Friday 4 February 2011

Sky blue sky

Round 30: June 2031 (Winter)
Jacob's last update/last update/next update

Trent Kirby is 61, Megan is 59, Claudia and Jacob are both 30 and Daphne is 4 months old.
(Liam is 68, Victoria is 30 and Keira is 8 weeks old)

Narrated by Claudia Kirby

Jacob and I used to be able to laze around in bed at least a couple of mornings a week but that doesn't happen very often any more!

If Jacob doesn't need to get up at the crack of dawn for work, one of us will need to get up for Daphne. Jacob is working 10 hours a day right now, so if he has the day off, I let him sleep and I get up with her.

I don't mind. Daphne's a good little baby and once she's been changed and fed, I like having that quiet time with her.

I might be annoyed if Jacob tried to avoid responsibility for Daphne when he's at home but he doesn't. As soon as he comes home from work, he goes up to the nursery to see her.

Jacob loves being a dad. It's so sweet to watch him with Daphne.

Daphne was sort of a surprise for us; we weren't planning on having a baby so soon. We were excited from day one but also very nervous.

She's been a really easy baby so far though. She's usually smiling and has been easy to settle when she's not.

Jacob wants to have another one. As in now. He brought it up on the way home from the hospital!

He and Tatiana are 18 years apart, so they've never really had a traditional brother-sister relationship. For our kids, Jacob likes the idea of having them really close together, to foster good bonding.

I don't think our kids need to be quite that close together! I just want to enjoy Daphne for a while and wait a year or so before getting pregnant again.

I'm sure Liam wouldn't be opposed to us having another one! He doesn't live very far away and he comes to see his granddaughter quite often.

He's always thought of Tatiana's kids as his grandchildren as well but Daphne is his first grandchild from Jacob. So she's quite special to him.

Having Mum and Dad around has been helpful...most of the time.

Dad's been reading up on babies again, since it's been such a long time since there was a baby around here.

Not that he needs it though! He's always been a natural with kids.

Mum has softened a lot since Declan was born. Daphne was born into a completely different situation but I admit that I was still worried.

She still drives me completely insane sometimes. Some days, it seems like every time I try to close my eyes for five minutes, Mum will choose precisely that moment to start giving me advice about sleep training or how I should be using cloth instead of disposables.

I'm learning to deal with that though. I try really hard not to engage with her, because it makes her worse.

So I just nod and smile and murmur non-committal things like "oh really?" and "that's interesting, Mum". Eventually, she moves on.

I picked up that little tip from Victoria. She's been dealing with Mum's unwarranted parenting tips for 10 years now. I think she'll always be a know-it-all, so it's easier for us if we just accept it. We can laugh about it.

I know she loves us and all the grandkids, so she does mean well. Her way of showing she cares just happens to be really frustrating.

I've been able to see Victoria almost every day recently. We're both on maternity leave, so we drop Daphne and Keira off at a creche and head to a local park to just chat.

We've always been close but with her married with children and me still living with flatmates, it felt like we were leading completely different lives. Now that I have Daphne, I feel like we're on the same page again.

Keira is two months younger than Daphne but of course, I'm the novice here so it's been me asking all the questions and Victoria passing on her wisdom.

Victoria's jealous that I can already fit into my regular clothes again. Daphne's only my first, so we'll see how I look after three. I don't think Victoria should feel too bad about carrying xtra weight.

She's set herself a goal to be back to her pre-Caitlin weight by the time she goes back to work next April.

When she mentioned work, I figured that was as good a time as any to run something by her. I'm due to go back to work in February but lately, I've been thinking about not going back at all and just staying at home with Daphne.

Victoria was a little surprised. She never considered staying at home but things are tight financially for her and Finn; it's never really been an option. And she really likes working outside the house anyway.

When I worked, I enjoyed my job and I saw myself doing it for a long time. But that was before Daphne. I can't imagine leaving her to go back to work. I could almost cry just thinking about it.

Victoria didn't think I was crazy, at least. But it's Jacob I really have to convince.

So I sat Jacob down and explained everything to him, exactly the way I explained it to Victoria.

He had some reservations about it. He was confused as to why I would want to let my degree go to waste, when I worked hard for four years to earn it.

He's also worried about our finances. We can afford me staying home now but will we always be able to?

But I never said I was going to stay at home forever. I wouldn't mind doing that but if I need to work, or if we get to a point where I feel like our kids don't need me at home as much, then I can always get another job.

Hearing that eased some of his worries, at least.

Jacob's very supportive of me with this now but he doesn't think I should make a decision just yet. I'm going to wait until I'm nearer to the end of my maternity leave and then decide if this is something I really want to do.

I'm fairly certain I won't be going back to work but giving it a little more thought can't hurt.

Extra:
So I ended up cutting this whole scene out, because I'm such a pedant. It needed to be this pose, it needed to be this angle but I wanted Claudia in her everyday clothes. But for some reason, her thighs went weird with this pose in her everyday clothes, so this was the only way I could make it work. I just noticed there's a Romance thread at N99, so it might fit in well with that picture theme.

Notes:
  • Title is from Sky Blue Sky by Wilco.
  • Megan is actually quite a keen grandmother this time around. But she's still Megan, so she's still driving her daughters mildly nuts.
  • I had Victoria selectable at the park and she has the want to earn a body skill point. So I guess she wants to lose some of that extra weight she's put on.
  • Unless I can think of a good reason why she wouldn't, Claudia will be resigning from her job when she finishes her maternity leave. I have actually never had a Sim who stayed at home with their kids full time, which seems unrealistic. Claudia is a good candidate, because she doesn't have a career LTW and she is constantly rolling the want to quit her job, or stay home from work. So I'm giving in.

21 comments:

  1. I agree, I could see Claudia staying at home...but she does realize that she would also encounter more of her mother as well, right? Perhaps she could even watch Kiera as well during the day.

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  2. As Jacob I would love to see them having a second child, but maybe discussing it on the right home from the hospital isn't the right time! Lol.

    Megan wouldn't be Megan if she wouldn't drive her daughters mildly nuts, lol.

    I've only had one sim quit her job because of the kids, and that was Bianca Penninkmeijer, and this was only because her husband is kind of old-fashioned and loved his wife at home. Because she is a stay-at-home mom I also gave in on her LTW, wich is to marry of 6 children....

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  3. I really loved seeing the girls together and sharing parenting advance. ANd moms will always be moms. My mom still to this day "offers" her advice even when I don't ask for it. LOL

    I like that Claudia wants to stay home. She can always go back to wrok later. :)

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  4. Aww, that last picture is adorable! I love it. :)

    I love that Victoria and Claudia are finding more time to be together again, and that they can bond against their mother's antics. It is interesting that Claudia wants to stay home--maybe she'll want a job once Daphne starts school.

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  5. Apple Valley, I hadn't considered Claudia watching Keira as well, but that's a possibility seeing Victoria will definitely go back to work once Keira turns 1.

    Heh, Claudia would see Megan more if she didn't work but Megan is around a lot anyway. She's at the top of her career, so she only works three days a week. She might find herself wanting to escape by working at the market every now and then though. ;)

    Thanks for reading. :)

    Tanja, a second child is a very high possibility for Jacob and Claudia but not for a little way down the line! My Sims don't usually roll the want for another child until the first one ages to toddler but I guess Jacob is extra keen!

    Megan will always be Megan, lol, so her daughters just have to modify the way they react to her.

    Oh, I think I remember reading that about Bianca! Jacob is cool with whatever Claudia wants to do, as long as their financial situation is secure.

    Thanks for reading. :)

    Riverdale, Victoria and Claudia are very close already, being twins, but it's nice for them to have that extra thing to bond over. Claudia will be much more likely to accept advice from Victoria than from Megan - it's all in the delivery! ;)

    It'll be nice to have Claudia home with Daphne (and any future kids). If she does ever want to go to work again, the option's always open.

    Thanks for reading.

    Rachel, I love it too and am still a bit sore I didn't get to work it in. But I got it done and I'll save the idea for another time.

    I think more time with Victoria would be Claudia's second-favourite thing about maternity leave, apart from being home all the time with Daphne. Victoria always wanted them to be pregnant together but neither of them thought it would happen. And here they are, with babies two months apart.

    When Daphne starts school, Claudia will probably take over as the owner of Kirby Market but hours there are flexible. If she has another baby by then, she could still arrange it so that either she or Jacob were always home with the kids. I don't know if she'll ever want a traditional job again! I don't think she wanted one even fresh out of college, when Sims' want panels fill up with three or four different careers they want to enter (which I proceed to ignore!)

    Thanks for reading! :)

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  6. That's crazy that you haven't had any stay at home moms! I always have a few, Nicole McCarthy was one until recently, Lucy London was while Alice was a toddler. It sounds like Claudia knows what she wants with that want panel, it will work out nicely with Kirby market.

    Daphne is uber sweet, and Jacob is adorable as a daddy. I loved the two sisters connecting, oh the talks of getting back into shape after babies, felt very real! I cant' even tell that Victoria is pudgy in the bench scenes though. I LOVE her green knit sweater though the foyer!

    I can't believe that Megan is approaching her elder years. I also still can't believe that's Trent! He just changed so much on me!

    Don't you wish infants could choose what to wear? The cousins are super sweet in that photo together, but whenever I get two infants on a lot, I always want the ability to have them not match!

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  7. That's nice that Claudia would like to be a stay-at-home mom. Luckily they live with her parents so they don't have to worry about money too much. At first I couldn't think of any stay-at-home moms/dads in my game but Helen Reid was one (before I started blogging). They were so rich that she didn't need to work. But once the kids aged up to teen, she got boring so I found her a job lol.

    I like that the girls have found a way to cope with Megan. You can't choose your parents so you just have to learn to deal with them.

    And that's too bad that you couldn't get that last shot it, but glad you shared it anyway. I really like that pose set. It can be so sweet or not so much like when I used it a few months ago.

    Can't wait to see what Daphne looks like when she grows up! Seems so long from now.

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  8. I've had a few stay at home moms but not many, it really isn't all that realistic to have a whole lot of them. But Claudia is the perfect candidate to be one. Her and Jacob are so cute with the baby. And it was nice to see her and Victoria bonding, made me feel all warm :)

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  9. Maisie, I know, especially seeing my mother and most of my friends' mothers stayed at home! I think I'll do it more in the future, with my less career-focused Sims like Claudia.

    I think it's interesting that Victoria's rolled the body skill want now. She's been bigger for a few years now. It must have been seeing her sister snap back into shape after her baby! I'll see if I can check where I got Victoria's sweater when I get in game.

    Trent really did start to look old fast! And Megan will be an elder in January - crazy. So will Emil. That's kind of crazier to me, seeing he's not at the point of grandkids yet.

    I would love to be able to choose infantwear! Sari linked to some baby defaults on her blog recently that were different for boys or girls, so there's sort of a way. But seeing Keira and Daphne are both girls, it wouldn't have helped here. :\ Oh well - still cute!

    Thanks for reading. :)

    Danielle, Trent and Megan are a few years away from retirement, so eventually, there'll be less money coming in. But Megan makes about $6000 a DAY, so they're pretty loaded. Jacob was being extra cautious here. ;) Claudia will enjoy staying at home, I think.

    Megan doesn't really know any other way to be and she's too stubborn to really accept that her way might not be the best way. Claudia was lucky to have the advantage of seeing how Megan was with Victoria and her kids. She was prepared!

    Daphne growing up does seem like a long way away. But before then, we have Amelia's baby due in October and then Jacinta will age up in November and then the big birthdays post in January. Then February won't be quite so far away. :)

    Thanks for reading. :)

    Mizzgin03, I guess it depends on where you live. I can't think of many mothers who worked when I was growing up - most of the ones I can think of were single, so they had to. At the school I teach at now, it's probably about 50/50. Still a much higher ratio than I'm planning on in Sullivan!

    I think this arrangement will work out well for Claudia and Jacob. Claudia will love staying at home but also, with Jacob working such long hours, it'll be nice for Daphne to have one parent at home all the time.

    I love getting siblings together. I'm really close to my sister in real life, so it always seems very realistic to me.

    Thanks for reading. :)

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  10. Maisie, I think Victoria's sweater is by Jessi.

    http://jessi-dot.dreamwidth.org/

    There are several different colours. :)

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  11. If this is what Claudia really wants then it's the right decision for her. She's still young so she'll have plenty of time to build a career after her kid(s) have gotten older if she wants to.

    Daphne looks so pale! Especially in that picture where Liam holds her. It's nice that she got that tone.

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  12. Sari, Claudia's definitely never seen herself as a career woman but she still has time to change her mind. It'll be interesting to see if she ever wants to go back to work.

    I know, Daphne's very fair, just like her mum and aunty! You can see it clearly also in the picture with her hand against Jacob's cheek.

    Thanks for reading. :)

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  13. I got a little behind but I'm enjoying catching up!

    *sigh* Wouldn't it be wonderful if it were that easy, take off and 'always' find another job if the money gets tight. The way Claudia is dealing with her mother and the shot you took where she's lying on the couch while Mom 'advises' her, I laughed out loud!

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  14. Thank you Carla! I haven't been to Jessi's for a bit, I always go crazy when I go! ---- heading that way now! :)

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  15. S.B., it really would be! It'd be nice to just take a break whenever you wanted to!

    Poor Claudia - that shot pretty much sums up Megan in a nutshell, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, you're welcome! Last time there was a big jump in the size of my clothing folder, it was Jessi's fault!

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  16. Megan, lol! Oh man, she's just like my mom except for instead of parenting tips, she bothers me constantly about getting her various computers to work.

    I was sort of surprised at Jacob wanting another, but then you mentioned the age difference between him and his sister, and that makes sense. it is a huge gap, and you're basically and only child when it's like that.

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  17. Lunar, Megan is probably like a few mums out there! Mine isn't so much for the unwarranted advice; mine is a huge worrier, more like Lia. ;)

    Despite growing up in a really huge household, Jacob was sort of an only child. He had his nieces and nephews in the house as well but there's 9 years between him and Dominic, so that wasn't really the sibling type relationship either (though it's sort of like that now that Dominic is older). So that bond is something Jacob wants for his kids.

    Thanks for reading. :)

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  18. Random, and ages late, but I just wanted to say how neat it is to see these girls all grown up with their own families now. Awww! Makes me all gushy and nostalgic, lol! :)

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  19. Laura, I know! When I see someone going through my archives when I check my stats, I'll sometimes open up the last post they read, to see where they're up to. This particular person happened to be up to a post right before Claudia and Victoria went off to college, which was right before everything changed quite dramatically for both of them! Victoria was yet to have Declan and Claudia was still with Amar.

    They've both come a long way since then!

    Thanks for reading. :)

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  20. Megan cracks me up every time I read about her. She reminds me a lot of my husband’s grandmother, and her children endure her pretty much the same way Claudia and Victoria do. I think it is no coincidence that three out of the four lhave moved far away from their hometown.

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    1. I have someone like that in my family. Or had - he's been dead about ten years now but he was quite overbearing to his daughters and they all moved out as soon as they were able.

      I do love Megan though! Her grandkids all adore her, because I think she's a bit easier to take with some distance. She's got a special bond with Caitlin in particular.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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