Bonding Time

Babies and toddlers everywhere.
Whilst Andrea tried to clean everything up, after the butler retired to bed - she needed her sleep bless her, Sophie took on her motherly role and fussed over Iona.

But then, she decided to take Aura out in the stroller, in the pouring rain... whilst Andrea read a story to Iona.

Peekaboo! Who is that in the toy box?

Tickle time with daddy.

Sorry it's a short update. There's nothing I can really add that hasn't already been written.

Just Another Day At The Powers House

Iona is coming along in leaps and bounds. She's gaining confidence in everything she does.

From playing with the old doll house

Aww adorable.

Sharing the fairy castle/bungalow with Grandma. (yes, I didn't know they could do that)

To being potty trained by mommy (slow progress there)

And learning to walk from Grandma. (another slow progress there and I STILL can't stand that outfit of Shannon's, it makes her look as if she's in mourning)

Nessa decided - autonomously - to go into the basement and play the keyboard!

But then, things started going a little ....

... strange.

Andrea complained of stomach pains and made such a song and dance about it. Sophie wasn't impressed.

Sophie: Try giving birth .... that'll stop you complaining you big baby
Andrea: But that's what I AM doing
Sophie: Really.

I can just imagine the eye rolling that's probably going on right about now.

And a pop up asked me if I should let Andrea keep the baby ... or send it back to its mother land/ship.
You know exactly what I did.

I let him keep her.

Yes. A girl.

Aura.

Aura's specs so far:

Traits:
Loves the Outdoors (game chosen)
Perceptive

Star Sign
Taurus

Music: Classical
Food: Lobster Thermidor
Colour: Grey

And I love the expression on his face as he turns to the camera.

Andrea: Now... what?

Shannon appears to stare straight at Aura.

Shannon: You're not keeping it are you?
Andrea: I am, and back off.
Sophie: Yeah Mom, back off.
Shannon: Fair enough, don't say I didn't warn you. We're in a load of trouble from the Fae Council as it is. It couldn't get any worse ... if we tried.

And here's the little tyke, all snuggled up in the baby rocker.

Awww

MOAR Iona Spam

She's a demanding little toddler, that's for sure.

 Flatly refusing to go to sleep, just to make sure she gets mommy's attention.

And who could resist that adorable little face huh?

Being a new mom, Sophie decided to take a nap in the same room as Iona, just in case the kid woke up and needed her.

Aww.

Andrea, in the meantime, couldn't stick with all the crying and screaming. So he ended up at the other side of the river ...

... fishing.

See?

Even in the playpen, she wants Mommy all the time!

Anyways, here are Iona's stats  ... as promised.

Star Sign: Capricorn

Music: Latin
Food: Aloo Masala Curry (although WHY you should give curry to a toddler ... defies logic!!)
Colour: Irish Green

Traits:
Slob
Loves the Outdoors (inherited from Sophie)

Nessa to the Rescue/Iona's Birthday

Nessa was way behind her sister in the Singing Career ladder. So she decided, bright and early, to head down to the park to watch the latest Sim Fest. Her timing couldn't have come at a worse moment.
 

 It was Iona's birthday, and Andrea, despite his exhaustion from the abduction ... and his daughter's ability to stay awake at unearthly hours ... decided that he wanted to throw her a party.

Blearily eyed, he arranged everything, inviting family only because he hardly knew anybody else. He even organised a special seating area, should the weather remain favourable.

Yes, it's a little crude, but we can work on that a little later on.

And then he had to go to work, dragging his heels along as he went. He rolled a wish to quit his job - as did Sophie. But, kiddo, you are going to HAVE to work. This is your LTW we're talking about. I'm not putting you back to square one. Not now. Andrea, well, we can work on that. Find something that you might enjoy that little bit more. Being in the Criminal Career can be a little taxing on someone who wants to be an Ark Builder.

Anyways, the day passed rather slowly. Sophie managed to catch up on her sleep, which put her in a better mood to help her daughter transition on her birthday. Nessa was still at the Sim Fest and loving/hating the acts that were there simultaneously. Shannon and Andrea were at work.

So it was up to her to bring Iona to the cake. At least the weather had stayed fine.

However, Iona wasn't. She had just pooped and was stinky. Talk about timing.

Screaming and squalling, she wriggled in her mother's arms, just as Sophie was blowing out the candles. Her head pounded at the kid's yelling, so she immediately put her down on the floor and stepped back. Hopefully the transition would calm her daughter down.

After what appeared a lengthy wait - Sophie's stomach growled with hunger - Iona finally morphed into the cutest little toddler ever.

But wait.

She wasn't finished just yet. Pink sparkles surrounded her ... and out popped a beautiful pair of wings!!

She was complete ... but far from happy. She was hungry, dirty and needed attention .... STAT.

Sophie was hungry ... and ignored her daughter to grab a slice of cake. Even poor Pat is getting a headache here.

Even her mother complained about Iona making a racket.

Shannon: Can't you quieten that kid down?
Sophie: Sorry mom, I've tried.

Poor Sophie. You've got to admit though Sophie, your parenting skills ARE a bit naff.


Luckily, Auntie Nessa arrived just in time to take over. Grabbing her niece, she expertly changed her diaper there and then without blinking. You can tell that Iona worships the ground Nessa stands on already. This is where she feels the safest.

And handed her a bottle of formula, whilst she helped herself to some cake.

"Nicely handled there sis," Sophie remarked, "she was getting a bit too much for me to handle."

Nessa just shrugged her shoulders and crammed the cake into her mouth.

Iona whimpered. Now she was starting to get tired and wanted some sleep. As Nessa was still eating, Sophie scooped up her daughter, played 'claw' with her, before taking her up to bed.

The guests had a mixed response to the party. Some left early saying it was MEH, others had a fairly nice time but had to go because of other duties.

I'll write a bio of Iona as soon as I get more details.

Andrea

 Andrea came back to earth with a bump. He was not pleased. Neither was the elder alien who accompanied him home to make sure he arrived safely in his own timeline.

In her eyes, he was of inferior stock. But, the pollinators weren't picky - they'd try anyone, as long as their program was successful.

So, when he passed out cold from exhaustion, she left him there and headed back to her mother ship.

He thought that nobody had witnessed this event, and tried to sneak back in the house without anybody seeing him.

How wrong he was, as he spotted his mother in law, sitting at the table, waiting for him. She'd been sleeping in the fairy bungalow outside and heard everything.

Shannon: Want to talk about it?

He shook his head. He'd rather not, thank you very much. Instead, he wolfed down his cereal and made his way upstairs, hoping to have a good night's sleep.

The light was on and his heart dropped. And even more so when he heard the plaintive wail coming from his daughter.

Pat: That kid's noisy
Sophie: I know
Pat: and stinky
Sophie: I KNOW, that's what they do
Pat: Hate it already
Sophie: Well tough, deal with it, I'm tired.

Andrea rolled his eyes. Sophie's behaviour was strange to begin with and her obsession with her Imaginary Friend ... was now becoming worrisome indeed. Perhaps this was her way of coping with loss? He didn't know. He just hoped that insanity didn't run through the family. It couldn't get any weirder, that's for sure.

Instead, he just walked into the bedroom.

Andrea: Hi
Sophie: Hi
Andrea: Tired, off to bed, night
Sophie: Um, okay .. night.

And that was it

On another note: Shannon's painting skills are really coming along in leaps and bounds.
Here's her version of Van Gogh's Starry Night.

It's called, Mexican Morning.

Sing - Off

Sophie was exhausted from her strangely flexible hours as a Singer. So it boiled down to Nessa to keep an eye on her niece Iona.

It had been a few days since Hespa's passing, and everyone is still fairly raw, but it is fading now. Nessa doesn't feel quite so bad. Especially now that Iona is being her cute and charming self.

After a cuddle, feed and diaper change, Nessa decided that it was time to stop with the procrastination and make a start on her LTW. Exactly the same one as her sister Sophie.

Go figure. Two Singers in the family.

So, getting out her portable amplifier, she decided to have a little practice with her singing. She wasn't too bad actually. A few off notes, but then she needed to practice that little bit more.

Not to be outdone, Sophie decided to join her in a duet/Sing-off.

They had a captive audience, but it was getting late ... and they didn't want to risk the police knocking on the door to tell them to turn the volume down. So they stopped for the night.

Andrea was awoken by Iona crying, so he decided to give her a bath.

She screamed the place down .... Hydrophobic in the making here perhaps?

The next day, early in the morning, both Nessa and Sophie agreed to have yet another sing-off. Despite Sophie having more experience, it was Nessa who managed to amass the most amount in tips!

Sorry for short updates, I'm breaking things down a little because so much has happened and I don't want to spoil any 'surprises' for anybody.