You say it's your birthday, March 2045

Round 37: March 2045 (Autumn)

Now that James Novak has fulfilled his promise to retire and both are at home full time, Madelyn is at him to take her away on vacation.

James could probably be described as a little cheap and at the moment, he’s not keen on spending that kind of money. 

So the couple have been spending some quality time at home, rather than in the mountains like Madelyn was hoping.

Fortunately, there’s plenty going on at home in Sullivan, with the recent birth of new grandson Jonathan.

Before Jonathan, James and Madelyn had four granddaughters and only two grandsons, so having another boy in the family has been lovely.

He’s only four weeks old, so Lila and Connor are still very much adjusting to parenthood.

Even just four weeks into it though, Lila is complaining of being bored at home all day. She has six months’ maternity leave and is already wondering if she can go back early. 

It’s up to Lila to decide what to do with her leave but until she figures it out, James and Madelyn would happy to take Jonathan off her hands for a few hours, so she can get some time to herself. 

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It’s been a nerve-wracking nine months for Hope Novak and her husband Malcolm. With one late loss already behind them, it was hard not to worry about it happening again. 

Finally though, it’s time for Baby Novak to make his/her debut!

Malcolm isn’t an obstetrician but Hope feels slightly comforted having two doctors in the room during her labour. It can’t hurt, right?

As with Mason’s birth though, Malcolm is happy to let Cara take charge and just do whatever he’s told to do. 

And it’s a girl!

Caroline Hanna has her mum’s blue eyes. She doesn’t have a lot of hair but she has some very wispy tufts of blonde, which hasn’t been seen in her family since Malcolm’s great-grandmother, Petra.

Malcolm and Hope can’t wait for his parents to bring Mason to the hospital, so he can meet his new baby sister!

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Meanwhile, Hope's best friend Julia is celebrating the first birthday of daughter Penny!

She's already getting into her brother Zac's toys. Zac is only at home with the Whitneys a couple of nights a week, so hopefully nothing gets broken in his absence!

Having a toddler in the house has been quite an adventure for Julia and husband Sam.One minute, Penny is whining...

...and the next, she's all smiles and has forgotten all about whatever was causing her to fuss!

Penny is still willing to nap for a couple of hours a day at least, so her parents get a little break from her antics!

Other birthdays this month:

Everett and Grace Benton turn 15

Alice Jacobson turns 19

Brendan Lachance turns 22

Declan Romilly turns 24

Audrey Benton turns 33

Julia Whitney turns 34

Nathan Collins turns 35

Sarah Moretti turns 40

Miles Jacobson turns 42

Joanna Draper turns 50

Virginia Jacobson turns 53

Cara Moretti turns 56

Kit Royce turns 85

March wedding anniversaries:

Max Nihill and Zaria Royce-Nihill - 23 years

Eliot and Cordy Lane - 30 years

Tate and Zelda Benton - 46 years

Comparison pics:

Here's a nice close-up of Penny!

Here's Sam when I aged him down...

...and here's Julia!

I think she mostly looks like Sam but she has Julia's eyes and general face shape. An adorable combination, if you ask me!

Notes:

• I love the hospital gown I downloaded from Fanseelamb! I'd been meaning to put it in my game for ages and finally did it. I like it so much more than using pyjamas or any of the other hospital gowns out there. 
• Caroline's middle name is after Malcolm's grandmother, Hanna Novak.
• I wanted a girl for Hope and Malcolm, so I brought back my old rule for rerolling. I am allowed three tries, including the initial birth. If I still don't get the sex I want, I have to live with it. I only needed one reroll this time. 
• Hope and Malcolm's kids have the possibility of getting any of the four hair colours, because Malcolm is black/blonde and Hope is brown/red. Even knowing that, Caroline being blonde surprised me! I loved seeing these long dormant recessive genes pop up again. :)