Sunday 12 December 2010

In my life

Round 29: July 2030 (Winter)
last update/next update

Finn and Victoria Romilly are both 29, Declan is 9 and Caitlin is 7.
(Claudia and Jacob are both 29, Josie is 28, Troy is 27 and Austin is 9)

Narrated by Finn Romilly

We're happily settled into our new house now and we all love it. Our old place was great but it was too small for us when we moved in and it only got worse as Declan and Caitlin got bigger.

Declan and Caitlin each have their own rooms now. They get along together so well but it's nice that they've got the option of privacy when they want it.

Although, at the moment, they still go into each other's rooms all the time anyway, to play or talk to each other.

Our yard is so tiny but that's often all you can get in Exeter. I know Declan's friend Austin's yard is similarly postage stamp-sized.

It's really too cold for the kids to be out there so often but they've never had one before, so we're being very lenient about that right now.

Declan spends more time out there with his telescope than he does playing. I don't mind too much. It's educational, after all.

Declan is very interested in learning new things, whether that be astronomy or watching cooking shows on television. He just soaks it all in, so school is like heaven for him.

He even loves doing his homework.

I'm teaching him this year, so after he finishes his homework, he'll sometimes ask me if I have any more for him.

Caitlin says she likes school but it's certainly not showing in her grades.

She tried to hide her report card from us but it's not like Tatiana wasn't going to tell me about it anyway.

Caitlin got a D-. If we knew that was the best grade she could get, we'd feel better about it but she's not trying. Tatiana says she's very easily distracted and generally goofs around too much in class.

What Caitlin forgot is that she's going to be in my class next year, which means I'll know exactly what she needs to be doing at home and at school. There'll be no point trying to hide anything. I'll expect the same from her as I do from all the other kids.

She looked suitably chastised and I think she's trying harder at school now.

Her grades have jumped significantly and Caitlin's not shy about bragging about them either.

Declan must be getting tired of hearing about it!

Victoria is on her feet all day at work and it's just too much for her at the moment. We just found out we're expecting a baby in April, so Victoria has some pregnancy-related fatigue.

Apart from that, and some morning queasiness, she's feeling pretty good.

We really haven't told too many people yet but we're both so excited. It's still very early though, so we're keeping it to ourselves.

We had Josie and Troy over for dinner the other night. Seeing they live next door now, they come over a lot.

Troy mentioned that he and Josie were looking to start a family in the next year or so, which they're both quite excited about. It was hard not to mention our own news.

Especially with Declan and Caitlin as keen as they are for a baby brother or sister. I know they're going to be thrilled when they find out and it's tempting to tell them now.

Victoria wants to tell pretty much everybody right now.

I'm not so sure. I really do think it's better if we wait a while. Just until Victoria is maybe 10 or 12 weeks along.

We compromised a little though, and agreed that she'd tell Claudia about it. If the worst happens, she'll want to talk to Claudia about it anyway.

I can live with that. Claudia will keep it quiet until we're ready to announce it officially.

I think Claudia is about as happy as we are about this!

In the past, she and Victoria have vaguely talked about being pregnant together but neither of them ever really knew it would happen.

The babies will be two months apart in age, so they'll be at school together which will be great. Declan is very close to his cousins Justin and Xavier, who are six months younger.

Jacob came over with Claudia, so he knows as well now, but we spoke mostly about his and Claudia's baby.

Jacob's looking forward to meeting the baby but he's also quite nervous about the prospect.

If Victoria and I could handle it in college, completely on our own, then I'm sure he and Claudia will handle this just fine. I don't envy them living with Megan though!

This pregnancy feels so different to when Victoria was pregnant with Declan or with Caitlin. We were mostly just terrified with Declan and then we had to deal with Megan on top of that. With Caitlin, we were worried about finding a place to live, fresh out of college with two children.

This time, we can actually get excited about the baby and look forward to the birth. And we don't have to be scared of telling our parents this time either.

Victoria's parents will be happy for us and judging by Mum and Dad's constant hints about more grandchildren, I'd say my parents will be eagerly anticipating this baby as well.

Notes:

(click to enlarge)
I never knew what that "random rolled" number in ACR meant, until Maisie finally filled me in. Apparently, to get pregnant, you need to roll a number lower than the odds and the lower it is, the more likely you'll get pregnant. So as you can see, Victoria and Finn were a sure thing!

Notes:
  • Title is from In My Life by The Beatles.
  • Caitlin started out the round with a D- and ended it with an A-! She jumped two letter grades in the span of one day, which is pretty amazing. I asked on Twitter if anyone else had experienced that but I think the conclusion is that Caitlin is just that awesome. ;)
  • I went in to Troy and Josie's house to decorate and found that he'd rolled a baby want. I was wondering if he was going to be a weird Family Sim like Eliot, and take 5 years to want a baby! But anyway, I guess I'll let them try next round, seeing we have enough babies due right now!
  • Speaking of, Victoria is due in April 2031. I cannot say how excited I am at the prospect of another Declan or Caitlin!
  • I know I have a few readers who have jumped in recently who may not be aware of the history between Victoria, Finn and Megan. Best entries to read would be this one and this one. But in short, Finn's parents were quite supportive of Finn and Victoria when she got pregnant in college (once the shock wore off), as was Victoria's dad Trent but Megan was very angry about the whole thing for a long time. She's also only very recently warmed to Finn. Victoria and Megan's relationship is still a little strained but they are much better than they used to be.

20 comments:

  1. Yippie, I knew it, I knew it. Another little baby! :)

    Thanks for explaining the ACR numbers, I wondered what they meant as well.

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  2. I love that mean mug Caitlin gave in front of the bus; I'm loving her more and more every time. Her grades could have jumped up because she earned some logic points maybe? According to the hardergrades hack, the more logic points the higher the grade.

    I'm sure people will find out that Victoria is pregnant with that extra few pounds on her. I knew she was pregnant as soon as I saw her on the couch.

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  3. Apple Valley, heh, not exactly a surprise! Finn and Victoria have been wanting another baby for a while and seeing they're still in their 20s, they were always less likely to have fertility issues.

    You're welcome! I'm always happy to share any knowledge I come across.

    LaurelCrossing, yeah, Caitlin is awesome. She was not happy with that D-!

    I actually don't know if Caitlin earned any skill points at all this round, let alone logic (although, I use harder harder grades, so it's not only logic that affects my Sims' grades). But even if she did, I have still never noticed grades jump so fast! I was pretty happy because I was worried about the social worker for a while there!

    People may guess that Victoria is expecting (she's not actually showing yet though, to be clear - she's just curvy) but they're still keeping their lips zipped until her second trimester. ;)

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  4. I knew it! As soon as you posted those pictures at N99 and said those weren't going to spoil the update, and I immidiatly thought of baby number 3 for them! Maybe that's because I've wanted them to have 3rd child for quiet some time now!
    Anyway I'm pretty excited about this little one. Just like you, I'm very excited at the prospect of another Declan or Caitlin!

    Wow, Caitlin, nice job!

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  5. Yay a baby!! I'm excited but I'm always excited for sim babies lol. These 2 make great kids and I'm sure the newest addition will be just as great. I love Caitlin and her faces. The pics of her getting off the bus and being chastised by Finn were priceless. I wonder who the next baby will be like. And I haven't seen such a huge jump in grades either. Maybe 1 letter or a leter and a half but from a D- to an A-?! Caitlin IS that awesome!! :)

    I haven't had much baby making action in my game for a while so where is the "random rolled" number? Does that pop up show automatically when they're about to woohoo?

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  6. Sometimes when you put a little fire under a child's butt (as my mother puts it) it gets them to shape up quick. Good job Finn.

    I appreciate you explaining ACR's numbers. It will make so much more sense now.

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  7. Aww, baby number three! I can't wait to see what this one will look like. I think both Declan and Caitlin are such cute combinations of their parents that the new baby will be extra cute too :)

    Congrats to Caitlin for getting her grades up! School seems to be hard for some sim kids but it's so rewarding when they finally succeed.

    Thanks for explaining the ACR numbers. It all makes sense now. Is this the randomising thing you are using for Rose and Joanna as well?

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  8. Tanja, ha, I spoiled things anyway in my attempt not to spoil anything! Ah, well, I don't think this is a huge surprise for anybody anyway. ;)

    I'm happy they got pregnant right away. Their odds were pretty high though, given their age.

    Danielle, me too! There's very little I love more, except maybe weddings (just realised Nick and Sarah's wedding has totally crept up on me). But I'm so curious about this baby and what he/she will be like, in looks and personality.

    Caitlin is great. I hardly even have to pose her, she's just hilarious on her own. I have to say though, she didn't jump from a D- to an A- in one day. She raised her grade to a C-, which is pretty average and then the next day, she raised it to an A-. Which is amazing!

    The random rolled number will pop up right after the Sims try for a baby. It's not particularly useful, because by then, you already know whether the Sim is pregnant or not (if you have the chimes on in your game). But I like knowing what all the numbers mean and I'm so glad Maisie shared!

    Choco, very true! Caitlin really did need to shape up as well.

    You're welcome.

    Sari, I was just thinking the other night that I really do love Victoria and Finn but I never thought they'd make such cute kids. Their genetics combined in two of the most adorable ways possible!

    I kind of liked it that Caitlin's grades were so low, because in my school update, she was definitely the kid who was most inclined to keep jumping out of her seat.

    No, that's not what I'm using for Rose and Joanna. They can't try for a baby, being two women, so they never see those numbers. I'm using my own little thing with Hook's Randomiser program. I think I have the odds set at 20% or 25%.

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  9. Yay for Finn and Victoria! How lovely that they'll be having a baby so close to Claudia and Jacob's. :)

    I can definitely see how having a baby now for them is so different from the other times that Victoria has been pregnant. They're in a better place for it now.

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  10. Rachel, the two cousins can grow up together. It will make for many adorable pictures, I'm sure. ;)

    Finn and Victoria are in a much better place for a baby now than they were when Declan and Caitlin were born. They've never had the experience of really looking forward to an impending baby and having everyone else be excited for them too. This pregnancy will be much less stressful for both of them than the first two.

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  11. I'm so excited that Claudia and Victoria are having babies at the same time!! I love that!

    Their house is really cute!!! And I love all these babies coming in. It's all old hat for Victoria, but she still gets to experience the baby stage with her sister and Josie. I hear ya on having Josie wait a bit. I'm avoiding a few households that are keen for baby making currently.

    Sooo what is going on with Victoria? Did you plump her up to fat or did she do that on her own? She went from sitting at the table and being perfectly normal, to talking to her sister, and having some extra pounds. Wasn't sure if it was for the pregnancy, or if she just happened to over eat.

    You can see people's numbers with their stat settings actually. Whatever that number is is their chance for having a baby, and the number used when they auto tfb and it rolls. :)

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  12. so lovely and so exciting to have several little ones all about the same age! Having the larger house and a less stressful situation will make all the difference for Finn and Victoria.

    and the ACR...been through that, both the surprise pregnancy when I forgot I still had the thing in the file and trying like crazy and failing to get a pregnancy when I thought one would be a good idea.

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  13. Another Declan or Caitlin = AWESOME! I can't wait to see their new baby! And yes, I guess Caitlin is just that awesome :)

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  14. Maisie, I'm happy it'll be that way too. I didn't plan it but it's worked out nicely anyway.

    I'm betting that by the end of the round, there'll be at least one more pregnant woman in Sullivan, so yeah, Troy can just wait! Five pregnant women at once is quite enough!

    Victoria got fat on her own but it was actually last round and she's been fat ever since (she's fat in the pictures sitting at the table as well). Too many of her mother's pancakes when they went on vacation!

    Oh, thanks! I'll have to check that out - so many things about ACR I don't know!

    S.B., true! I just thought about how insane the school will be though and almost curled up into a little ball on the floor!

    The big house is another thing - this baby will actually have its own room. It can cry its little heart out without waking Declan and Caitlin.

    Oh, definitely been there both times too! It's nice when it happens just when you want it to, as much as I like the randomness as well.

    Mizzgin03, well, I think so! ;) I can't wait either!

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  15. That was lovely, and thanks for the background info on Finn, Victoria, and Megan. Yeah, I am one of those who jumped in, LOL! Those kids are adorable.
    And I had no idea about the Acr numbers either. Fascinating!

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  16. Drew, thanks! Generally, I think it's just fine to jump in but occasionally, some explanation is probably needed. Finn and Victoria weren't having such a great time with Megan for a while there. They're doing a lot better now and Declan and Caitlin are definitely two of my favourites. :)

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  17. I've never noticed that feature of ACR. I'll have to check it out the next time I play. There's so much to ACR, it takes a while to figure it all out.

    This family is so cute! When I started reading, they were still in college and Declan was just a baby. I'm glad things are going well for them now that their out of college.

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  18. Sarah, yes, ACR is such a huge hack. I'm sure there are still bits and pieces I don't know about.

    I'm sure it's no secret to anyone who's been reading a while that I love Finn and Victoria. They've done pretty well for themselves for a couple of kids thrust into parenthood at a very young age.

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  19. Is that picture of Caitlin crumpling up her report card? LOL! I didn't know kids with a bad grade did that.

    Also, another baby? Awww! It's true they are at a better point in their life right now. They can actually enjoy it. How nice!

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  20. Lunar, yes, it is! They also throw it on the ground and stomp on it, lol! It's pretty hard to even get a bad grade without a hack (assuming you have them do their homework every day, which I do), so I'm not surprised you haven't seen it.

    Finn and Victoria have both wanted another baby since they got married but this is the first time they've been in any sort of position to have one. It'll be their last, so hopefully it will be a good experience for them.

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