Tuesday 17 May 2011

All at once

Round 31: May 2033 (Autumn)
last update/next update

Evan Moretti is 44, Ione is 37, Justin and Xavier are both 12 and Aurora and Bianca are both 7.
(David is 51, Josie is 31 and Lauren is 12)

Narrated by Ione Moretti

Xavier came home from school recently and asked Evan if he could ask Lauren Carmody out on a date.

Evan was shocked, to say the least. Xavier is so shy and I think we both figured our boys would be late bloomers, like we both were. I didn't start dating until I was 16 and Evan was in his early 20s.

We thought we might have a few years before we had to start thinking about dating but Xavier seemed very keen on spending time with this girl.

Evan and I talked it over and we agreed: no to one-on-one dates for the meantime.

At 12, Xavier and Lauren can spend time together in groups. We're just not comfortable with the boys getting into anything more serious at the moment.

I don't know if Xavier is really ready for anything like that anyway.

Group "dates" are a lot less pressure, apart from putting our own minds at ease.

I get the feeling Lauren probably initiated the whole thing. I asked Finn what he remembered of her from primary school and he told me she was a nice girl but definitely not a shy one.

I hope that Justin still waits a while longer before he starts getting interested in girls. But who knows? I don't want him to start feeling as if he needs to keep up with his brother.

There's been so much going on with our family lately that it's almost unbelievable. First, Evan came down with the flu. We weren't really that concerned initially, seeing we've been sick with the flu before and it was never too bad. This time though, it really hit Evan hard.

Thank goodness he had a heap of vacation time to use up, because Evan could barely do anything other than sleep.

And cough. The coughing was so terrifying. It sounded awful.

He really tried to keep his strength up by eating but he had a lot of trouble keeping anything down.

In the end, that was what sent him to hospital. He was weak and dehydrated and clearly needed more help than I could give him at home.

I was so grateful to have some family members taking care of him at the hospital. My cousin Josie was on duty when he was admitted and got him on a drip right away.

It made me feel marginally better that Josie was so confident about Evan's recovery.

Still, I hate seeing Evan sick, even if I knew he was in the best possible place.

Justin and Xavier were really great about watching the girls whenever I was with Evan at the hospital.

Not that Aurora and Bianca are particularly challenging kids. Sometimes, I wonder what we did to deserve children who do their homework and put themselves to bed without a word from either of us!

But I do love knowing that the girls will always have two big brothers looking out for them. They really all get along so well.

When Evan was feeling a little better, the boys brought Aurora and Bianca down after school so they could visit. It really lifted Evan's spirits.

The girls enjoyed their visit too. They got to see their Uncle David at work, which they got a real kick out of.

I was pleased to see David myself, especially when he told us we could finally take Evan home!

Before I'd even had time to appreciate having Evan back at home with us, I lost my job with the police force.

They've decided to downsize the vice squad and I was unfortunately a victim of that. If I'd managed to make detective in time, I might still have a job but that's not the way things worked out.

The hours were awful, in terms of spending time with the family but it paid moderately well. Evan's pay is a lot higher than mine but this is still a huge chunk out of our income.

To make things even worse, the job market is terrible at the moment. We can't afford for me to stay home. I'd like to open a toy shop one day but we definitely don't have the start-up cash for me to do that at the moment. Evan keeps telling me we'll figure something out. I'm trying to stay positive like he is but I'm feeling so dejected and it's difficult. I really have no idea what we're supposed to do now.

And just because everything seems to happen at once, I just found out I'm pregnant. Evan and I were both 100% sure we were done and I've been using birth control since Aurora and Bianca were born. I guess there's always a chance of failure though and that's what's happened to us.

I already love and adore this little baby but this is so huge. Five kids is not something we ever planned for. Evan didn't even ever imagine himself having more than two!

We'll work it out, I know, but at the moment, I'm just a tiny bit freaked out.

Notes:
  • Title is from All At Once by Pete Yorn.
  • There was no romance between Louisa and Justin, but they were dancing together for the entire time I had them all at the skating rink. No wants rolled on either side though, so who knows?
  • Evan was victim #2 in my "Flu Epidemic" ROS and Ione got hit with the "Fired!" ROS.
  • The pregnancy, however, is not a result of the ROS. The "Oops Preggy!" one is still to come. Ione is on ACR birth control and this baby is a risky woohoo baby - or, as it should be called, a birth control failure baby. Evan and Ione will be my first Sims to have five children together. Evan's mother Maria had five children but Emil had a different father to the other four. Sacha Lachance also had five kids but one was as a result of an affair. Anyway, so this baby was definitely not in my plans for this family but I'm going with it. I can't see Evan and Ione doing anything else when faced with an accidental pregnancy.
  • Baby Moretti is due in February 2034.
  • I do have plans for Ione's next career move, though they will be put on hold for now. I've decided to interpret the "5 days" part of the ROS as "5 months", so she'll remain unemployed for at least that long. All I'lll say for now is that she won't be joining the police force again - it doesn't seem realistic that she'd be able to rejoin so soon anyway.

36 comments:

  1. Wow, just when I was thinking how in the world did she end up with two sets of twins again, then she discovers that she's pregnant. I can't help but wonder if it's twins again :) You were right, so much has happened with this family at once, I wonder how you were able to keep up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL, this whole update was an emotional roller coaster! First I thought Evan was going to die (OH NO!), then he recovered (YAY!). Then Ione lost her job (OH NO), then she got pregnant (OH...YAY!) Very exciting update, I tell ya!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Apple Valley, the two sets of twins were a result of that fertility benefit thing from AL! I've taken that away from all my Sims now, so all twins from now on will be natural. Hopefully, this pregnancy won't also be twins!

    Most of the things happening were planned at least, which helped! It was the pregnancy that really threw a spanner in the works. I was not expecting that at all!

    Thanks for reading!

    Laurel Crossing, it was a bit like that, wasn't it? I didn't mention it in the notes but in game, Evan actually got better all on his own. I give myself 24 hours to take care of them before they're allowed to have the soup but Evan didn't even need that long. The funny thing was I thought I was taking terrible care of him!

    But yeah, lots and lots of changes for this family now. You'll probably find out about Ione's new job in one of the pregnancy updates, if not before, though she won't start working in it for a while yet.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, this family really had a lot happening this round! I don't even know where to start.

    I was getting really worried when Evan got sick and was taken to hospital. I'm glad he's ok. And then just when things started looking up Ione loses her job and finds out she's pregnant. No wonder she's freaking out!

    Can you take the fertility benefit away in SimPE or how do you do it? I want to get rid of it in Wellington too, I have enough babies being born without it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. When I read your post at N99 that there was a lot going to happen with this family, I never thought they would announce the upcomming birth of their 5 child!! Just like them I thought they were done with children. Never the less I'm happy they are having anohter one, and I'm looking forward to meeting this little one, as I'm sure they are too!

    I'm so glad Evan got well eventually!

    Poor Ione, loosing her job, with everything else going on in their lifes! I hope she finds something she likes soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have a long way to go in order to catch up but I had to comment. I don't know how ROS's work or how you manage to make them happen (like getting the flu on purpose) but there was a lot going on here for one update!

    I loved this picture - Evan could not have looked more perfect here while Ione looked through the classifieds.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Evan and Ione have such pretty children, maybe a little redhead next time?

    I was scared when Evan was so sick and had to go to the hospital. Such a relief he's better now!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, N99 said it's your birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! This family really did have everything hit them all at once. I'm glad Evan survived the flu epidemic. But poor Ione, losing her job. I hope she finds something she enjoys soon.

    And wow! Another baby! That's definitely a surprise (and that's what happened to Chelsea and Xander with Bianca, birth control failure). So much happening all at one time, but they'll get through it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Loved the pic of David kneeling! Wow, so much drama for one family. I'm glad Evan got better, I was scared there for a minute! I'm happy Xavier got to out on his date, even if it was a group date! And a baby, wow, it would be insane if it were twins! Can't wait to see the kiddo though, and I'm curious as to what Ione's new career is :).

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sari, I'm glad Evan is all right as well. As I said above, I really wasn't taking such good care of him! Poor Ione - she's been under a lot of stress this round.

    I'm not sure if you can take the fertility benefit away in SimPE. I do it the old school way - I use the ReNuSensuOrb (or whatever it's called) aspiration reward object. There's an option reset your Sims' benefits and secondary aspiration. It gives you back your points, so you can re-add the secondary aspiration immediately.

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, I always think I'm giving you guys massive spoilers at N99 but I guess I'm not doing too badly! The pregnancy was a huge surprise to me as well, believe me!

    I have plans for a new job for Ione. I'm unsure if it will be permanent or not but it will be something that pays the bills.

    Thanks for reading!

    Gayl, don't feel like you have to catch up completely before you read or jump in. I mean, you can if you like but it's not necessary, so I wouldn't want anyone to feel obliged to do so.

    ROSs are chosen with a randomiser program, which also tells me the name of the Sim who it will affect. How I enact them depends on what the ROS is but I give them the flu with InSim. InSim is invaluable for my style of play.

    And thanks - I was really pleased with that picture myself. I'm glad I went back into the game the day after this play session to take some extra pics, because that was one of them. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    Astrid, oh, you know I love a redhead ;) but there's no history of red hair on Evan's side. He only has brown hair genes, so this little one will definitely have dark hair, like his/her older siblings.

    It's always a bit scary when I have to make a Sim sick! 2 down, 8 to go!

    Thanks for reading!

    Apple Valley, thanks!

    Shana, it was a busy month for the Morettis, it's true! And I picked that song for the title even before Ione got pregnant, lol!

    Once Ione gets past the initial shock, I'm sure she and Evan will deal. I don't think they can afford to move though, so it'll still be a tight squeeze.

    Thanks for reading!

    Mizzgin03, ever since I found out what that interaction is (it's the Sales.../Offer At option), I use the hell out of it, lol. It's perfect for adults squatting down to talk to kids.

    I don't think Xavier would have minded the group date. It's less pressure for him as well. ;)

    Heh, I definitely don't want twins! If it is twins, I'll reveal that in Ione's next pregnancy update though.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Goodness! So much happening with this family!

    I love their attitude toward Xavier's dating--it seems very realistic. I thought Evan might die there for a bit! Very scary. But for Ione to be fired and to get pregnant all in one round! Well, the Morettis are always gorgeous, so one more in the neighborhood won't hurt. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rachel, I figured Evan and Ione for being slightly more conservative about dating than Lauren's parents are, especially seeing they started quite late themselves.

    I know, sickness, lost jobs and pregnancy! A big round, definitely! Even though I really don't need any more babies in the hood, I couldn't help but be a little excited when I heard those chimes. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good gracious...!
    First, like i said yesterday, I really like Xavier. I must have a weak spot for nerdies, it seems, but they're usually so cute. And he makes such an adorable couple with Lauren! I hope he'll be more lucky than Connor! Cute nerds with gorgeous girls can end up heartbroken!

    Poor Evan, these flu seem really serious! I had already forgotten he might have died! (it's a too traumatizing idea to stay in my mind!), so I wasn't too worried! *lol*

    I'm sorry that Ione lost her job, just when she's about to have her 5th kid, but I'm sure she'll be all right. It can be a nice opportunity to work from home, and keep an eye on the baby. I like the idea of a toys shop. Maybe she could sell few toys before owning her own shops? I've always liked Ione. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sandy, I have a soft spot for the nerds too. I'm not sure Lauren and Xavier are "meant to be" or anything but hopefully, they'll have some fun together.

    LOL, yeah, flu is serious business in my hood! I'm looking forward to being done with this ROS and am hoping everyone makes it through.

    I was testing out the toymaking, to see how much of a profit Ione would make just doing it at home for a while. Even with the most expensive toy, there's only a $50 profit on each one, so I don't know that it's worth it just yet. I definitely want to do a toy shop with Ione eventually but not just yet. I have something different in the works for her. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, talk about a roller coaster ride, I could commiserate with Evan, Lord, I was that sick the last few weeks. Then for Ione to lose her job and find out she's pregnant, well, their kids are gorgeous, what is one more? Xavier is a cutie, I think the whole geeky hunk thing will pay off when he gets older!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Drew, it's true, it was a crazy ride this round! You poor thing - I hadn't realised you'd been that sick. It's definitely not pleasant.

    I think "what's one more?" will probably be where Evan and Ione get to, once they get used to the idea of expecting another kid!

    I think the "geeky hunk" thing might already being paying off for Xavier! Lauren certainly seems to like it. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  18. So much happening for this family! Xander going on group dates, a new baby on the way, and major suck on the job loss. :( I was worried it was going to be Rob who rolled it, but I'm disappointed for Ione. I wonder what you have up your sleeve for her.

    I was worried with the hospital visit, I'm glad he was okay, and I totally didn't know/forgot (if I've read it here before) that the offer looks that cute with kids!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Maisie, I know, when did Xavier get old enough to be interested in girls?! And now Evan and Ione will be starting all over with this new baby.

    Oh poor Rob! I hated doing it to Ione but I think I would have hated it more for Rob! I'm thinking Ione might start working while she's still pregnant, so she may begin sooner than I was planning. It might not be permanent but I'm excited about it anyway.

    A big phew to Evan surviving the flu! I was sad when he drew the flu ROS.

    The "Offer At" is really cute. Another cute one for kids is the Kiss Kiss Darling gesture from AL.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sorry I put Xander. I know it's Xavier, my fingers apparently forgot when they were a typing.

    Im very excited to see what you have Ione doing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh wow that's awfully lot of stuff to happen at once. Five kids and losing the job. Thankfully they seem to still be in quite positive mood, hope things will look up for them soon

    ReplyDelete
  22. Maisie, I think the funny thing was that I didn't notice you'd written "Xander" until I went to write it the same way myself!

    Speechless, it's a lot to deal with but Evan and Ione will cope. It was a big shock for both of them though.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow, so much in such little time!

    All kids are different, but I think the right decision was made for no one-to-one dates for now - they're still so young!

    Ouch! Almost as Evan recovers, Ione gets her bad luck. Just shows ROS can be brutal! ;) Very enjoyable!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Shake, I think kids often think they're ready for things when they're actually not! I don't think Lauren is truly ready either, so it's a good thing she ended up with a boy with slightly conservative parents.

    ROS definitely can be brutal! Ugh! I'm dreading rolling a death ROS - those are the worst. :(

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is a sequence that's really hard for me. Lauren is a flirt. Xavier...can he keep up with that?

    I really thought Evan was going to die, and I don't know you manage it if you roll something like that like.

    And Ione has come face to face with the horrific job situation. And she's pregnant again? I feel so bad for her, I can't even tell you how bad.

    I know you're rolling the fates here, but this is brutal.

    And really well done. And thank you...

    ReplyDelete
  26. S.B., I have the same concerns about Xavier and Lauren, especially seeing they're both so young. Lauren definitely has the potential to be rather fickle with her affections, whereas I think Xavier would be happier to be steady with one person.

    This was a really brutal round for this family but I think it's just a good thing it didn't happen five or six years ago. Back then, I don't know if they could even have kept the fridge full. Evan and Ione are better equipped to handle all this now, although I still hated to put them through TWO awful ROS in the one round. And then the pregnancy on top of it...yeesh!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow! Lots going on in this update! Very interesting to read about though.:)
    I'm glad Evan is better. I have to admit I got kind of scared when you sent him to the hospital.
    I can't believe Ione is pregnant AGAIN. Let's hope it's not another set of twins, lol. Now that would be one hectic household...

    I'm sorry it took so long for me to start reading and commenting again. I've been busy wrapping up St Jane and starting Rocky Cove. Thank you for following it right away!:)

    ReplyDelete
  28. coolkat2, glad you enjoyed it! I have to admit, I wasn't particularly worried about this one being boring. ;) The challenge here was fitting it all in.

    Yeah, I just had to start doing some things with the hospital where people don't die, lol! Lukas Novak Memorial was getting a reputation. ;)

    You'll find out soon enough whether Ione is having twins. I think I have her first pregnancy update scheduled for September and I'm about to play the August household today. Six kids would be insane!

    And you're welcome. I look forward to seeing what you have in store.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh man, this poor family! (Though I have to say, I'm just glad Evan made it home from the hospital!!! Any time one of your Sims gets sick, I get terrified!) But these two do so well with all these children, so I think they'll come to terms with it just fine. I mean really, what's the difference between 4 and 5? lol!

    Sucks about losing that additional income though. Do they have much money reserved? I remember last I saw of your families and their money, they all had big cushy bank accounts, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Laura, my hospital has been a bad omen for so many Sims but the survival rate out of there is improving lately, lol!

    And true, I don't know that there's all that much practical difference between 4 and 5 kids! Poor Evan only ever wanted two, so he's been coping phenomenally well with four!

    Ha, not all my Sims have big cushy bank accounts, though there are a lot who do. Evan and Ione are somewhere in between. They're not rich but they're not hurting too much financially either. They should do okay once the baby arrives, I think.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wow, Laurel Crossing pretty much said what I was thinking. An emotional roller coaster indeed! But I ditto everything that has already been said. So much going on with this little family! I'm wondering if they're going to have twins, too. Eek! I don't want to jinx but at least they have beautiful children lol. I wish her luck finding a new job and glad Evan got better all on his own. I think one more crazy event would have really broke Ione. And great posed pics, too *thumbsup*

    And I see I missed your b-day. So Happy Belated!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Danielle, it was a pretty crazy update, it's true! LOL, Ione's already in her second trimester in game (and about to be bumped up to third today), so it's too late for you to jinx her. I'll leave it to you to find out if she's having twins or not, when you get to the birthday update. :)

    Forget Ione - one more crazy event would have broken me, lol!

    Thanks for the birthday wishes and thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Five kids, wow. They have a lot on their plate I hope they can keep up.

    Does Ione have any idea what she would like to do? Maybe she can do some stay at home stuff and start working on her toys from home, maybe a home business to build the start up money?

    ReplyDelete
  34. HeredonCove, argh, I know! They might have trouble adjusting but they've got the boys to help out, as well as a willing grandparent in Araminta.

    Five kids is the most any family have ever had in Sullivan. I did have one family in a previous hood have 8 kids. The wife went into labour at the same time her father was dying and she got stuck in some kind of giving birth loop and finally stopped at 6 babies (they already had two kids). That was totally insane, so I think I can actually cope all right with five!

    The toy store is really the only thing Ione has in mind. The job I have in mind for her is not something she would have considered for herself but she'll be happy there at least temporarily. Hopefully, she'll build up enough cash from that job so she can buy a shop somewhere. I hate home businesses, and I try to avoid them whenever possible!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  35. The ROS man is evil. And it's ridiculous how terrified I am of sims getting sick. I say that every time, but really, lol!

    And then pregnant again! Hopefully it won't be twins. If it is a natural set of twins, it will be funny though.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Lunar, LOL, I know, right? I'm not so keen on my Sims getting sick myself! But with Evan, I didn't have much chance to get worried. He really did recover pretty quickly. It was a wonder I even got any pics of him looking sick.

    Funny or insane, yeah...either one!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete