Alphabet Soup - B is for Bonnie (Sept 29)

[oshizu]

So much has changed in Bonnie's life!
Congratulations on the engagement, marriage, and graduation!
I laughed that her festival kimono came with an astronaut's helmet.

I'm so glad Koji survived the jolt from the unappeased gnome! That was terrifying!
And now she and Koji are expecting!
Looking forward to meeting the "C Generation"!

[GlazeyLady]

@MarianT  Thank you for such a fun read! My favorite lines were "The way the Grim Reaper was going through my list of friends, I didn't want to waste any time." And, Bonnie's mom's response "No you said I should decide for myself. And I did."
🤣

Looking forward to your "C" generation.

[MarianT]

Thank you, @oshizu and @GlazeyLady! C generation coming right up.

[MarianT]

B is for Bonnie, Part 4

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We had a little time left of our honeymoon, so Koji and I decided to go for a hike on one of the many trails in Mt. Komorebi.

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We took Nutmeg along. The scenery was nice, but I think it was probably more spectacular earlier in the fall, when all the leaves we saw on the ground were still on the trees.

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Koji went ahead with Nutmeg, but I spent a few minutes in the cemetery, contemplating the circle of life. In a very short while, I'll be contributing to that cycle.

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When we returned home, Koji applied for a job as a gardener. He likes plants, and the seed packets he gathered from the Harvest Fest gnomes gave him a good start.

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He started out with some holly plants, but crocus and onions will also grow in winter.

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And before we knew it -- we had a daughter! We named her Catriona, but that seems rather long for such a small being, so we're calling her Catri for short.

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Koji is her favorite. Catri is sensitive and hates being held. She is also a happy spitter and picky eater, and I think she prefers the bottle to breastfeeding.

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The first time Koji tried changing her diaper, she peed on him.

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But I'm the one who was subjected to a blow-out. I think it took at least an hour to get her fully clean.

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I've made progress developing a relationship with her, but I think she looks upon our tummy time sessions as an ordeal.

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With Koji, they're play.

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Nevertheless, we've decided to have another.

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I'm not sure Nutmeg is happy about that. We try to make sure she gets plenty of attention, but the other day she didn't feel well. I picked up some wellness treats at the vet, though, which restored her to health.

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And then came a big day in Catri's life. I took her to visit our family in San Sequoia. She got to meet her Aunt Amy, who is now a big girl.

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And the visit wouldn't have been complete without her seeing her grandmother. Mom was delighted. Dad had to go to work, but I hope we'll see him next time.

[GlazeyLady]

Catri is a pretty, and unusual, name. And a brother or sister on the way already!
Maybe the timing will be right to see how a toddler and infant interact - I thought about having another in the Sandoval household, but the house is small, and I had a lot going on with the wedding and the beginning of a new Diablo, so I figured I should wait. But I am kind of looking forward to having two that close together - until then, I shall live vicariously through your alphabet story!

[MarianT]

@GlazeyLady , Catri and Cecile do interact, but it's hard to get good pictures of them. Catri can be told to entertain Cecile, also to blow raspberry and sing to her. All cute interactions, but hard to capture in a screenshot.

[MarianT]

B is for Bonnie, Part 5

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Koji had a birthday recently, which we both celebrated. Mine is not for a while yet.

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Finding something Catri might like to eat has been a real challenge. Besides being sensitive, she is also a picky eater.

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She liked ice cream. What a relief. Of course, who doesn't like ice cream? You might think it's obvious that I like ice cream, but that's baby weight gain.

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Dad commented on it when he came over. "You getting ready to have twins?" he asked. "I hope not," I said. He had a couple of names to suggest if I had a boy. "Clyde" was one and "Calvin" the other. "If you have twin boys, you can use both of them," he told me. Calvin Colvin, not likely. I love Dad, but sometimes his jokes are a bit much.

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Before we knew it, Catri was ready to become a toddler. She never did learn how to crawl, but that's okay. She started walking as soon as I put her down.

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Mealtimes have still been difficult, though. She'll take one bite, and then...

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Whoops! goes the sandwich.

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Or whee! goes the bowl of yogurt.

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Koji had a word with her about her behavior. But I'm not sure whose behavior was changed.

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The only thing she was willing to eat more than one bite of was the matcha tea cake I made for Koji's birthday.

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And now it's time for a terrible confession. I don't have any pictures of Cecile as a newborn. I meant to take one, but there was always work, or Catri interrupted, or Nutmeg needed petting.

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Speaking of work, I was given a very nice desk when I was promoted as a journalist. A nice globe, too, which I'll get a picture of later.

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And speaking of Nutmeg, Catri has been diligent about making friends with her.

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She even gave her a hug the other day.

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Catri is also making friends with Cecile, entertaining her when Koji and I are not around.

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Of course, he and I spend the most time with her. Koji has worked from home all week, so that I can go to work. But I try to get some cuddles in as soon as I get home.

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And as a wiggly infant, Cecile is picking up her motor skills fast. She'll be sitting up on her own soon, I'm sure of it.

[Metropolis Man]

How did you catch the food flying in mid-air? *bows in admiration*

[MarianT]

@Metropolis Man, I hit pause at the right time. But I have a hard time doing that for lightning strikes.

[Granny Lawlor]

@Metropolis Man, I hit pause at the right time. But I have a hard time doing that for lightning strikes.

I've never been able to catch a lightning strike. Got some good crystals/minerals/elements from though

[MarianT]

B is for Bonnie, Part 6

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Cecile's infancy has been speeding by. Besides mastering finger foods (she loves peanut butter puffs), she can also crawl.

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I've been teaching Nutmeg her last trick -- playing dead.

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She's so smart, she picks it up right away. Sadly, she's an elder now, so it won't be long before the real thing happens.

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In the meantime, though, Nutmeg enjoys becoming friends with Cecile.

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If I sound a little morose, it's because Dad has died. Here's the obituary I wrote for the paper:

"A former librarian, Aarav Gandhi was a proper bookworm and music lover. After a successful career as an art critic, he became a painter himself and often received top dollar for his work on Plopsy. He is survived by his wife Amelia, daughters Bonnie, Bridget, and Amy, and granddaughters Catriona and Cecile. He will be missed."

I had to console Bridget after I read it to her.

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When we returned home from our visit to Mom's, it was time for Cecile's birthday.

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My two little frogs are so cute together that I wish I could keep them toddlers forever.

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They both enjoy playing with the new dollhouse we put in the playroom.

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And Catri isn't jealous of her baby sister at all.

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Cecile is clingy and a messy eater, but she does enjoy talking to Nutmeg. I don't know whether Nutmeg enjoys her babble, though.

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Before long, it was time for Catri to become a child. She's a geek, and wants us to build a rocket ship in the backyard.

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She still enjoys singing, though.

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Catri wants to become a whiz kid, and Koji is trying to help her. He's been reading Pizzi-cat-o-polka to her.

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He's also playing chess, which helps him, too, as he needs to develop his logic skill for work.

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But as long as it's winter, building a rocket ship will have to wait.

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One good thing about winter is that we get Winterfest. We invited Mom, Bridget and Amy over for a grand breakfast. Cecile mugged for the camera.

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I noticed that Amy had the same hairstyle as Catri and asked Catri if she wanted to change it. "No," she said. "Amy is one of the cool kids." And Amy will become a teen soon, too.

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Bridget was pleased with her present, and I think Mom had a good time.

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After presents were opened, Koji and Catri sang "Zwingle Fibb" for us.

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And then we all paid a visit to Dad's gravesite. I say "all," but although Mom came with me, she decided she wasn't ready to look at the headstone just yet. "You talk to him, sweetie," she told me.

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And that concluded Winterfest except for one last event: Catri pulled out a tooth! She can't wait to see what the tooth fairy will bring her.

[MarianT]

B is for Bonnie, Part 7

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I forgot one last festivity from Winterfest -- the visit of Father Winter. Catri asked him for a present and he was kind enough to oblige.

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The day after Winterfest we made an unexpected addition to the household. Bridget asked if I'd be willing to have Mom move in with us. "She's been moping around the house ever since Dad died," she told me. "And she keeps saying that she doesn't get to spend enough time with her grandchildren. She's really not much trouble, except for her tendency to begin sentences with 'In my day...'"
So we added another bedroom.

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Mom has been a big help, reading to Catri and looking after Cecile so that Koji and I could both be at work at the same time.

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I kind of wish that she wouldn't practice her mixology skill while looking after Cecile, though. But if it makes her happy...

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And I think she likes the cold temperatures in Brindleton Bay -- the snow at least.

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I had my adult birthday, just in time for my promotion to the top of the Journalism career. Yay me!

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Now that I don't have to do anything to get ready for work, I've been able to take Nutmeg out for walks -- at least when we're not having a blizzard.

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And I can spend more time with our girls. Catri is quite willing to help around the house, even though she's in drama club rather than Scouts.

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She spends a fair amount of time playing doctor with her doll. Is this an indication of a future career?

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And her dad is still a prime favorite.

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In no time at all, Cecile was ready to become a child.

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She's another pretty child, and a bit of a goofball.

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Then, just when we thought everything was perfect, Nutmeg passed away.

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Luckily, Grim didn't wake the girls when he came to get her.

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But they're still very sad (as are Koji, Mom, and I), leaving for school as morose as if they were going to a funeral.

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I put her headstone next to Dad's. She was such a good dog; I can't imagine even trying to replace her.

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Leave it to Mom to find the perfect alternative. She said the house was just too quiet with Nutmeg gone and Cecile off at school.

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Cecile named the sheep Lambda, and is becoming good friends.

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Amy's been coming over after school, too. Ostensibly she's here to play with Catri, but since Catri has drama club after school, she spends some time with Mom.

[MarianT]

B is for Bonnie, Part 8

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Make no mistake, this has been a time of ups and downs. And I'm not just saying that because I now have a rocket ship. Koji started suffering from burnout, and then he got laid off at work. And after that, he developed a mid-life crisis, where he wanted to be more adventurous. One of the things he wanted was a rocket ship.

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And another thing was to woohoo in more exciting places -- like the lighthouse.

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Or the shower. With Catriona and Cecile at school, we had the house almost to ourselves except for Mom and the sheep.

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But then things got a little too exciting when Cecile was bitten by a spider. Our ordinary medicine wouldn't work. She needed an antidote from Selvadorada.

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When I dreamed as a teen of hacking my way through the jungle, I never imagined that my motivation would be finding bone dust. To my dismay, though, no one would sell me the antidote because I wasn't the one with the illness.

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Despite our worries, Koji and I put in a little "work" on his mid-life crisis.

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We returned home in time for the New Years' Eve celebration. And we had much to celebrate -- Cecile had been cured of her spider bite! Apparently children lack the hormone that makes the bite so deadly.

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The next day I finished the rocket ship, mostly without Koji's help. He decided that rocket science really wasn't his bag.

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He went fishing instead, now that it was spring and the waterways were free of ice.

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Koji did join me on our ship's maiden launch, although maiden probably isn't the right word for it. Anyway, I have since been to Hiattooine, where I helped resolve a conflict between the planet government and its colony on the moon. I also took a four-eyed alien child home to its mother after a joy ride, and gathered a bunch of dead specimens, which I sold to a museum. The less said about my encounter with an alien smuggler, the better.

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Life seemed to be returning to normal. Koji went back to work as a botanist. I took a job as the director of a non-profit organization, World United. Now that I've met so many aliens out there, I think it's important for those of us in Simland to work together.

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Anyway, part of my job is raising money. I decided to go to Geek Con Tuesday morning to meet prospective donors, and Mom wanted to come with me. She had a great time trying to win the Universal Gaming Trophy.

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And then tragedy struck. "O my watcher, she died!" I heard someone call out.

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I rushed over just in time to see the Grim Reaper make his appearance. I was too upset to do anything but cry, but I did collect the urn with her remains.

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She's buried next to Dad. I was amazed at how many people showed up soon after I did, to mourn their loss.

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Her last painting was still on the easel. Perhaps Mom saw the future, and that's why she painted an angel. Anyway, we'll never sell it. Here's her obituary:

"Died at GeekCon, Amelia Colvin. A woman of many talents, equally skilled at painting, cooking, and fitness, she was the founder of the Colvin Alphabetical Legacy. She is mourned by her three daughters Bonnie, Bridget, and Amy, and her two grandchildren, Catriona and Cecile. She is also mourned by anyone who ever admired one of her many paintings. She will be missed."

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I returned home to a happier scene: Catri and Cecile playing with their dollhouse.

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But Catri's happy days of childhood were not going to last long. Hopefully, she'll be happy as a teenager, too!     

[GlazeyLady]

I was so glad to see you moved Amelia in, and then even more so when she passed soon after. I've been unable to collect some of the tombstones in my games, and it is nice when you can get those. But more so, it's great that the family had more time with her before she passed. The obits you're including are a great add!

And speaking of a great add, what a great idea to follow up with an adorable sheep after the passing of a pet that couldn't possibly be replaced. I haven't played with that pack yet, but I'm really enjoying getting a glimpse of it through the stories of the Watchers who have.

[MarianT]

Thanks! A tip regarding sheep that I picked up from the official forum: a white sheep costs $150 and a black sheep costs $2000, but a dalmatian sheep costs only $200. This will give you white wool and occasionally black wool, and the black wool will bring in $200 instead of $30 more or less. Also, shear the sheep and then sell the wool from inventory.