Chapter 8: Week 1, Wednesday to SaturdayNow, Pippa is not exactly the maternal type. The only person she's ever wanted to nurture is herself. But Daddy's fortune is at stake, so Pippa embarks on motherhood.
People say toddlers are fun. Here's Pippa teaching Debbie to talk. Does Pippa look like she's having fun?
Teaching Debbie to walk isn't so bad, as long as they ignore the cockroaches.
Out of consideration for anyone reading this, I decided to spare you the pictures of the potty training. I trust you're suitably grateful. But believe me, Pippa's facial grimaces were a sight to see. And the potty training took a really long time.
On Sebastian's day off he takes Debbie to the library to give Pippa a break.
Finally, a break! What fun things does Pippa get up to with her precious free time? A party? An outing? Try cleaning and repairing the cheap plumbing fixtures that are always breaking down. She also finds time to clean the walls, as you will see presently.
The twins are in a bad mood most of the time. Their mood rarely gets up into the bubble, and a lot of the time Pippa goes around with a yellow plumbbob. This isn't because I'm not trying to keep them in a good mood - they just aren't happy with their circumstances. They're constantly getting negative moodlets from the cheap shower and stove, and the only fun object in the house is the small stereo. Sebastian goes and watches the television at the gym for a couple of hours before his work shift starts, but even so his promotions are coming very slowly. I hate to think what state the twins would be in if I hadn't splurged on good beds for them. By the end of the first week their happiness points earned are about half of what I would normally expect. Fortunately Debbie is a cheerful tot and is usually in a good mood. She loves playing outdoors - the cockroaches don't seem to bother her at all.
Nevertheless, by the end of the week Debbie has completed all her toddler tasks including having the books read to her at the library, so she is ready to age up. They splurge on a birthday cake and have a small celebration. Both Pippa and Sebastian are painfully aware that this is the closest they've come to a party in a whole week, which has to be a record for them.
