are brought into the world for vastly different reasons all the time.

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  2. Apple Valley, I didn't really, either. I wasn't quite sure what Wade and Amelia would get up to this round.

    Wade does value peace and harmony and he knows that Amelia is really being pretty big about the situation with Joanna and Rose, because she was very hurt by it. So he's weighed up whether he would rather steadfastly stick to his ideal family size or give a little to make Amelia happy and he's going with the latter. Amelia will be much unhappier without a fourth than he will be if they have another.

    Thanks for reading!

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  3. Wow what a surprise! Your population is going up, up UP! I really hope Wade deals with the new baby ok. But I'm excited to see another baby from these 2. What's his ideal family size?

    OMG Emma is 11 already?! Time flew. She's going to be a gorgeous teen. Noah is ambitious trying to go after an older girl... an older girl who happens to be Elspeth! That's bold lol but who could blame him.

    I hope Rose and Joanna can have a baby soon. I know your population is getting out of control but I'd like to see how the baby looks.

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  4. I had a feeling that Wade might give in eventually (see, the psychic genes are working again, lol). But I really didn't expect Amelia to get pregnant so quickly. I guess they really are super fertile!

    Too bad there's been no luck for Rose and Joanna yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll get pregnant soon :)

    Everyone's so worried about their hood's population that I'm starting to think should I be worried too?

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  5. Danielle, sigh, I know, it really is! I'm almost glad I'm killing off three elders this round!

    Wade's ideal family size is 2, so he reached that 13 years ago! Amelia's is 6 but well...that's not happening. I will ignore any future baby wants from her. I think Wade will deal, because he's so easygoing. And because Amelia and Adam tend to take over baby business in this household anyway - I seriously could never keep them away from the babies!

    Poor Noah...he needs to reassess whether he really wants to expend so much effort on Elspeth. Too old for him and high maintenance!

    I have my fingers crossed for Rose and Joanna too...but hopefully not this year, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

    Sari, LOL! Yes, as far as I could see, this was the only way Wade and Amelia could proceed but I was definitely expecting them to have to try a little bit longer!

    I'm hoping Rose's number (literally!) comes up soon.

    Well, that all depends on whether your hood's population is currently as insane as mine! I'm up to like 115 here!

    Thanks for your comment!

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  6. Goodness! Talk about an apology! That's quite a decision, but I can see how it could happen. Amelia doesn't feel right about asking him to back out of the donor deal, and he feels bad because he's always denied Amelia her fourth baby. But a baby at 42! Goodness. It will definitely be a different sort of experience for them.

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  7. I'm really surprised how quickly they got pregnant! I'm happy for them and hope it works out well. I also hope that it works out for Rose too. I'd feel bad if it doesn't end up for them. Are u charging them each month u roll?

    Sophies dorm looks great! How bittersweet that she's off to college. And Emma is pretty determined to be a big girl! The new baby will fill that gap nicely though. And poor Noah! Of all the girls... Elspeth! I hope he finds someone his age or at least a little closer to it.

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  8. Rachel, exactly. Amelia wouldn't feel right backing out, because she'd feel like she was taking away a baby from someone who wants one. And wanting a baby herself as much as she does, she couldn't do that. Wade is feeling guilty, mainly for locking her out of the decision on the donor deal but also for deciding for her that the family was complete.

    Wade and Amelia were in their early 30s with Emma and are now both in their early 40s. There's got to be a huge change in your energy levels between those ages, as well as differences in how your body reacts to pregnancy.

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, man, so was I! Crazy! With Rose and Joanna, I've been rolling every month but I haven't yet charged them anything. I haven't decided if I'm going to stick with my one-time $10,000 fee from when I used to use the InTeen Fertility Treatment option, or if I'll charge them a fee per "cycle". I'm counting the number of rolls though, in case I do choose the latter option.

    I wonder if Emma will still be so keen on being a big girl once the baby comes! She's been the baby for 11 years now and she's quite a little character. ;)

    I know, right? I hope Noah can transfer his affections to someone a little younger (and maybe a little sweeter!) as well.

    Thanks for commenting!

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  9. Wade seems to live by the adage "Happy wife, Happy life" although that might not be the best idea in the long run.

    I can't believe they got pregnant so fast. Lucky Amelia. I bet Rose and Joanna will feel a little stressed though.

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  10. HeredonCove, yes, that's probably Wade's motto, at least right now! Not always the best idea but no matter what happened, only one of them was going to get their way. Wade isn't as wedded to his ideal family size as Amelia is to hers.

    This will probably be hard for Rose and Joanna to take. Rose is several years younger than Amelia, yet they still haven't been successful. Hopefully sometime this round (next year, preferably!), it'll be Rose and Joanna's lucky month.

    Thanks for reading!

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  11. I still can't believe Noah is already a teen, and that Emma will follow soon! They still seem so little to me!
    And Sophie ... in college already! Time in Sullivan really does go fast!
    And Wade gave in, so there will be another baby... I can't wait actually, but on the other hand I never thought Amelia would keep the want, nor did I expect Wade to give in!

    I'm hoping Rose and Joanna are succesfull soon too!

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  12. Tanja, I think Sophie, Noah and Emma growing up so fast has taken Wade and Amelia by surprise too!

    Oh, gosh...Amelia and her baby want. That's pure game play. I never planned for these two to have a fourth. Normally, 3 is my limit for any couple (I make exceptions sometimes, obviously). But Amelia's baby want has been a constant since Emma turned 1. It would roll away but it would always come back. So Wade and I are giving in. ;)

    We'll keep our fingers crossed for Rose and Joanna and see how they go. :)

    Thanks for reading!

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  13. Go Wade and Amelia! I love the way Wade talks about his kids though. He loves them all, but I can see why he's hesitant to have another. A fourth when they're in their 40's!

    Also Noah, lol! He's got some gumption focusing on Elspeth like that. Maybe he'll grow up handsome and then she'll be interested.

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  14. Lunar, oh, I'm glad that came through. Wade does really adore his kids, even the ones he had to be talked into having. He's hesitant about another, definitely, but he knows he wouldn't resent another.

    Ah, maybe! By then, Noah might have moved on and be uninterested in Elspeth. Tables tend to turn like that sometimes. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

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  15. Oh good, I'm glad it worked for them! That expression on her face, second-to-last pic is just perfect, she looks so happy. I agree that the benefit of him giving her that baby, versus the stress of having another, makes up for it. I mean, when you've got three already, what's one more? lol! :)

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  16. Laura, I'm glad too. I think everyone in the house is probably happier when Amelia is happy. She's a huge sulker when she's not. Fortunately, she really loves being pregnant so it'll be a peaceful 9 months for the Gottliebs.

    And yep, that was Wade's line of thinking. Especially seeing that now that Sophie is all grown-up, they've only got two kids to look after at the moment anyway.

    Thanks for reading!

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