Problem

Okay, so I have been having problems with my laptop (on which I have been playing this game). It turns off when I try to play any games, Sims included. It can't be fixed, so I'm getting a new one, but it's not going to be as good as my old laptop (turning off excluded), so I don't know how well playing Sims is going to go on there.

I have the file for this legacy backed up, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to play Sims, let alone this file.

So this might be the end of the Walters. I do, however, have screenshots up to when Emilie is a Young Adult (no Gen 3, though). I could write the next number of chapters up to that point and then end it there, if anyone wants. If that seems reasonable, then please either comment here or on my boolprop post. I don't know if anyone cares but if you do, then tell me. If not, then this is the end (unless my new laptop runs Sims well, which I don't know if it will). Goodbye!

Generation 1: Chapter 5

Jeannine moved into her bedroom. She could barely stop herself from screaming, but she kept it down until she was sure she was at least a bit further away from Emilie's room. Every time she wanted to yell, Jeannine let out instead a pained breath. She clutched her stomach in agony. This was so much worse than last time. Of course, last time, she had an epidural and top-class medical care. Now she had nothing but herself.

Fortunately, the labour didn't last forever, and Jeannine gave birth to a little girl. Cecile, she named her, after another of her favourite composers.

For a while, Jeannine just held Cecile for a while. Another baby. She had another daughter. Jeannine didn't think that that thought would ever be anything other than miraculous.

Cecile's crib did not arrive until the next morning, and so Cecile spent her first night sleeping with Jeannine. When it arrived the next morning, the new green crib was put across the room from Emilie's.

Just as she had with Emilie, Jeannine enjoyed her time taking care of Cecile as an infant. Cecile was a bit more fussy than Emilie, but she would quiet down just as soon as Jeannine gave her a bottle and cuddled her for a while, everything was right as rain.

Jeannine felt guilty, leaving Emilie alone so often. She had to take care of Cecile, and so Emilie spent more and more time playing with her toy from Great Aunt Eugenia. She loved that toy, singing and snuggling it on the kitchen floor. Jeannine thought it looked odd, and still thought that it was odd having a woman she'd never met give her daughter a present. But Emilie liked it, so Jeannine liked it as well.

And she appreciated it also when Eugenia sent another doll, this one for Cecile. After Emilie's birthday, Jeannine and Calvin had begun drifting apart, so she was baffled as to how Eugenia found out about her babies.

Still, Jeannine put the toy in Cecile's crib. It was just like Emilie's. A large head. Rectangle feet. Little light at the top. The only difference was the colouring.

Emilie had learned how to walk, talk, and use the potty before Cecile. Now that Jeannine couldn't spend every moment with her, Emilie used those skills on her own. She enjoyed toddling around and Jeannine thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Of course, Jeannine had some free time when Cecile was happy or napping (or both, but with a baby, Jeannine had learned that those times were rare). She spent this time playing her guitar in the kitchen so that Emilie could listen. The little girl liked to make up gibberish song lyrics to go along with what Jeannine was playing. Sometimes, later, Jeannine would hear Emilie singing them again to her doll even when the guitar wasn't being played.

It was at those times that Jeannine would swoop up her daughter and snuggle or tickle her. They may not have as much time just the two of them anymore, but Jeannine didn't want Emilie to think that just because they had a new addition to their little family that Jeannine didn't care about her anymore. When Emilie shrieked "Mommy!" as she was being tickled were some of the best moments of Jeannine's life.

Every night, when Emilie was put in her crib, Jeannine still pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "Mommy loves you, Emilie." She'd whisper.

"Night, night, Mommy." Emilie said back.

Soon, far too soon, Cecile's first birthday came. In the time between the youngest Walters' birth and her birthday, Jeannine had told Calvin about his youngest daughter. So when the big day arrived, the girls' father was there, celebrating with them.

Cecile inherited Jeannine's hair colour (without the blue tips), which was darker than Calvin's, though not by much. Jeannine loved seeing the two toddlers play together on their toys. It couldn't last long, however,

because Emilie's birthday was on the same day.

Emilie danced in excitement at growing up. She would finally get to learn all the things she wanted to learn. The block toy was not enough, Emilie needed books and telescopes. She was going to school!

Emilie Walters became an adorable little girl.

                                                                                                         

So Cecile makes Baby #2. They still need another little one, but at this point, I'd decided to wait a bit on that. Looking back, that was a stupid idea, but it's a bit late to change that.

Cecile's traits are Evil and Athletic. I think. I really need to start writing this stuff down. Which is why I don't have Emilie's trait for you. I think it's Computer Whiz, but I might be wrong. I'll fix this once I load up my game and find out for sure.

Just like when she was pregnant with Emilie, Jeannine wished for a baby boy for #2 and so I figured, whatever, this kid isn't the heir, and had her eat a bunch of apples. And then we got a girl. Cecile is named after Cecile Corbet, who did the score for the Studio Ghibli film, The Secret World of Arrietty. Not that I don't love the music from that movie, but I probably just named her that because I cosplayed Arrietty at AnimeNorth.

Generation 1: Chapter 4

Now that Emilie was a toddler, Jeannine spent a lot of time doting on her. Even more than she did when her daughter was an infant.

Jeannine marveled at every new thing that Emilie did, and she loved making her laugh. It wasn't the full-bellied chuckle of her father or the lighter chortle that Jeannine herself made. It was more of a lilting giggle, and Jeannine felt that she could listen to that sound all day.

In between their tickle sessions, Jeannine taught Emilie the things she would need to know, like walking. Emilie took to it quickly, happy to have another mode of transport instead of just crawling or relying on her mother to take her everywhere.

She also loved to play on the blocks. Jeannine had bought a xylophone as well, but Emilie didn't touch that, and Jeannine enjoyed playing with her daughter no matter what they played with.

Emilie was also taught to potty, and that was another thing she quickly got the hang of. Jeannine figured it was mostly because her little girl was embarrassed and didn't want Mommy in the bathroom with her.

Soon, however, Jeannine needed to be in the bathroom, though not in the way that Emilie did. Jeannine hadn't been sick since the beginning of her pregnancy with Emilie and she started to worry that maybe the one time with Calvin in the shower had left her pregnant again.

Although, once she thought about it . . .

it wasn't really just one time.

Soon enough, Jeannine's suspicions were confirmed, and she discovered she was pregnant. She had mixed feelings about this baby. Emilie was the best thing that had ever happened in Jeannine's life. But she didn't know if she wanted the added pressure of another baby. She didn't know if she could do it.

Of course, life didn't stop just because Jeannine was pregnant. She still needed to teach Emilie her skills.

Emilie did not take immediately to talking like she had to walking and the potty. She would pout and cross her toddler arms and not say a word. Jeannine tried time and time again to find words that Emilie would repeat back to her.

"Come on, sweetheart, say 'Mommy'."

"How about 'water'."

"'Love', Emilie. Say 'love'."

"How about 'food'? You like food, Emilie."

"Food!" Emilie repeated. "Food, food, food!"

Jeannine sighed as Emilie continued. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier?

"Eat! Eat!"

Just like the last time she was pregnant, Jeannine went to the library to read up about pregnancy. Sure, she'd already gone through this, but she wanted to make sure that everything was fine. This baby was kicking far more than Emilie had, and at weirder times. With Emilie, it had been regular almost. The new baby just seemed to want to kick and punch whenever.

While Jeannine read, Emilie took the oppourtunity to play with the block table. Jeannine was sure that they had one exactly like it at home, which Emilie had never touched. This one, however, the toddler would not get away from.

Finally, Jeannine was able to pull Emilie away from the block table at the library and get her home and into her crib. She kissed her baby goodnight just like she did every night. She loved Emilie and wanted her daughter to know that.

Once Emilie was asleep, Jeannine went about her nightly routine. Emilie mostly slept through the night now, and Jeannine was able to sleep a full eight hours most nights. Of course, once the new baby came, it would be back to 2 AM feedings and staying up till eleven because the baby just wouldn't sleep.

Just as Jeannine stepped out of the shower, the first contractions hit her. The pain was just as bad as with Emilie, but this time she knew what to expect and she was able to keep her screams in. She didn't want to wake Emilie.

Over the last few months, the problem of what to do when the baby came had occurred to Jeannine. She couldn't leave - she couldn't just leave Emilie at home. And she couldn't bring Emilie with her - it wasn't like she could watch her at the hospital. And she couldn't hire a babysitter - they didn't have enough money. But every time the question came up, Jeannine had just ignored it, waiting for another time. And now it was too late. What was she going to do? The baby was coming.

                                                                                                                         

Aaaaaaaand that's the end of the chapter!

I hope you liked it. Jeannine has to have three kids, so here comes #2.

I know I haven't really mentioned money as an issue for Jeannine, and that's because it's really not. After buying the house and selling the time machine that spawned in the front yard, she had >$1000. After building the room for Emilie, that dropped to ~$300. Which isn't bad, but it's still low enough that I didn't at that time want to just throw money at a babysitter.

Btw, here's a picture I wasn't able to include but liked:

Look at Emilie in the corner. It's like she knows that she's gonna have to share her room soon, and she doesn't like it.

Generation 1: Chapter 3

When Jeannine was told that her baby was a little girl, she had to admit that she'd been a bit disappointed. She'd built up her baby boy in her mind so much, and now he didn't exist. She almost felt like crying.

That all disappeared as soon as Jeannine held her child in her arms. The baby opened her mouth and closed it a few times. Her little arms waved back and forth and Jeannine's heart was lost. It all went into the tiny amber eyes that alternated from staring openly at everything and squeezing shut, and the soft baby noises that came from a mouth still not used to making sounds.

Jeannine named the child Emilie after one of her favourite composers.

Calvin had made it to the hospital in time, and though Jeannine's fantasy image of him waiting anxiously in the waiting room hadn't come true, it did make her feel better to see him sitting on a bench outside the hospital. The three got into the car, and while the ride back to Jeannine's place was awkward, she feared that it might be more her fault than anything. After all, how could she make small talk when the only thing in her head was that this might be the only time they would be together as mother, father, and baby?

Once they got home, Jeannine laid Emilie into the crib. For a moment, she just watched her infant daughter. Her daughter. Every time she thought those words, Jeannine's chest filled with warmth. Then she heard Calvin's footstep behind her, and she pulled away. They needed to talk.

"I'm sorry," Jeannine began, "I didn't know that I was that close to giving birth."

"Jeannine, it's okay," Calvin assured her. "Everything I said before still holds. I freaked out, but I'm fine now. I want to be here for you." But not Emilie. His silence spoke louder than all of his words. Jeannine understood perfectly. He'd wanted kids. He'd wanted a family and a normal family life, but the world just kept throwing stuff at him that he couldn't deal with. He had to raise his siblings. He had a kid with his girlfriend. He wasn't married. He was still stuck in a part-time job.

As much as she wanted to give Emilie a father, Jeannine couldn't ask him to have more responsibility.

"I understand," she said, "We're going to be perfectly fine. I promise. Just -" she took a breath "- just promise me something back, okay?"

"Anything," Calvin vowed.

"Come over for Emilie's birthdays?"

He nodded. They didn't exactly have much to say after that, and he left without once looking at his daughter.

Once he left, Jeannine picked up Emilie again. "I will never let you down," she whispered, even though the newborn couldn't understand. "I will make sure you never feel like your life is lessened just because your father isn't part of it."

Jeannine quickly found that the love she'd felt for her daughter was not a passing thing. She loved Emilie. She loved playing music for her - even if Emilie couldn't really appreciate it.

She loved seeing Emilie's little arms wiggle when Jeannine pulled out the bottle.

She loved watching her little bundle lie still as she slept.

And while waking up in the middle of the night to Emilie's crying wasn't Jeannine's favourite thing in the world,

the knowledge that Emilie was unhappy and knew that the only person who could fix it was her Mommy was the best feeling in the world.

One day, when Jeannine was out getting the mail, she found a present for Emilie. It said it was from Calvin's Aunt Eugenia, and while Jeannine had never heard of such a person, she gladly accepted the gift.

It was an odd little toy that Jeannine put in Emilie's crib.

Not long after Great-Aunt Eugenia's toy arrived, Jeannine made up enough money to build onto the house.

The new room housed the crib, and a few toys that Emilie would grow into. The wallpaper was clouds over blue that Jeannine hoped would trick Emilie into thinking it was the sky. She knew that most kids spent a lot of time inside, and didn't want to start her daughter on that path.

Eventually, the baby times would have to end, and Jeannine found herself calling Calvin to let him know that there was going to be a birthday party for Emilie.

Once she got dressed, Jeannine went to hold her daughter. It would be the last time she would hold Emilie like this, and she wanted to savor every second of it.

The doorbell rang, announcing the first guest. Things were still a little awkward between Jeannine and Calvin, but it was better than just after Emilie was born.

Zac Whipsnake crashed the party, which Jeannine thought was odd, but he brought PB&J sandwiches, so he was allowed to stay. She wasn't really going to throw anyone out of her daughter's first birthday party, after all.

Jeannine's boss, Johnny Johnson, also showed up. Jeannine felt a bit guilty at using her daughter's birthday as an opportunity to schmooze, but she needed to make Johnny like her.

Not long after all the guests arrived, Jeannine brought Emilie to the cake. The only person to celebrate with her was Calvin, but she didn't really expect any differently. Either way, she was excited, if not a bit nervous. This was a huge step in Emilie's young life, and Jeannine was taking it with her. There was so much that was going to happen, and so much that Emilie was going to participate in, and Jeannine wanted to be there every step of the way.

Emilie turned out to be adorable. And blonde. Where that hair came from, neither Jeannine nor Calvin could figure out, but it somehow just helped make Emilie more cute. You can't tell from the picture, but she has Calvin's eyes, which are a lighter brown than Jeannine's.

One of the first things Emilie did was play with her toy from Great-Aunt Eugenia. She made toddler noises at the thing and kept touching its triangle nose.

All the guests dispersed pretty quickly after that. Except for Calvin. While Emilie played on the floor, their parents talked. And flirted.

And did other things in the shower that are not what showers were designed for. All in the name of cementing their relationship.

That night, after even Calvin had left, Jeannine held her daughter in much the same way she'd held her that morning. Even though things had changed, there were some things that were the same.

"I think we're going to do alright, don't you, Emilie?" Jeannine said. Emilie just waved her arms around and made happy sounds, but Jeannine took that as a 'yes'.

                                                                                                                            

Third chapter done!

Emilie is the heir. The composer she's named after is Emilie Simon, whose music I just love (though Jeannine probably wouldn't, actually, but I like the name too, so whatever).

Emilie's traits are Genius and Excitable, and her roll is:
Couple
1 Kid
Astronomer (Astrophysicist)
Farmer
Hobby, or Obsession
Runs in the Family

I'll probably mention that again when she takes over, which will not be for a while. Her hair being blond instead of any normal colour that would result from her parents genetics is actually a thing that happens to me way too much. Like, more than what I think should be normal.

Thanks for reading!