national female appreciation month

November 2081 - Jack and Nessa Phoenix are 32, Aaron is three weeks old. Last update, April 2080.

Aaron Phoenix is three weeks old now, and his mommy is absolutely in love! Nessa has to go back to work in a few weeks, and she doesn't know how she'll do it. She can hardly even put little Aaron down for a second! Everybody knows you're not supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but she's been known to pick him up sometimes, just to hold him a little bit more, sneaking her fingers underneath him while he sleeps, carefully, so not to wake him.

But they've already filled out the paperwork, and Jack is going to stay home with Aaron. Nessa has places to go in her career, like executive vice president. She always knew she would be happy to become a mother, but she didn't think she wanted anything to slow her down.

But then, she didn't expect slowing down to feel so nice! She has to admit, it sure is growing on her.

But she doesn't regret her decision. Jack is good around the house. He's useful - taking out the garbage, fixing things, and he actually cleans. He's a lieutenant for the Lake County Police Department. He's good at cleaning out the corners that most people don't notice. And he's energetic and kind, so she knows Aaron will be in good hands, and the two of them will have a lot of fun together.

They know you're supposed to wait a while to expose a newborn to so many people, but they want to have the family over to meet the little guy.

This is Sophie's third grandbaby, and she adores him! She would have twenty of them if she could! And grandpa Micah agrees. Sophie also just had her sixtieth birthday this August, and is still a beautiful lady in her elder years.

Aaron gets to meet his cousins, Summer and Ryanne.

Summer is about to give her father a heart-attack, holding a baby like that. It's a frightening sight, and realization, that Hayden very well could become the youngest grandfather alive if she wasn't careful. But then, Summer is a smart girl, and she's already made it farther than he did in his naive youth.

Patrick says to Hayden, "She's due in three months and sometimes I'm scared to death of having another baby!"

Hayden says, "Why? It's not like you haven't done this before."

Patrick says, "I don't know, I like kids, but sometimes - man, I can't even explain it!"

"Did he tell you how he's freaking out?" Jack says.

"I'm not right now," Patrick says. "Right now, I could do it. Maybe not tomorrow though. I don't know, it comes and goes."

Piper is happy to get her hands on a newborn, and she can't wait to have her own some day. She says, "Oh, I love him, he's like a squishy little ball of love!"

Piper is just that kind of girl, warm and friendly with so much love to give. It's not her fault that Hayden has done this all before, because she hasn't. It's an ordinary thing for a girl like her to want to be headed towards something. She deserves to do it all.

But nothing about Hayden's thirty-two years has been ordinary - it isn't ordinary that his oldest is seventeen, or that his wife died, or that not only would he get a second love of his life, but then to meet her so fast. If Patrick can be freaked out about simply becoming a father for the second time, then surely Hayden has the right to feel a little unsettled over all of this. It's a daunting thing, even if that isn't her fault. What if he didn't want to marry again, or have more children? How long would she wait for him to decide?

Piper brings the baby over. She says, "I don't know, I think he looks tired."

It's true, little Aaron is exhausted. He's been passed around all night and met everyone - or at least everyone in his immediate family. Jack takes him upstairs to sleep.

"What's wrong?" Piper says. "You just went all pasty."

"Nothing's wrong," Hayden says, which is a lie, and she knows it. But she doesn't pry, and she doesn't pressure him. She won't say that she'll wait around forever, but she is giving him time, if that's what he needs.

But Lara thinks Piper should know just how special she is. She says, "I think your spirit is beautiful! And your aura feels like sunshine. I could just stand next to you forever."

Piper says, "Wow, you rock! Nobody's ever said that to me!"

Hayden is like, "What?"

Hayden feels the need to reclaim his girlfriend. He knows she's beautiful, and maybe he doesn't really spend much time thinking about people's auras (and who does, really?), but if he did, he might tell her it feels like sunshine. Maybe he has his own way of saying things.

Lara is thinking, I hope he appreciates that her aura feels like sunshine.

Hayden takes her aside, and he doesn't know anything about auras or sunshine, but he does know one thing and it blurts right out of him, "I love you!"

Piper is a little shocked. Not because he loves her, because she kind of knew that, but because it feels so simple and genuine, just like he is, and it's just what she needs to hear.

Lara says to Patrick, "Aww, honey, look at that!"

It's the one thing he does know is that he loves her. The rest of it is up in the air. That he loves her is simple. That he loves her is as basic as needing to breathe. But the rest of it is daunting. The very thought that the first girl he met after his wife died would be the one he was meant to be with, and everyone knows it. Even his mother knows it, and the look on her face says to him, Don't let her go, Hayden, this one's a keeper!

***

Clarice says, in hushed tones, "Did you hear that Joel totally thought Blake and Aurora were sleeping together???"

No, Nessa didn't hear that, but who can resist some juicy gossip? And Clarice, shame shame, Blake told you that in confidence!

Clarice stops over from next door some afternoons, for the short moment that her own house is quiet. Baby Emily naps with her daddy and Elliot is in afternoon preschool. Clarice will be going back to work soon too and Blake will stay home with Emily as he did when Elliot was little. Blake has been a stay-at-home dad for a couple years now, and is becoming a pro at it.

Clarice says, "Don't worry, Jack will do just fine. He's got Blake right next door. Maybe they could start a little daddy's group or something."

Nessa says, "It's great, isn't it? Becoming a family. I love him more than ever."

Clarice says, "I feel the same way about Blake."

"We've got a couple of great husbands," Nessa says.

Clarice says, "Yeah, we do."

Maybe it's okay that they boast about it? With the divorce rate skyrocketing like it is around here, at least there are some happy marriages left.

Maybe it's a good thing Jack is staying home after all, because Nessa can't even manage to make mac and cheese without burning it. She's a corporate career woman all the way!

Lara stops over often too, sometimes with Patrick and sometimes without. They live just two houses down. She says, "Did you ever think about how beautiful Leila Watts is?"

"She's pretty, I guess," Nessa says. "Lara, you do realize you're married to a man, right?

Nessa is proud of herself, and all her girlfriends. They're all accomplished women in the way they tackle motherhood and their careers in full force. She says to Clarice, "You're such a smart and confident woman. I really admire that."

Clarice says, "Aww, thanks Nessa, you're pretty great too."

Jack is like, "What?" He doesn't think he's ever had a conversation like that with Hayden or Patrick.

He doesn't know about all this female love going on. He's just going to be useful and take out the garbage. You know, girl-on-girl is fun in fantasy and everything, but not when all of their wives start going crazy! It's the postpartum stuff, maybe. But he's a man, and not allowed to mention that. So he's just going to keep this to himself, and hope that if there is any girl-on-girl action, that he gets a video tape.

But Nessa isn't switching teams here. She likes her lovers manly, you know, nice strong hands and everything. She might be a lion in the workplace, but her hubby makes her purr like a little kitten.

So her short maternity leave is over in a flash, but Nessa is ready for it. She enjoyed the slow time with her family, but finally feels the itch to get back to work. She says to Jack, "You'll be fine! Blake is right next door, and I put your mom on speed dial." And she says to Aaron, in a sing-songy voice, "Bye-bye baby!"

Go get 'em, Nessa!

***

notes: since Jack and Nessa are perfectly in love and have no drama, their family kind of takes over the story a little in this one.

I'm a little worried about Hayden - no commitment wants from him AT ALL since Rhianna died. No generic marriage, no more babies (no fear either though), no engagement or even a fear of being rejected. Nothing. Not once. Not even for a second. And in fact, he keeps rolling that three first dates want... ack! He's only dated two women in his lifetime, the poor guy, lol!

But on the other hand, sometimes they just roll wants that make you go "Awww!!!" I told you Sophie was a nice lady - after meeting Piper last summer, she rolled the want to be friends with her. I guess that means she's given her blessing on the relationship then :)

Or maybe she's just hoping Piper will help her get those twenty grandbabies, lol! Sorry, Sophie, you've only got two boys, and that's not likely to happen!

And what the heck is wrong with Patrick? He's a family Sim, 30 years old, happily married (besides his wife's lesbian tendencies, lol), and they have only one child, but he's afraid of having another? He better work that out in the next couple months!!!

I forgot Lara used to "play with girls" in college ;) I guess she hadn't met Piper before, because she was quite smitten and farting hearts all over the place. Maybe this is what Patrick is worried about?

And finally, eeew, Summer, he's your dad's cousin!!! This game needs to recognize relatives a little further, I think. She has almost three bolts with him!!! So in the name of the ickies that would be Summer and Patrick, I've finally installed this extended family mod.

And that leads us to an interesting question for discussion, at what point do you consider your distantly related Sims to be non-relatives? I'm only finishing up my fourth generation here, so I haven't run into it yet, but I'll probably have to pay attention in the next generation.