Quiet company at home, Sims 2 Nightlife

After two days of calling in sick to get out of going to work so he didn't have to call a Nanny to look after Wally, Joe had a scheduled day off and for once didn't have to debate with Mary about who was going to go into the office that day. For the next week or so, everything's figured out between Joe and Mary and Wally, and Joe will be returning to work tomorrow as scheduled.

Mary headed out to work at 7:15AM after spending some quality time with Wally, teaching him how to talk. Mary and Wally have only gone through about half what Mary wants to teach him at this stage, but there's lots of time in the next few days for Mary to finish things off with him.

Joe shoved the Rip Co. Wobbly Wabbit Head towards Wally after Mary left, and Wally was delighted when Joe pulled the cord and the Wabbit spoke. Joe patted Wally on the head and went out to make himself some breakfast, pondering what he'd do all day, cooped up with a toddler and not even having to pretend he's sick...

Joe decided to invite Adeline Romano over - he doesn't know Adeline very well (which is probably part of the panicked look on her face) but Mary told Joe he had to "find a new friend" today while she was at work, and Adeline was first in his phonebook list.

Adeline hopped straight into the hot tub (well, the love tub) and Joe quickly went inside to check on Wally. Wally was happily playing with his Wabbit but giggled gleefully when Joe entered the room.

Joe thought it would be a good idea to put Wally on the potty while the opportunity was perfect - Adeline could wait an extra few minutes while Joe took care of his boy, and she did, quite happily, soaking in the bubbles and water jets.

Joe didn't realize how exhausted he felt, at 11:30 AM, until he sunk into the hot tub and began to tell Adeline how quickly Wally had been able to be completely potty trained, and how much of a relief it is that Joe and Mary don't have to worry about that part anymore.

The bubbles washed over him and the heat made his eyes heavy, but he was having such a good time talking to Adeline that he didn't want to get out of the tub...

Until he heard Wally's tired cries from inside the house. It was time for both of the Ugly boys to take a nap.

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Wally becomes a toddler (Sims2 Nightlife legacy challenge)

Joe decided that because Mary had such a great day at work the day before, he'd call in sick to work again in order to spend more time with the baby. Thankfully, his employers seemed quite sympathetic to Joe's "illness" but Joe's glad he won't have to play hooky from work very much longer.

So, Mary headed off to work again, riding high on the fun and success that the last few days had brought into her life. By the end of the day, she had received another promotion, this time to Campaign Manager! She's now earning $602 a day, and the money from the bonuses is adding up! Mary doesn't want to spend the bonuses, however, because she knows Wally won't be her and Joe's only child, but the house they're in today isn't big enough for another baby.

Wally needs to grow a little more before Mary and Joe want their second child, however, so Mary tries not to worry about the upcoming expenses just yet.

Speaking of Wally growing, it wasn't long after Mary came home from work that Wally had his first real "birthday party". He was pretty tired after all that commotion so Mary put him to bed, but Joe made sure to take a picture of Wally when Mary was getting him up in the morning.

Wally has his Mom's eyes and eyebrows, Dad's hair and mouth, and who knows what else. Isn't he beautifully disfigured??? ;)

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Sims2 Nightlife: Joe and the baby at home, Mary gets a bonus

Mary got home from her excursion downtown just before Joe was supposed to head off to work. Except, Joe hadn't had near enough sleep since the last shift he worked in the Medical field, so there was no way he'd be able to go to work and not fall asleep on the lawn as soon as he got home, if he didn't fall asleep on the job. And as a nurse, that's just not cool. And to make matters worse, despite three promotions in his industry, Joe still has ZERO holiday days!!

So, Joe did the only thing a dead-tired daddy could do - called in sick. Mary fed Wally and tucked him in his crib to sleep while Joe tucked himself in to the family bed for a few hours of Zzz's.

Mary headed off to work for the first time in what felt like ages. The dress she wore seemed completely foreign to her, until she realized she had never actually gone to work at her new position yet, after the second promotion she received. It's going to take a bit for Mary to get back on the promotions track, but she's okay with that. It's just good to be back at work, and she's glad Joe is okay with sharing the babysitting load.

Joe and Wally both slept fitfully for about four hours, then Joe woke up and forced himself to stay awake. Switching from a night-shift job to a day-shift job is tough at the best of times, but with the new baby, Joe's finding it to hardly be difficult at all. Joe had no idea he'd find someone special like Mary and be able to have a baby boy like Wally. Holding Wally, Joe's the proudest guy on the planet.

While Joe and Wally were having their special moments together, Mary jumped right into the fray at work and wound up with a $5000 bonus and learned a few useful tips and tricks for being more charismatic with people. Way to go Mary!

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Sims 2 Nightlife, Mary Ugly's first night on the town

After sleeping blissfully all night and into the morning, Mary Ugly gave birth to her and Joe's first child, a son, naming him Wally. Wally (incidentally) is a beautiful baby, showing absolutely no trace of his parents' grotesque facial features.

A quick shower after Wally was born, fed and put in his crib for the first time left Mary feeling great - ready for a party, actually!

But alas, it was 3:30 AM, Joe had just arrived home from another hard night shift in the Medical field (happy, however, that he had received yet another promotion and had moved to a daytime shift), and Wally and Joe were both beat from the day's exertions, so they weren't going to be there to entertain Mary the way she wanted to be entertained. Especially after being cooped up in the house for the past three days, pregnant!

So, Mary hopped into the family's new minivan and headed off downtown, where some other nightowls like herself would be hanging out, ready to socialize. Her first choice was the Spa and Pool, since now that she wasn't pregnant anymore she liked what she looked like in a bathing suit and wanted to enjoy herself in the water with a new friend.

Talin Goss turned out to be "the one" Mary chose to get to know, once she landed downtown. Mary hopped into the hot tub and invited Talin to join her, since the hot tub was out of bounds when she was pregnant with Wally, and she really misses the feeling of the bubbles and the heat! Talin hopped right in and started to chatter away... seems like he and Mary have a few things in common!

Mary and Talin laughed and talked until the water in the hot tub went cold. Mary so much enjoyed Talin's company and was so close to calling him 'friend' that she offered to buy Talin a cup of coffee, but when it came time to sit down with her cup of coffee, Mary started thinking about her baby and decided to sit at a different table than Talin had chosen. Talin was cool with this, so Mary and Talin enjoyed their coffees quietly, contemplating the conversations of the past few hours.

Eventually, Mary remembered why she had come downtown in the first place - she needed another friend to vouch for her in order to get another promotion at work! Now that the baby had been born, maybe Joe could stay home with Wally sometimes, and let Mary work for some promotions of her own in her job. But she'd need enough friends to vouch for her to get the promotions as well.

Talin was an easy squeeze after the hot tubbing conversations and the coffee. Shaking nervously from the drink, he was still happy to chat with Mary, and Mary walked away with a new friend.

Time to go home and check on Wally and Joe, tho. Joe heads off to his new job today.

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Maxis must believe "babies are cute"

Why do I think Maxis must believe "babies are cute"?

Because even though I know this child is not going to be cute as he ages, the firstborn male of the Joe and Mary Ugly union has been born, named Wally, and seen to be quite cute compared to either Mom or Dad. We'll just have to see what toddlerhood and older brings for this boy.

Mary gave birth to Wally while Joe was at work, and since they don't own a car and Mary's labor went so quickly, Mary ended up having Wally at home by herself, without any problems at all! That was quite amazing, indeed.

Immediately after the delivery, Mary was back in her old leapord-print dress and feeling like a million bucks. Joe played with Wally for a little bit but both Wally and Joe were tired from the day's activities, so they both went to bed. Mary, however, had slept fitfully before the onset of labor and after a quick shower, she was looking for someone to talk to... but it's 3:30 in the morning and everyone she knows would get mad if she called them!

So, Mary dipped into the savings account and bought a Mini-van and a driveway and had them installed with the snap of a finger. Yay! Mary's going out on the town to find someone new to chat with!

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Life of a poor ugly couple (Sims 2 Nightlife)

Mary and Joe Ugly are like most Sims brand new to the neighborhood - poor as all get out. The house Joe bought left him with under $1000, and Mary arrived with nothing but the clothes on her back, promising a monthly rent cheque. The good news is that the house came furnished with the required basics - everything a Sim needs to get by, day-to-day. Joe felt confident about the investment and had no worries about his currently poor financial state.

Although both Joe and Mary took jobs from the first newspaper delivered to their house, and thus household had money coming in to cover the bills, it was quite a relief for both the Uglies that the climate was perfect for the legendary Simoleon Tree to not only grow, but flourish! The bits of extra money the trees generated can help with those little expenses, such as food and bills, when you're starting out.

It turns out that the house that Joe Ugly bought had some valuable paintings on the wall as well as having the basic furnishings! Joe and Mary agreed art and culture would be beautiful to reflect in a home once all the necessities have been covered, but since Joe and Mary only had one bookshelf of books and no other real way to study and build skills, the art would be better sold and the money turned into things like a chess board, painting easel and a bass guitar.

Mary and Joe spent the next few days in their new house together quietly getting used to a new routine of work, skill improvement and socializing. Both Mary and Joe got promotions within the first week of their jobs, and as they grew closer as a couple and not just "roommies", their purchasing thoughts began to turn towards that first child they had talked about in the past. Should they buy the basics for a baby now, or get married and worry about it when it's confirmed the baby is on the way?

After a night of incredible lovemaking and Joe's second promotion in the Medical field the next day, he popped the question to Mary. She was ecstatic! She had been hoping Joe would propose!!

Joe and Mary both eagerly anticipated the wedding, calling the party almost immediately after Joe had proposed. Joe hadn't even changed out of his work uniform yet when the party guests started coming over, but as soon as he and Mary felt it was time to move to the altar, he found a sharp-looking suit, and Mary got into her beautiful wedding dress.

The wedding was fabulous and both Joe and Mary were extremely pleased with how it all turned out. The only hitch came near the end of the party when Mary realized she was pregnant, and therefore didn't feel up to going on the honeymoon. Shockingly, Joe went without her, and had a great time!

Thankfully, Mary knew that giving Joe that time to recharge would ultimately be helpful for her during her pregnancy, when having some help with food and cleaning is extra-appreciated. So, she greeted Joe with a kiss when he returned and they moved on.

Being pregnant has turned out to be easy for Mary so far. She didn't have any sickness at all in the first or second trimesters, which is quite relieving. It's amazing how uncomfortable Sims get when they're on their knees praying to the porcelain goddess, and how if your Sim doesn't experience morning sickness, it's so much easier to keep them happy during that physically-stressing time. I'll have to keep an eye on Mary and see if this was a "normal" pregnancy for her.

At any rate, Mary and Joe spent some of their savings on baby things now that the first one is officially on the way. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl? I wonder if the baby will be ugly like Mom and Dad?

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The Ugly Family, Roommates first.

How funny is this! Mary Ugly answered a stranger's advertisement in the paper when she was looking for a roommate in her new city, and an unrelated guy by the name of Joe Ugly was the person with a house to share!

After meeting to see that the other was just as ugly as they were and chat briefly about the house, Mary and Joe felt they hit it off quite well and Mary moved in.

Their first few days of living together, they spent a lot of time at home, chatting and studying self-teaching books about Cooking and Cleaning. Neither Joe nor Mary have owned a house before, and neither one of them helped Mom and Dad when they were kids, so they're seeing it would be a good idea to learn these things between themselves. Joe is focussing on cleaning, and Mary on cooking for now.

With both Joe and Mary being family-oriented Sims, their minds have both turned to relationships, and both seem to be relieved to have the other ugly Sim around. They're getting comfortable with one another and have even shared a romantic hug and a tender kiss.

But love takes time to blossom, and living isn't free, so Joe turned his attention to the newspaper and found himself a job in the Medical career.

Joe and Mary have talked about their thoughts about children and have agreed that having one and then waiting a few years before having the rest of the children would be a good idea because then the oldest child could help with the family occasionally, and having that extra person to help out can make all the difference in the world.

But Joe and Mary have agreed also that they want to marry someone they love before they have children, because it's important for the children to come into a stable, loving family.

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