Wednesday 15 February 2012

Bring it on

Round 33: April 2037 (Autumn)
Narrated by Adrienne Novak

Living with Amar is definitely preferable to living with Malcolm. Malcolm and I did all right living together but we do even better apart.

And besides, it’s kind of nice to come home to my boyfriend, instead of my brother. I had enough of that as a teenager.

Amar and I are comfortable enough financially now that we’ve been able to afford a few little luxuries, the hot tub in the backyard being the biggest.

It’s so totally and utterly unnecessary but that’s part of the fun.

Things weren’t quite as fun when I was supporting both of us, which I did for several months last year. That time is over now, thank God. Malcolm got Amar a job last May and he’s been gainfully employed ever since.

The job Malcolm recommended him for was boring but decently paid; he took photos for media releases and the like at the hospital. It wasn’t especially stimulating.

He’s working in fashion photography now, which he enjoys a lot more. He goes all around town, shooting in whatever locations the client wants. He loves the variety.

Amar says he really admires the work designers do and that it’s given him a new appreciation for my work.


I think he just likes the models, being the long-time admirer of the female form that he is.

He does awesome work too, on top of the ogling. I’m about to release my first collection and he did all the pictures for me in his little studio.

For free, of course. And because we were in his studio, I didn’t need to worry about getting permission from anyone or paying any fees to the city or to business owners. I really don’t know how I would have paid for it otherwise. I’m just starting out and probably won’t turn a profit for a while.

Having a photographer for a boyfriend is proving to be very handy now that I’m actually designing.

We used a model Amar met on one of his other shoots. Unfortunately, I did have to pay her!

I’d always intended for Matilda to model for me but in her extremely pregnant state, that wasn’t going to be possible.

Matilda thinks I should do a maternity line some day. She has had the toughest time finding things to wear and keeps telling me there would totally be a market for it.

I have designed her a couple of things, including a gown for an awards ceremony she had to attend.

But they’ve all been one-offs though and I only did them for Matilda because she's my best friend. I don’t know that I’d want to do a whole line of maternity clothing.

It’s getting really hard for Matilda now, because her pregnancy is pretty big news with the entertainment media. A lot of the tabloids are clamouring for pictures of her with her “bump”.

I don’t know why that’s so fascinating for them but Matilda has taken to wearing dark sunglasses when she goes out, in the hope that she won’t be recognised.

Sometimes it works but often, it doesn’t.

I think I would have punched one of those photographers out by now, just to get them out of my face.

Matilda laughed but I don’t think she’ll take my advice. She said physical assault doesn’t generally go over so well in the press.

Paparazzi aside, Matilda and Miles are both really excited about the baby.

They’re going to use this weekend to get the nursery ready - all in gender neutral colours, seeing they don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.

Matilda’s pregnancy has been the exact opposite of mine, in just about every single way. Excitement was not really on the cards for me back then.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, because I’ve just found out I’m pregnant again, due in January.

Amar brought up the topic a few months ago. He’ll be 36 in September and he doesn’t want to be an “old” dad. He doesn’t think he’s old yet but he was pretty keen to start trying soon.

I was a little nervous about the idea but Amar made it sound kind of appealing at the same time.

Just thinking about a tiny baby, who looked a bit like me and a bit like him, who we’d raise together and watch grow up. I started to like the sound of it.

So I told him we could start trying and we got going pretty much right away.

I knew I was pregnant before I took the test. It was 12 years ago now but I still remember the nausea, the tiredness, the occasional odd craving. And my period was late, of course.

I did a test before I told Amar, just to be sure. He was beside himself. He must have asked me three times if I was really sure.

He can’t wait until the new year and he has huge plans already. He’s talking about us buying a bigger place with a bigger yard.

I’m excited about the baby too but my feelings are a little more mixed than Amar’s.

I’m freaking out a little. We wanted this baby but now that I’m actually pregnant and I know it’s coming, it’s a bit scary. Pregnancy, I can do but motherhood is completely new territory for me.

Mum told me it’s perfectly normal to be nervous, even though I’m much better prepared for parenthood now than I was at 18. A baby changes things, no matter how old you are or how stable your relationship is.

It’s comforting to know others have been scared and things all turned out okay with them. But it’s still frightening to think that we’re going to be expected to take care of a baby!

Or at least, it is for me. Amar isn’t worried at all. He’s convinced that the baby will be born and we’ll just figure everything out as we go along.

I don’t know how he can be so confident about this when I’m so nervous but he is.

I’m hoping some of Amar’s confidence will rub off on me eventually but until then, I’m just going to try my best to relax until the baby comes.


Notes:
  • Title is from Bring It On by Gomez.
  • That photo in front of the hospital took so long to do! And it was really just getting David and Zaria's heads to turn towards Amar like that. Even with the parts posing boxes, it was sort of fiddly. If I ever need to do it again, hopefully I remember how!
  • Not only did Amar not roll any romantic wants for anyone other than Adrienne this round (which is about how he's been for the past couple of rounds anyway), he didn't even roll any of those multiple woohoo wants. Even after I satisfied generic or Adrienne-related woohoo wants, he never rolled up the multiple wants. Really rare for a romance Sim, in my experience.
  • Adrienne is due in January 2038, so Baby Hamilton will be the first baby of new year. She and Amar tried for a baby on their own. I have Try For Baby turned off for unmarried couples globally but I generally turn it on individually when couples start living together. ACR makes childless Sims over 35 a bit more likely to try for a baby, which seems quite realistic to me, so I took them TFB as being mostly prompted by Amar.

20 comments:

  1. Oooh another baby in Sullivan! Its about time Amar decided to properly settle down and I'm so happy its finally happened. I love that the fact he is over 35 meant they had more chance of trying for a baby- I didn't know that feature of ACR existed. I'll have to check it out. The modelling and fashion line is looking so good and I loved all those photography shots you did with Amar- they are so good! You are so talented at getting those posed shots to turn out so well. I normally just get frustrated...
    Poor Matilda it must be hard being in the limelight with her pregnancy. I often forget she's a 'celebrity' sim. (oh and I loved her dress that Adrienne designed. Where did you get it?). Thanks for such a great update as usual!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Amar took his time but I think with a baby on the way, we can say he's pretty settled now! But yep, that's a feature of ACR. I was a massive nerd when I first downloaded it and devoured the documentation and I remember that being mentioned. :) Though my Sims hardly ever get to 35 without any children!

      Thanks for the compliments on the posing. :) Most of the posed photography pics were pretty easy this time around, apart from the one I mentioned. It's more patience than talent, I think!

      I often forget Matilda is a celebrity myself, so I'm trying to make an effort to write more of that in and I'm going to start trying it with Patience as well. It's always fun to add in a bit more about the Sims' careers. Matilda's dress, by the way, says it's by Trapping. She posts in a couple of different places though and I'm yet to figure out where she posted these! When I do, I'll let you know.

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  2. Believe it or not, but when I saw their picture on N99, the first thing I was wonder is if Adrienne would want a baby herself :) I'm glad she decided to have one. And I think it's pretty normal to be nervous about it, especially when it's your first baby.

    Pretty exciting time for Adrienne, lounching her first line and a baby one the way.
    I'm kind of glad her and Matilda's baby will be so close in age :)

    I loved seeing Amar at work, and I'm sure he'll love doing fashion photography than he did taking pictures for the hospital, it seems much like something he would do anyway :)

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    1. Ha, did you? Well, I guess you were onto something. It's definitely normal to feel nervous but with Adrienne, a pregnancy is bound to bring up lots of memories of the first time she was pregnant, when she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it.

      It's a very exciting and busy time for Adrienne though and I did have the same thought about this baby and Baby Jacobson. They'll be four or five months apart.

      Taking pictures of beautiful women is definitely more Amar's speed!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  3. Ooh, a baby for Adrienne and Amar! Right when she's at her busiest, too! That dress that Matilda is in for the awards ceremony looks a lot like one in TS3...

    I love how everything is so connected in your game, though--she's designing clothes for celebrity friends, and Amar is using his photography skills to take pictures of people modeling her clothing line--it's perfect! :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, Adrienne definitely won't be bored during her pregnancy - she's got a ton to do. The dress she designed for Matilda could very well be a TS3-to-TS2 conversion - there are a lot of them around!

      Pre-Sullivan, I'm someone who used to let family relationships dwindle away to nothing once the kids moved out of home and was content to let work be a place Sims just disappeared to for several hours a day. So I'm really enjoy playing in a different way now. It's much more satisfying!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  4. I'm interested to see how she tackles motherhood. I hope they'll be able to stay together too. This will be exciting. How perfectly timed to have Matilda suggest a maternity line and she's suddenly pregnant herself. Seems like good move.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Motherhood will be a big adjustment, like it is for everyone but it will be interesting to see how Adrienne handles it, specifically. Amar is on board, she's close with her mother and Matilda will have a baby only a few months older, so hopefully, she'll feel like she has enough support around her to get through.

      Ha, yeah, I bet Matilda wasn't thinking Adrienne might use the maternity line herself! She had purely selfish motives there, lol!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  5. O goodness! A baby! I can't believe Amar wanted a baby and Adrienne agreed! He must have done some smoooooooth talking (or something else ;P ) Wow. It was also nice to see how a Matilda's pregnancy and celebrity was going.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Well, Amar has always been quite the smooth operator, so he probably knew what angles to play to bring Adrienne around to his way of thinking. She feels a lot more secure with him now that they're living together than she did before, so she was already more agreeable.

      Adrienne will have a quieter pregnancy than poor Matilda, hopefully! Up-and-coming fashion designers are quite as exciting for the paparazzi!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  6. Awwww how exciting for them! Its good to see Amar settling down. I never think to address the paparazzi with my famous sims, thats something to think about! Can't wait to see their baby :)

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    1. I wasn't sure where Amar would end up, before he met Adrienne. He didn't seem like he was headed for a family.

      I can imagine the paparazzi in LaQuest Beach would have eaten up that Slade/Meadow story! I would love to see how your celebrities deal with that kind of thing, if you were ever to write it in.

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  7. I can not believe that Adrienne got the TFB! I always thought her and Maia would wind up pregnant by risky (and Veronica too, though she still has time that wild girl!). I'm super excited for these two, I can't believe Amar is 36! How sad! And I absolutely loved the paparazzi with Matilda, and it's too bad she's so knocked up she couldn't model for Adrienne, bad timing with her releasing. The photo in front of the hospital was great, ah I'm pleased that everything is falling into place with Amar's job, new baby, and their relationship going well. I can't wait to see their genes mix.

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    1. And the funny thing is, when Adrienne did get pregnant, back in college, it wasn't a risky woohoo baby! That was before I found the option to turn off Try for Baby for unmarried couples, so she actually tried for Sylvia! So shockingly, neither she or Maia ever ended up accidentally pregnant (although I wrote in Adrienne's pregnancy with Sylvia as if it was).

      Crazy, huh? Amar is 36, which means so are Jacob, Claudia, Victoria and Finn! He's very grown up now, with his job, his own business, girlfriend, baby on the way...

      Hopefully, Adrienne will release another collection, post baby Jacobson, and Matilda can model for her with that one. It'll give the tabloids something to publish besides photos of her going about her daily business, lol!

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  8. Again, I’ve already commented on some of this over at N99, but love the pics of Amar at work and glad they’re able to afford a few luxuries. Are you going to make posters for the game with your models? I know you did that with Patience and the wedding gowns and it’d be cool to see some models wearing Adrienne’s “designs”. I like the mention of paparazzi and Matilda having to disguise herself while she’s out. It’s nice to acknowledge that since the game doesn’t have that kind of system.

    But onto the main event! I’m so happy for them. Amar looks so excited :D. I know Adrienne’s extremely nervous, though, and hopefully she’ll get over her nerves soon. I can’t imagine her mixed feelings but at least she planned this baby and is in a better place to care for him/her. Fingers crossed for them! :)

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    1. Posters? Yeah, eventually, I would like to. But I might wait until Matilda's not knocked up any more so she can be in them. ;) The Superstar pack would definitely have come in handy for Matilda (and Patience, but Matilda is more famous at the moment).

      Amar is pretty excited about this baby, as is Adrienne but she's a little more hesitant. Amar doesn't have the history with pregnancy that Adrienne does, so this is bound to dredge up old feelings for her. She's not doing this alone this time though, so hopefully, that will make things 100% easier for her.

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  9. OMG!!!! Adrienne is pregnant!!!! Yaaaaay!!! How cool is that!
    I love all the pictures about Amar's job! That's so great. He looks like a real photographer. I love that! (I'm going to steal you few ideas... *whistle innocently*)

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    1. And she's had the baby now too! I'm going to be sort of playing her with Baby Hamilton for the first time tomorrow, as I'll be playing Matilda and Miles (and their baby). I'm excited to see how she goes!

      Thank you, I was pretty happy with Amar's career pics, if I do say so myself! And steal away! I would love to see what you do with something like this in TS3. I saw a photographer pose box for TS3 somewhere, I think.

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  10. OMG, I turn my back on these Sims for a few weeks and now Amar is going to be a DADDY! This is a shocking development, lol! But awww, Adrienne. I did wonder how she would take to having a child for herself some day. I have faith in her though. Amar I'll have to read on and see, lol!

    (Also wondering, does Adrienne ever roll wants for Sylvia (or vice versa?) in game?)

    I love the modeling shots for Amar's work! His job seems like it would be really fun to play.

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    1. LOL, I know, right? It's pretty nuts, these two having a baby! Adrienne is definitely better equipped to be a mother now than she was back in college but I haven't played her properly yet to see how she's really doing with Baby Hamilton! Or Amar, for that matter. ;)

      Adrienne never rolls wants for Sylvia and Sylvia has never rolled wants for Adrienne either. So I take that to mean Adrienne feels she made the right decision in giving Sylvia up and that Sylvia is content with Rose and Joanna.

      I think I'm going to freeze Amar at this level for a while. Fashion photography seems so him!

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

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