All About Family

“Woot!” said Sugar, when Red shared the news. “Gen 9 is on the way!”

“Just one more generation to go!”

Claiming an aunt’s prerogative, Sugar gets more excited about nooboos than anyone else in the family.

All the family roles began shifting during Red’s pregnancy. While Red focused on giving herself the extra care she needed, onez stepped up to fill the role of host when friends dropped by.

During the current culture in Oasis Springs, simultaneous talking has become the preferred style. I noticed this first with Salix and Sugar, who often became highly engaged when conversing and would overlap speech. Sugar began to use this mode more and more often, and with more and more Sims. With onezero, who is always listening to the thrumming voices of the 1,000 mommies, simultaneous speech is her natural mode.

Now, overlapping speech has become the dominant style throughout the community.

“I’m hoping for five nieces, myself, Liliana!” onezero said. “I don’t see why we need to limit ourselves to just one or two.”

“Have they chosen the godfather yet?” Clarence asked simultaneously. “I mean, I’m practically family, right?”

Liliana’s following onezero’s conversation, but Clarence’s question hasn’t gone unheard.

Tomas’s mother Allie, dropped by one evening, figuring it was high time to meet this woman her son had eloped with, the woman who would soon be the mother of her grandchild.

“Tomas, nice to see you’ve settled in so well,” she said, without too much of an edge to her voice.

“Mom,” he replied, “you raised me to fit in and help out. I’m just doing my best to be the kind of guy you’d want me to be.”

“But Tomas, is a proper invitation too much to ask? Will I always have to ‘just drop by’?”

Soon, the whole family had gathered on the courtyard, drawn by Tomas’s warmth and good humor.

“The baby’s going to need a grandma, Mom!” Tomas said. “There’s nobody else around to do it! You up for the task?”

“I think I can manage.”

“What’s required?” replied Allie. “A little spoiling? A few treats? Telling stories? Baking cookies? I think I can manage.”

“That’s my mom!” Tomas said.

“My baby’s going to have the best grandma ever!”

After Allie left, Red found her dad alone in his room.

“I know you miss Mom,” she said. “Especially now, when our family’s going through so many changes.”

“I do, Red,” Nathanael answered. “And I’m still very much in touch with her, if you know what I mean. It’s not like she’s gone gone.”

“I’m just glad you’re still around.” Red wrapped him in a big hug. “That was a good decision you made to stick around, even if it means you don’t get to be with mom in the traditional way.”

“Baby,” Nathanael said, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

With Red’s persistent morning sickness, the only food she could keep down was ice cream, and the whole family, in an act of solidarity, adopted the ice cream diet.

“Oh, my insides feel like plum,” she said one evening, half-way through a bowl of cherry ice cream.

“Baby, are you ok?” Tomas asked.

“Ugh. I guess I will be. I guess it’s just time.”

“Time? You mean, as in time?” Tomas asked.

“Oh my plum! Boil water! Cut the sheets!”

The contractions didn’t last too long. Red washed the dishes and paced the kitchen floor, and around midnight, a baby boy was born, Jeffrey Pine Bough.

He’s got the family grin.

He looks like he was born cheerful!

Completing three aspirations, penning best-selling novels, even falling in love with Tomas–nothing compared to this moment and to the overflow of love she felt holding her baby boy in her arms. Jeffrey Pine, first born of generation nine.

Oh, he’s a sweetie!

“Honey,” said Tomas, “I’m feeling so much love right now. What do you say we have another baby real soon?”