Friday 29 July 2011

Nighttime

Round 31: June 2034 (Winter)
Rose and Joanna Draper are both 39, Sylvia is 8 and Will and Levi are both 2.
(Wade is 44, Emma is 14, Michael is 3 and Felicity is 11 months old)

Narrated by Joanna Draper

We moved into this house a few months before Will and Levi were born and it was just in time. We could have made it work in our old place, seeing the spare bedroom was definitely big enough for two cribs but it's better here.

Especially seeing Levi has recently decided that he doesn't feel like sleeping through the night any more, separate rooms have been a lifesaver.

Levi can scream his little heart out but at least Will keeps sleeping peacefully.

The poor little guy would never get any sleep if the boys were sharing a room.

Sylvia was a bit sad about leaving our old house at first but she adores her new room, so she's settling in now.

Thank goodness for that, because we were having trouble selling it on her. She didn't care that we'd have a pool or that there was a park across the road. The kid has to be dragged outside.

It's a good thing she's buddied up with Alice. Alice isn't much of an outdoorsy kid either - her favourite thing to do at home is study her ant farm.

Alice doesn't have any siblings her age, so she's a frequent visitor. When she's over, all the girls do pore over all of Sylvia's books.

I think Rose and I might be raising a complete nerd but I'm kind of tickled by that, I have to admit. Sylvia often reminds me of myself at that age!

It's too early to tell whether Will and Levi will join their sister in the ranks of nerdiness but Rose and I are having a lot of fun with them.

Twins are definitely a lot harder than what we experienced with Sylvia but we're coping. I never wanted more than two kids but three seems really right for us now.

Rose would have one more, if I agreed but I'm definitely done with children.

Sylvia, generally, likes being a big sister. She loves her brothers but she's not always on her best behaviour with them.

We've caught her trying to lord it over her brothers a couple of times though, so we really need to keep her in check.

She's very used to having 100% of our attention and the fact that's no longer the case is still a little difficult for her.

Hopefully, seeing the boys won't know life without siblings, that will be less of an issue for them.

They also have two cousins close to their age, so that will help too. They like playing with my nephew, Michael - he's about a year older.

Rose's niece Felicity is 11 months and the boys are getting to know her as well.

Felicity often won't play with the boys for too long though. She'll lose interest after a little while and crawl off and do her own thing.


Wade never saw himself having four kids but he's ended up with four anyway. I think I'd go nuts.

He says it's really not as crazy as you might think. Sophie's out on her own and Noah and Emma are obviously much more independent than Sylvia is.

But Wade's just like that. He's very laid back and it's hard to faze him.

If anyone could handle a late-in-life baby, it'd be Wade.

I thought Michael might be the reason Emma was hanging around here so much. She's been dropping by a lot lately. I wondered if her parents were asking her to help out with him more than she liked, so she starting coming over here as an escape.

But you know, it's not like we're short on toddlers in this house and the boys are a lot more demanding than Michael. They're younger, so they need us to do more for them.

Rose and I are also just as likely to ask her to lend a hand as her parents are, if she happens to be around.

Which she actually doesn't mind too much. But Emma hasn't ever made a habit of coming around here without her parents before, so I knew something must be up.

I tried to get her to open up without getting too pushy but she insisted there was nothing wrong.

But I kept at her and she finally told me there was something she wanted to talk with me about.

Emma thinks she's a lesbian. Or rather, she's pretty certain she is. She's known for a while and has been trying to figure out a way to broach the topic with me.

She's a little freaked out about it, so I told her I hoped she wasn't worried about the family's reaction. Rose and I have been together for so long now that I don't think anyone would even raise an eyebrow if Emma came out.

She actually agreed with me about that but she's freaking out a little bit more about her friends finding out. Especially her friend Lauren. Emma has a pretty big crush on Lauren and she doesn't want things to get weird between them.

I really wish I could have given her some concrete advice about that kind of situation. The first (and only) girl I ever liked was Rose and when we got together, she took the lead and made it pretty clear how she felt.

I think Emma mostly just wanted to talk and get everything off her chest though. She's been wanting to tell someone for a long time.

We had a good talk, I think. Emma was definitely looking happier near the end of our chat.

I'm glad she felt like she could come to me about this. I can only hope talking about it made it seem a little less scary.

Emma was very grateful for our chat.

Emma's not ready to tell anybody else yet but before she left, I made sure she knew that she can come to me if she ever wants to talk again.

Extras:Joanna was seriously rage-filled about Levi's new habit!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the dog who ate all the food. I'm apparently still awful at playing this game, 7 years on!


Notes:
  • Title is from Nighttime by Ben Lee.
  • I'm saving close-ups of Felicity for tomorrow's birthday post but I thought I'd throw a little cameo in here. But I can tell you that she's very, very pretty!
  • Levi is an awful toddler, I have to say. He must take after Rose, because she was pretty terrible too. I have a picture of her somewhere screaming her head off, just like Levi! Both boys look more like Joanna than like Rose but Levi is Rose's spitting image when he screams like that. ;)
  • Sylvia is definitely going to be a Knowledge Sim. I had her pegged for Popularity but I'll make that her secondary, I think. She just wants to skill all day long. She and Alice are both quite serious and I have quite the soft spot for serious Sims!
  • So Emma has come out, at least to Joanna. I'm hoping she finds some other girl so she can get over Lauren but this is a rather inconvenient time for Emma to be gay, lol! She hates the one townie teen who is also gay and I haven't got any other lesbian girls right now. So she might be single for quite a while yet. Things were much easier for Joanna!

17 comments:

  1. What a cute family! I looked at the boys and said "Gottlieb all over."

    I'm glad Emma finally found someone to talk to, even if their situations aren't the same. Sometimes just talking can make you feel better. I'm sure Emma will find someone eventually.

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  2. Fini, yes, the twins are definitely Gottliebs! There's no mistaking those eyes, that nose or that mouth.

    It does help to just talk it out sometimes, even if all the other person does is listen. At the very least, it can help you get your own thoughts and feelings straight. I think talking to Joanna helped in that regard for Emma. We'll see how she goes next round.

    Thanks for reading!

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  3. I think the passed out toddlers and the empty pet dish photo is cute :P I love that Sylvia is nerdy, I adore nerds :)

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  4. I'm lucky to never have the toddlers eating the pet food problem. Unless they've done so behind my back.

    I was like Sylvia at her age, much more intrigued with characters in books then people. If only we were actually friends too.

    That's great that Emma has someone to talk to about her issue. I do wonder what school will be like for her, should she decide to come out before university, at least.

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  5. It's so nice that Sylvia takes after Joanna! Sylvia is really sweet with her brothers! Maybe it's normal for an older sister to try to be the boss over the younger ones, at least that's what I did! Lol!

    I'm glad Emma has some one to talk to. It's kind of sad for her though that she has no one of her age be gay too.

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  6. I was SO Sylvia when I was that age! I bossed my younger brother around so much lol. I have two older brothers and by the time the younger one came along, it was just me and him in the house so he had no other choice but to play with me (when I allowed him to that is!). I'm glad Emma has at least said it out loud to someone. I think she'll become more comfortable with it as time goes on. And those passed out toddlers with the dog was just too cute :).

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  7. I think blogger ate my first comment attempt. Sorry if this ends up posting twice! :(

    I'm really happy Emma finally talked to someone. I'm sure it's already a huge load off her shoulders to just talk to someone to understands. Even if her dating prospects don't look good right now, hopefully she'll find someone she likes when she's older.

    Sylvia seems like a typical older sibling. I know I enjoyed tormenting my little brothers sometimes, lol! ;) I'm glad she's made a friend. And I love the photo of the boys passed out around the food bowl with the dog, lol!

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  8. Aww, it's sooooo great that Emma could have a good talk with Joanna (that I love!). I was thinking to her when you said Lauren wasn't consistant in her wishes for Xavier.
    My best vibes to Emma! :)

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  9. Apple Valley, social workers would probably be knocking on my door if those were real children! For Sims though, it's cute, lol!

    I have a soft spot for nerds too and now I have two more little ones developing. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    Choco, they probably have. You'll have to look out for pet dishes mysteriously emptying! The toddlers tend to get themselves dirty while doing that as well, so mysterious hygiene drops are another clue. ;)

    I was a little like Sylvia as well. It got me in trouble at school a few times, lol! I would sometimes read instead of listening to the teacher!

    I don't know when Emma will come out but I suspect it will be to her family before her friends. We'll see how things go.

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, I was glad to see the similarities between Sylvia and Joanna as well. And yes, she's mostly sweet with her brothers, except when she's not. Normal, I think, given she was an only child for a good while.

    It was a relief for Emma to talk to Joanna and I think that alone will help immensely. She's got lots of time to date, thankfully!

    Thanks for reading!

    Mizzgin03, oooh, yeah, I remember bossing my younger sister around a bit too! And then I became a teacher, where I boss young children around all damn day, lol!

    I think you're right about Emma. She needs some time and maybe a few more chats with Joanna and she will gradually feel more comfortable with herself and come into her own. She knows her family will be supportive and that's a big help.

    Thanks for reading!

    Shana, nope, just the once!

    Joanna kind of forced Emma into a confrontation but I think she was grateful for that in the end. Her load is a little lighter now.

    Yes, I'm another older sibling who enjoyed tormenting a younger one! But you know, she deserved it sometimes. She was really irritating quite often!

    Thanks for reading!

    Sandy, no, Lauren's very wishy-washy about Xavier, for all the good it does Emma! Lauren's still not swinging her way. ;) I'm sure that's very frustrating for Emma but she has Joanna to vent to about it now, if she wants to.

    Thanks for reading!

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  10. Sylvia is adorable with her books. And the twins are super-cute except when they're screaming, lol.

    I'm glad Emma was finally able to talk to someone and I think Joanna was really great. At least Emma knows that her family won't turn their back on her but with her friends it's probably a more delicate situation.

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  11. That last picture-- haha! Oh man, that's so cute. It's definitely a story all by itself.

    Aw, poor Emma. It's wonderful that she has family around her, but it's gotta be tough to have a crush on a friend and not know if they feel the same.

    So many children this update!

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  12. Sylvia is too adorable, and so opposite of her bio mom! Two little nerds is pretty darn sweet! And the boys asleep on the floor, awww! Super sweet, I'd like to think most moms have days that don't go as planned.

    Levi is too funny, he's really letting his feelings be known! And Joanna really does seem rather irate over it!

    I'm glad that Emma has someone to talk to about all of this, and hope things go well with her when her friends eventually find out.

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  13. Sari, it's fun to have another Film & Literature Sim like Sylvia. I think I've had about 4 the whole time I've been playing Sullivan! The boys have more boring OTHs - Fitness and something, I think. I get Fitness all the time.

    There was definitely never any danger of anyone in Emma's family reacting with anything more than surprise. She probably wouldn't worry too much about her friends either, if she didn't have a raging crush on one of them. ;)

    Thanks for reading!

    Lunar, LOL, yes, it does! The story of children raised by a dalmatian, perhaps?

    Emma is positive Lauren doesn't feel the same, unfortunately. Lauren is so insanely boy-crazy and has never given any indication that she likes girls, least of all Emma. :\ So yeah, that's a tough situation for her.

    Thanks for reading!

    Maisie, lol, true! She must get her slightly serious nature from her bio dad. We could probably have a nature vs. nurture debate centred around Sylvia, because she really is quite like Joanna.

    Oh, Levi's a such a little brat, lol! One of those toddlers you can't wait to age up. I imagine Joanna and Rose were just happy he was sleeping at all, even if it was on the kitchen floor, so they just left him!

    I haven't yet figured out when Emma will tell her friends but we'll see how it goes for her. Fingers crossed.

    Thanks for reading!

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  14. So glad the family is all settled into their new home, and it’s a good thing they did move into a house where the boys could have separate rooms. Dealing with one cranky toddler is enough. They are still so adorable, though. I enjoyed the Wade cameo, too :).

    That’s great that Joanna’s thirst for knowledge has rubbed off on Sylvia. I’d love to see Sylvia take a trip around the world when she’s old enough :). I made that an ROS because I enjoyed Joanna’s trip so much. I didn’t have younger siblings to boss around but I had plenty of younger cousins *evil laugh*.

    I’m glad Emma finally came out to someone. That’s too bad that there aren’t any gay girls she likes in the hood. It’d be perfect if Lauren swung both ways but, with the way Lauren’s acting, it’s good that she didn’t or she’d probably break poor Emma’s heart.

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  15. Danielle, LOL, Wade doesn't often get to make cameos, so it was fun to write him in for a change!

    I made the extended travel an ROS as well, though it's only come up once (for Patience). But I wouldn't be opposed to just doing it for fun with a Sim. And I know all about bossing younger cousins around - I was the eldest child and the first grandchild, so there was plenty of opportunity to be bossy.

    You're spot on with Lauren. She wouldn't be good for Emma anyway, at least at the moment. It would be nice for Emma if her first relationship was with a girl who was a little less fickle than Lauren.

    Thanks for reading!

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  16. Sylvia is so cute with her nerdiness--it's like she's already starting book clubs, lol!

    The twins are too cute, but that Levi.... I can imagine all too well now how disruptive it would be for a toddler to stop sleeping through the night.

    I'm so glad that Emma was able to talk with Joanna and that she seems to feel a bit better now.

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  17. Rachel, the book discussion thing with kids is just so cute! And they're the only ones I can imagine sitting on the floor to discuss books, so it seems fitting as well.

    I know, can you imagine? You get them settled and they just suddenly start waking up again! How frustrating. I'm sure Rose and Joanna are counting the days until pre-school.

    Emma finally talking to Joanna was a real load off for her. It's something she's been wanting to do for about a year, so...long time coming! Hopefully it helps.

    Thanks for reading!

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