Day 4 – Stinky Diapers

Sonya was just starting to wake up when she heard Fiona crying. She had had a nightmare and wanted her Mommy. Sonya soothed her and gave her a warm bubble bath. Fiona is now able to talk, the first of the toddlers to learn to communicate using words rather than babbling.

After playing in the bathtub for a few minutes, Fiona was especially happy because she got her way by throwing a tantrum — a fussy child’s dream.

When she was done with her bath, she danced in the living room for a few minutes before becoming angry — a ‘dancer with attitude’ — and was promptly put to bed for a nap.

Jesse woke up feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep and jumped in the shower.

Sonya made a breakfast scramble and ate her portion while looking out the window. Neither she nor Jesse had left the house once since bringing the toddlers home, except to take out the trash. That would have to change soon if they were to keep their sanity.

Jesse ventured out into the neighborhood to see what he could find to contribute to the family funds. He chiseled through a rock formation to uncover a collectible and searched through a hollow log, finding a frog.

Then he came across a community garden where he was able to harvest a few plants that were in season. He had wanted to start a family garden, but with the kids requiring so much of their attention, it didn’t seem like a possibility for the time being.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sonya discovered Isabel needed a diaper change. After disposing of the stinky diaper, Sonya gave Isabel a bath.

When Jesse returned from his foraging, he was happy to see that Sonya had prepared a hearty breakfast.

Samuel and Wyatt woke up and joined Fiona on the potties. Annie watched Fiona and gained skill by simple observation. Samuel was the first to max his potty skill that afternoon and will no longer soil his diaper if a potty is available.

When Samuel was finished, Sonya gave him a bath. He splashed around so much that Sonya had to mop the floor when bath time was done.

Then, Jesse had stinky diaper duty. “Isaac, buddy, you’ve got a stinky bum. Come over here so I can change your diaper.” As he got closer, Jesse recoiled a bit from the odor and gingerly removed the offending article. Isaac thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Jesse picked up Isaac and gently deposited him in a warm bubble bath. He splashed up a storm just like his brother did earlier.

Jesse carefully washed each of Isaac’s tiny fingers, marveling at how small his son’s hand looked as he held it in his own. “So tiny, but so perfect,” he whispered in awe.

One thing Jesse was not in awe of was how messy his little tykes were. He had to mop the bathroom floor once again because of the large puddle that had formed from Isaac’s splash-fest.

Speaking of messes, Wyatt managed to get into Jesse’s paint and spilled it all over the living room rug while Jesse was zoned out for a few minutes, watching TV.

“Wyatt, stop that,” Jesse exclaimed. “You don’t play with Daddy’s paints.”

Wyatt cocked his head and gave his Daddy an innocent look. He didn’t seem the least bit upset that he’d been scolded.

Then he promptly ran into the kitchen and started playing in the cabinets.

While Fiona and Annie napped, Jesse took a shower and was inspired to create a painting. So, he got started on a large canvas while Sonya danced with Isabel and Isaac.

Jesse completed his first painting and began working on another.

Sonya read a book to Samuel, Isaac, Isabel and Wyatt as they all gathered around her in the living room.

Annie woke up from her nap and Sonya gave her a bubble bath. She was still tired, so she went back to sleep after her bath.

Fiona woke up and played SimShape for a short while before she had a nightmare while she was awake at around 10:00. She played for a little while longer and then joined Isabel and Wyatt in using the potty before going to bed for the night.

Sonya ran into Jesse in the hallway and said, “How did I get such an insanely hot husband?”

Before Jesse had a chance to come up with a response, Sonya pressed her lips to his.

Jesse chuckled softly. “Glad you think so, babe. But I’m the lucky one here,” he said as he hugged his wife and kissed her neck.

“Mm, that feels nice.”

“We’d better not get carried away just yet,” Sonya said reluctantly. “I want to clean up that paint spill before it’s permanent. Plus, I’m a little peckish. I want to grab a yogurt before bed.”

“Maybe I’ll work on my painting for a few more minutes. You’ve inspired me.”

Fiona had recovered from her latest nightmare by playing SimShape for a while on her own before going back to bed.

Then Annie woke up crying, which woke up her siblings. Isaac babbled to his sister and helped distract her while she played with the Wabbit Tablet.

Jesse and Sonya walked into the kids’ room to check on them and saw that things had pretty much settled down. Jesse turned to Sonya and said, “Now it’s our turn to get some sleep … or, you know, not.”

“Sleep sounds good … eventually.”

By 1:00 the couple had undressed and were ready for bed.

Forty minutes later, both were pleasantly satisfied and fast asleep.

Isaac finally got to sleep at 3:30, right about the time Fiona woke up with yet another nightmare. She played on the tablet while Sonya got up and cooked spaghetti since Fiona was hungry.

Annie woke up hungry, too, and grabbed a plate of spaghetti. Fiona was ravenous by the time she got her food, which always makes her cranky, and she snapped at her Mommy.

Sonya discovered the stereo was broken and voiced her frustration. The to-do list was never-ending. When Annie and Fiona finished eating, they crawled back into their beds and fell asleep.

Thinking she was finally done for the night, Sonya gathered all the dirty dishes, washed them and went back to bed.

Sadly, for the umpteenth time that day, Fiona had a nightmare and ran to wake her Mommy.

Sonya was awoken by Fiona’s cries and soothed her fussy child.

Since Fiona loved playing in the tub, Sonya gave her another bubble bath to relax her before putting her back to bed. Will the nightmares ever end?

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Let’s take a look at skills at the end of Day 4.

The toddlers:

The yellow-highlighted skills represent the ‘Happy Toddler’ reward trait levels, while the green-highlighted skills are at the ‘Top-Notch Toddler’ level. Potty skill is maxed at level 3. Isabel is the only toddler who hasn’t maxed potty skill yet, but she’s very close to doing so. Increasing thinking skill is the top priority now so we can get out of the never-ending cycle of nightmares. This was the first time I’d seen a toddler have a nightmare while she was awake!

The parents:

Sonya gained a level in comedy skill, while Jesse learned gardening and painting skills. Jesse’s creative trait and the ‘natural light’ lot trait have helped him achieve level 3 in painting by completing two large canvases.