100 Nooboos Nabbed (March 16)

[MarianT]

13. Ezra and Colin Delgato

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Hey Aunt Pris,
You'll never guess what. Ezra and I are landlords! We examined the shipping containers on the lot that we bought in Evergreen Harbor and decided that we could live in a couple and rent out one as a contained unit. Once we have enough money we might even buy another container and convert it to an apartment for Deanna or Gloria or some other tenant.

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We have our bedroom and bathroom downstairs.

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Kitchen, living-room and rooftop dining area are upstairs.

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Our tenant's unit is pretty small, but has all the basics.

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And believe it or not, we do have a tenant, Ukupanipo Hekekiah. He revolted a few days ago, but calmed down when we promised him better conditions. Ezra and I decided to go back on the grid, partly to keep him happy, but mostly so we could run a vacuum cleaner and get rid of the dust bunnies and also so our pizza wouldn't keep going bad in the refrigerator. When we get more money, we might get a stove or something so we can have hot food other than pizza.

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I have to admit that I do enjoy making pizza, though.

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Evergreen Harbor, at least the part we live in, is pretty grungy, though.

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Aside from the smog making me cough, I don't mind, but Ezra seems to be grossed out by everything. We voted for an improvement in air quality, so we'll see how that goes.

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Possibly because of our location or maybe it's because of living in an apartment, but our garbage seems to attract insect life. Ezra is too squeamish to stomp on the roaches, so I have to.

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It's also my job to deal with the flies.

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I've been doing some dumpster diving to see what I can find, but don't tell Ezra. He would freak out, and he rants quite enough as it is.

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Ezra has mostly been developing his skills so he can get a promotion. He keeps a journal (and actually keeps it locked, so I can't tell you what he says).

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And we found a telescope so he can look at the stars when the smog clears. He gave himself a scare the other night when he thought he saw a meteorite approaching, but nothing ever dropped.

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I've been exploring a bit. I found an old warehouse where I could do some recycling. Someone was petitioning to have it turned into a community space for making things -- ecologically sound things, of course.

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I signed off on it, and the place has been transformed. There's even a place where kids can draw.

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I also went to San Myshuno last Sunday to check out their flea market. While I was there, I burned my mouth on some samosa, but at least it was a change from pizza.

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Ezra got a job as a Salaryworker, and he's suffering from burnout already. I took a job as a scientist. It's kind of against my freegan principles, but I plan to quit as soon as we have enough money to provide ourselves with power and water so we can go off the grid again.

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How am I going to do that? you might ask. Well, I built a SimRay for myself, and I can use it to transform cheap objects into things that are worth some simoleons. The kitty litter box was not worth much, but I did transform it into a sink that we could use in the bathroom.

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And our attempt to transform the Port Promise neighborhood seems to be going well. All the trash in the street turned into flowers practically overnight. Please tell Deanna and Gloria to move to Evergreen Harbor when they leave. With their help, we could transform the whole city.
Ezra reminded me to say thanks for everything, Aunt Pris. He says he'll write when he has something worth writing about.

Big hug, Colin

Colin and Ezra Delgato 2

[MarianT]

14. 11/100 Nooboos

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Dear Kyra, Blake, Colin, and Ezra,
Here's a tip for you for when you have children of your own: don't try to vacuum up those dust bunnies when the baby is asleep. You will just wake them up. All three of them.

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Anyway, it was wonderful hearing from you. Deanna and Gloria are lovely young ladies now. Both of them are responsible and both are working on conflict resolution. They're a big help with Beatrice, Larissa, and Kurt.

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Speaking of the little ones, Kurt is eating finger foods now. We haven't found any that he really likes yet.

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Liliana Kealoha, my newest mother-to-be, has been helping Larissa learn how to crawl. Larissa said her first word the other day. It was "rattle." But she also says "bottle" when she's hungry.

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Beatrice has been the star, pulling herself up to stand in her crib.

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As soon as she said her first word, "butterfly," I helped her become a toddler.

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She loves to wander, but can't manage stairs quite yet so stays on the porch.

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Gloria gained the mediator trait and had her birthday, becoming a young adult. She's planning to move to Evergreen Harbor and wants to know if there are any clubs and any good-looking young men. She's trying to find her soulmate.

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Hers wasn't the only birthday. Angelo and Pedro Kealoha were born right after she moved out. Deanna is still around to help, but you all are welcome to come over any time. I'll always be happy to see you, even if there aren't any screaming infants.

Hope you're all settling in and having a good time,

Much love, Aunt Pris

[MarianT]

15. Gloria Delgato

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Dear Aunt Pris,
So much has happened since I moved out that I decided to start with the most recent and important news -- I'm engaged! Even though he's a celebrity you've probably never heard of him. His name is Dirk Dreamer, and he's the all-time champion BlicBloc player, the only one to reach level 99.

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And now I'll back up a bit and take things in chronological order. As Colin and Ezra suggested, I did move into an apartment in Evergreen Harbor. It was quite a nice apartment but a bit small.

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My first afternoon, I went over to see them. Colin asked what kind of job I wanted and said that I could make good money making furniture and selling it in the community market or on Plopsy.

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But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I wanted to be an actress. I invested in a microphone and started jogging more to bring my weight down.

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Not that it mattered much what I weighed. After spending half an hour getting all of my measurements taken,

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I found myself in a one-size-fits-all Voidcritter costume. Still I got paid, and I sort of got a promotion -- my agency will offer me more interesting jobs in the future.

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I had a lot of free time before my next audition, so I decided to form a club. Its membership is limited to single young adults, and our activities are being friendly and romantic with each other. One of the people who signed up for it was Dirk Dreamer. You might want to remember this, Aunt Pris, for the next time you come across a celebrity who is pregnant: when you meet a celebrity in a club, it's very easy to get to know them. Dirk's a 4-star celebrity, and I've only just now gotten my first star, but the difference in our status never factored into our relationship. He says he knows I'm destined to be a global superstar anyway.

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And ours has not been the only romance to come out of the club. Salim and Leslie Holland have been hitting it off quite nicely.

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Anyway, Dirk asked me out on a date soon after we met.

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And then he started dropping in for lunch.

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And then we moved in together. We're in a house in San Sequoia now.

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It came with a nursery, but Dirk converted that to an office. We thought about moving into a townhouse there, but Dirk said that wasn't a good idea. He said we'd get tired of people fainting when they encountered us picking up our mail or something. People really do faint when they see Dirk. Luckily they're other gamers, like Raj Rasoya, rather than attractive young women, or I might get jealous. (Note: the first thing I did was persuade him to get rid of the furry turban that he called hair.)

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Anyway, both of us had to work on Love Day. My schedule ran from 9 to 5, when I turned in a stellar performance as a pirate deckhand dependent on some floor cleaner for my deck.

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Dirk had to work from 2 to 11. But he proposed the minute he came home, which was so sweet that I said yes.
So, thanks for raising me and Colin and Ezra and Deanna, Aunt Pris. Because of all your hard work, I'm sure I'll be blissfully happy.
Big hugs from me and Dirk, Gloria


P.S. I forgot to mention that you might consider forming a club with the natural mothers of your infants. Have them meet at the house and participate in baby care.

Gloria Delgato 2

[MarianT]

16. 1 Teen, 3 Toddlers, and 2 Infants

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Dear Kyra, Blake, Ezra, Colin, and Gloria,
My, that list is getting longer. I'm so proud of all of you. To begin with, Gloria very intelligently suggested that I form a club of the nooboos' parents and get them to help out. Unfortunately, changing diapers and doing tummy time aren't on the list of approved club activities, but the little ones can make their needs known and get someone to feed them or bathe them. Change diapers, too, but that's a little harder to get a response to. Our name is the Mamas Club, and our icon, the Mama Bear.

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The main thing is that I can have responsible adults around when I need to get some sleep.

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Bella Goth has been a big help when she's here. She works Monday through Friday during the day.

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I don't know the schedules for Clara Bjergsen and Liliana Kealoha exactly, but Clara is a chef and Liliana a bartender, so they mostly work nights.

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We've had a few birthdays since you left, Gloria. Larissa is now a toddler (and a little charmer). She never did learn to crawl or try to stand up, but she is making up for lost time.

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Kurt became an independent big boy. I think he's my first infant who actually mastered crawling.

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Angelo and Pedro are now full-fledged infants. Angelo is cautious and a frequent sneezer, while Pedro is wiggly and an early riser.

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Kurt loves providing raspberries (that's Pedro, in gray).

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And Larissa is making friends with our pet dragon (but she says she would prefer a kitten).

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The most important birthday has been Deanna's.

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She's been a big help to me, chatting with Kurt...

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...and encouraging Angelo to lift his head.

I really miss her now that she's gone. I hope none of you minds; I sent her off with a little more money than usual. As I said, I relied on her a great deal, to the detriment of her studies, I'm afraid. She never had time for homework, and usually didn't get much sleep, which meant she graduated with a D average. That means she'll be starting at the bottom of whatever career track she picks.
But I do love all of you very much. Feel free to drop in any time.
Much love, Aunt Pris

[oshizu]

What a clever idea to convert the Shipping Views containers into a residential rental!
I'm really enjoying how having Auntie Priscilla's charges grow up and move out lets you tell so many different stories!

How diligent of you to use the Dust the Bust kit (which I don't own).
Haha, as if Priscilla's life weren't hectic enough with all the babies!
Lastly, all the toddlers are adorable!  And, Watcher, you're over 10% done!

[MarianT]

Thanks @oshizu! I have to say, the easy part of this is following each of the grown-up charges. A household of toddlers and infants is stressful -- lots of crying and lots of little green clouds. I usually can't play Priscilla's save for more than 20 minutes, a half-hour at most.

Actually, only 6%, in terms of Sims moved out, but 11% in terms of being finished with infants. Toddlers are a breeze by comparison.

[oshizu]

Thanks @oshizu! I have to say, the easy part of this is following each of the grown-up charges. A household of toddlers and infants is stressful -- lots of crying and lots of little green clouds. I usually can't play Priscilla's save for more than 20 minutes, a half-hour at most.

Actually, only 6%, in terms of Sims moved out, but 11% in terms of being finished with infants. Toddlers are a breeze by comparison.

For me, infants are the hardest life stage to play.  Infants require so much attention which makes them much more time-consuming than even toddlers!
I agree that infants make the toddler stage seem fun!

[MarianT]

17. Deanna Delgato

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Dear Aunt Pris,
First of all, thank you for everything! I'm sure there must have been times when you found me very tiresome, especially when I was a toddler. Still, you hung in there with me. Thanks also for the money to find a place to live, but I have to tell you -- the extra 5000 simoleons didn't carry over. Something to remember for the future.
I found a nice little place in a trailer park here in Strangerville.

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I made a few changes in the decor, and think I'll be happy here.

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Everyone's been very friendly, and when I met a bunch of people from the military in the bar, they suggested that I join up. Even as a raw recruit, I'm making good money, better than any other entry-level position I could have gotten, I think.

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Still, I have to admit that people in Strangerville are, well, strange. These two ladies claimed to be the Welcome Wagon. But I left when they asked me to "join" them.

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I went to the local library to find out what I could about the town and met a scientist there who was willing to talk. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this," she started, and then told me that the team she was on had succeeded in making contact with an alien life form. "But it's a big secret, so don't talk to anyone else about it," she concluded.

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Hmm, alien life form, weird residents, and an oddly shaped and rather threatening cloud formation -- I couldn't wait to find out more.

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The guy who ran the local curio shop had plenty to add. Normally I wouldn't pay much attention to someone wearing a colander decorated with Christmas tree lights, but when Erwin said "conspiracy" and "cover-up," I had to agree with him.

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He told me I should go to the not-so-secret lab and see what evidence I could gather.

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When I told him I had some blurry photos, hastily scrawled notes, and a couple of files, he suggested we go out on a date! But I think he was more interested in the information than in romance.

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I had enough stuff to get a key card and get access beyond the abandoned desks and files.

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A purple cloud of spores greeted me when I went downstairs, but I found a chemical analyzer in a room that was spore-free.

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Erwin was concerned when I told him about my discoveries.

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"You see how that cloud has turned purple?" he said.

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"What you need is a HazMat suit." As chance would have it, he sold them at his shop.

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With the suit on, I was able to go all the way to the bottom of the secret lab. There I found another note, with directions for making a vaccine.

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To make a long story short, I vaccinated Erwin, Latisha, and one of Erwin's conspiracy buddies Elmer. Together we attacked the "alien life form," a giant, tentacled plant.

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We had almost succeeded in defeating it, when it grabbed me by my ankle. I was out of vaccine so didn't have any more ammunition to fight it with. After slamming me to the ground a few times (luckily the HazMat suit is pretty bouncy), the overgrown orchid let go.

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Elmer, Latisha, and Erwin have all moved in with me, and together we're going to go after the plant again. We bought a house up on the mesa in Strangerville. I'll send more pictures the next time I write. I think we'll get along fine. Fighting together is a real bonding experience. Anyway, we're going to train some more -- get everyone in better shape -- and definitely make more vaccine. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks again, Aunt Pris, and don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Love, Deanna

Deanna Delgato 2

[oshizu]

I didn't understand what Deanne wrote about "the extra 5,000 simoleons don't carry over."
Ahhhh, Deanne has gotten entangled in solving the StrangerVille Mystery.
You'd mentioned earlier that you were playing on Long, which must be why Erwin still runs the Curio Shoppe.  What fun!
I love that Erwin asked Deanne on a date!  I didn't know he even dated autonomously!  Nice work, Deanne!

I'm sorry to hear that the Mother overpowered Deanne and her crew on their first attempt.
Looking forward to hearing what steps they take to be better prepared for the next confrontation.
I'm really enjoying your version of the 100 Baby Challenge!  Each aged-up child moves out and faces their own mini-challenge.

[MarianT]

I didn't understand what Deanne wrote about "the extra 5,000 simoleons don't carry over."

Usually, I take 20,000 simoleons out of Priscilla's account and transfer it to the Sim moving out, but I wanted Deanna to be able to move into a more expensive apartment. However, when I move Sims out, I then save them to My Library on the Gallery and put them in a different save. So they still exist in the save where Priscilla and the nooboos are, but I play them in a different save (the Roswells and the Delgato children are all in the same save.) Apparently when you pull a Sim from My Library, they start with the default of 20,000 simoleons. That's also why Erwin is still at the Curio Shop -- he's been in existence only 4 Sim weeks.

I'm enjoying this version too! I like to play babies to children, but I also like to play young adult Sims just starting out. When I try a legacy or dynasty, I usually lose interest in the parents once the nooboos appear, but I also want to hurry through children and teens so I can start a new household. So there's usually a stretch where I just get bored and want to try something new. I'm hoping this will keep things fresh for me (and also for my readers).

[GlazeyLady]

I'm not keeping up well, but I am really enjoying the story - I love that you include chapters ("letters")  from the ones who have moved out. Thank you for explaining how you're doing that, with the save files . . . I was wondering if you'd turned aging off to keep the little ones from aging, or doing anything else unwanted, while you were playing the other households. (I haven't forgotten Cheyanne in my Big Dreams Dynasty getting pregnant with triplets in the 30 minutes I was away celebrating birthdays with cousins!)

[MarianT]

Wow, triplets! That's not something you'd forget in a hurry. Glad you're enjoying the story!

[MarianT]

18. 3 Toddlers and 2 Infants

Dear Deanna, Gloria, Carl, Ezra, Blake and Kyra,
First of all, well done, Deanna! and please be careful! I'm sending all of you her account of tackling the Strangerville monster.
Not much news here, but what little there is follows:

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The Mamas club has been doing so well that I've added two fathers -- Mortimer Goth and Bjorn Bjergsen. Do you think I should rename the club The Mamas and the Papas?

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I didn't get any pictures of Liliana into my last letter, but she's been helpful too. Besides feeding her own children, Angelo and Pedro, she cleans and helps out with the toddlers.

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We did have a little excitement. Our maid set the dryer on fire again. I managed to put his fire out.

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The flames persisted, however. But it gave me a chance to get over my own fear of fire. The firemen never did show up, but it's possible I was too busy to call them.

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I helped Pedro learned how to sit up.

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He's eating in the high chair now and seems to like everything -- especially as decoration.

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Angelo managed to figure out sitting up on his own.

As for the rest, I'm sending you a few pictures of toddlers being toddlers:
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Finally, Beatrice maxed all her toddler skills and is now a real big girl.

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She'd love to have a cat, but that's going to have to wait until she moves out on her own. Congratulations, Beatrice!

[oshizu]

*sings: All the leaves are brown and the skies are grey...

Do you find that having both parents in the club make them more distracted by each other and less attentive to their babes?
After the infant stage, toddlers seem so wonderfully self-sufficient (granted they still need to be provided meals and baths).
Priscilla's toddlers are all so adorable!

You have such infinite patience, Watcher! (Did I tell you that already?)
My recent twin infants were both Gassy.  I lasted about six sim-hours before I aged them both up to toddlers, lol!
One of them didn't earn the Top-Notch Infant trait, but the Happy Infant trait was well worth the stress I avoided!

Congratulations, Beatrice, on aging up to a child! I'm looking forward to finding out where destiny calls you!

[MarianT]

The parents mostly don't pay attention to their children, but the infants can get fed, changed and bathed by them (changing and bathing happen when you have the infant click on the changing table and the bathtub). Toddlers have even more interactions, as I discovered when working on a challenge several years ago when the toddler was the only person in the household you could control.

So yes, the parents pay more attention to each other, but they don't pay less attention to their infants than when the other parent was in the club. But having the fathers in the club gives the infants and toddlers more adults to get attention from.