Week Four Part Six: Bridgeview

Near the end of Joan's second pregnancy, she and Greg both got sick with the flu. Joan couldn't take any strong medications, of course, so she just got plenty of rest and made some chicken soup. 

(Sickness is so much easier with Family Sims.)

(Also, please forgive the underwear. Family Sims are almost as bad as Romance; they just stick to one person.)

Just a few weeks after they recovered, Joan gave birth to a son, who had her skin tone but Greg's bright blue eyes. They named him Joseph.

Things were picking up for Joan at work--she was doing fashion photography now. She convinced Greg that the extra income meant they could afford a third child. Greg pointed out that when she had wanted a second child she'd said it was a good idea because things were slow for her at work; now a third child was a good idea because things were picking up at work? Nonetheless, he cooperated with her plan.

Random portrait:

Greg Pons

Former townie teen

Black hair, S4 skin, light blue eyes

Aspiration: Popularity

Lifetime want: Become General 

Astrological sign: ??

Joan's third pregnancy was more difficult for her than either of the others, so Greg had to pick up a lot of the slack at home. He helped Sarah with her homework in the evenings so that she would do well in school.

Meanwhile, poor Joseph spent a lot of time talking to his rabbit toy, since all the people were too busy to pay him much attention.

During her third trimester, Joan got a new, lower-maintenance hairdo--no dye, no straightening, just her natural black curls cut in a simple bob. Although he was the one who had suggested blond hair in the first place, Greg assured Joan that he thought she was gorgeous. After all, he'd fallen in love with a girl who had black braids.

Finally, the time came for Seth to be born. As a newborn he looked pretty much exactly like Joseph.

 

When Joan suggested a fourth child, Greg didn't bother to argue. He did worry a little, though.

Fortunately, Joan felt much better during her fourth pregnancy. Joseph had started school by then, and she spent many evenings helping him get the hang of homework. Sarah, who was 3 years older than her brother, was already excelling in school.

With less stress at home, Greg found himself actually enjoying his children. He liked it better when they were kind of self-sufficient and could hold a decent conversation...even if the conversation was about toy airplanes.

Although both Greg and Joan had good jobs, the money seemed to disappear as fast as they made it. After Joe outgrew his crib they didn't have money to buy a big-boy bed for him. So he shared with Sarah for a year or two. Joan figured it wouldn't do him any harm; she'd shared a bed with her sister for years and had been in a lot rougher circumstances in general and she had turned out just fine.

Fortunately, the kids seemed happy with their simple lifestyle. Their favorite thing to do was gather around the activity table and play with the blocks and crayons.

From left: Joe, Sarah, Seth

Soon, it was time for Baby #4's debut. It was another boy, and he looked just like his brothers. He was given the name Gabriel.

Note: The boys do not have Firstborn Syndrome, though they certainly look like it on first glance. They just happen to have the same coloring.

This is what the house looked like at the end of the week. Front left is the master suite. Back left is the nursery with attached "nursery bath" (holding a changing table and potty chair). In the middle is the common area...kitchen, dining room, study, etc. all rolled into one. Front right is the boy room, currently inhabited by just Joseph, with attached bath. Back right is the girl room, currently inhabited by just Sarah, with attached bath.

And the front of the house. Not much to look at, but it's big enough to hold everybody, which is what counts.

I had forgotten how hard it is to have several Sim children all in a row. When I've done it before, it's been with a dedicated stay-at-home mother Sim, and even then the hardest phase is when there's a toddler, a baby, and another on the way. With a working mother, that phase was almost impossible. (Joan had maternity leave, of course, but she worked during her first day of pregnancy and then I tried to have her skill so she could get promotions between babies. Eventually I gave that up in favor of survival.) Nonetheless, I look back on this period with fondness. (I'm a bit behind in blogging still; in my game I'm through Week Five with this family. Sarah and Joe are teens and Seth and Gabe are children now.) I think real mothers have selective memory like that too.