Rotation 1: Chapter 2: The Estmore's

        The Estmores quickly prove their affection and love for one another. Not only are Nathaniel and Susan young and in love but also there's just a feeling of security that washes over the couple as they take in the fact this place is their own. They can make their mark here, be known for something...back home they simply would've just ended up being headstones in a parish graveyard. Here though they can be known as one of the founding couples, proper pioneers, people who inspire. It's not only just exciting, but also fresh and invigorating. 

    Nathaniel takes the opportunity of harvesting the apples and plums present on this very last day of summer, especially because fall is coming and won't be till spring that the trees begin to produce again. He wants to be able to provide from the beginning rather than just live off their savings until they can have more of a bountiful harvest season. There's another reason to his urgency and that's related to his passion. Being on this orchard, his orchard, in a rural community motivates him and makes him feel at home. It's quite similar yet different to back home where it was decided for him who he should be. Here he can be whoever he wants and that is a man who is happily selling fruit from his orchard. 

    The relationship between these two lovebirds is made significantly better by the fact that Nathaniel is a man of his word. He actually did supply her with an easel and has been encouraging her to do what she loves. To pursue her passion. His encouragement goes to the point where he is even willing to pick up some of the slack in their home so she can enjoy her time with it. While things might change with time, these two just really are rather open about how much they like each other. Genuinely seems as though their marriage is one of friendship and romance which is certainly special. 

    Nathaniel with his bounty from the last day of summer decides to open the home business for the sake of not only income and passion but also practice for when a full harvest season will occur. Getting his first sale makes him quite giddy and eventually over time the business earns it's his star and begins to have a good reputation. 

    Susan Estmore has found life in Bourneford rather idyllic, most of it can be credited to her husband's tolerance of her passion but also because here she isn't held to any standards besides her own. Being able to manage a house by herself, do the cooking and the cleaning has been something she's found enjoyable and takes pride in. Her home and husband really have become her safe spaces, a place for her comfort, feelings and dreams. 

    With time, love and lack of birth control comes the pleasing news that Susan is certainly with child. Nathaniel is just beaming about the news and quickly spends his time rubbing his wife's emerging belly and talking to his child. There is just a lot of happiness here which is what Susan certainly needs as quite an anxious person. Nathaniel serves as the wall she can lean on whenever she needs the support or rest. Even in their sleep these two love being together, close and physical. 

    As the pregnancy progresses, the practices of the Estmore couple and home remain relatively the same. Susan manages the cooking and most of the cleaning, Nathaniel helps when he is needed. Affection still occurs despite her pregnancy, Susan almost feels as if Nathaniel is even more obsessed with her now that she is actively carrying his child. Overall there are no complaints or negative feelings from Susan and Nathaniel, they just are spending their time trying to prep for their baby to be born. The symbol of not only their love but also their hopes and dreams. 

    Susan is feeling very blessed with her pregnancy, things have been rather easy and she has had rarely any feelings of nausea or sickness. Here she is late in the night heavily pregnant and annoyed about how many times she has to wake up and pee. They've thought about names a little and Susan has decided that she really wants to name the baby, if it's a boy, after her husband. As she thinks it over she recognizes that things have gone better than she expected and for that she is thankful. Not only is she thankful but she is even more in love with her husband, especially after he proved to be a respectable man of his word. I just hope that life doesn't throw curve balls that shake what seems to be a very solid and loving couple. 

    Susan's first labor while deeply painful is one that reminds her of the strength of her own goddamn body. She first gives birth to a darling baby boy but she quickly begins to feel pains continue again, setting the boy on the floor in a moment of panic, she pushes again and there comes another baby. Another darling boy. As she looks at her two sons and her husband enters the room in pure shock at the fact they had twins, she feels the embrace of proper womanhood. They name the twins, Nathaniel Park (Park being Susan's maiden name) and Michael Joseph. But as they begin to admire their two sons side by side, they see that Nathaniel unfortunately is quite smaller and seems to be shaking...

    Nathaniel quickly gathers the reality that his namesake isn't meant for a long time on earth and scoops the boy into his arms. With tears in his eyes as his wife clutches the other babe to her bosom and cries, he actively feels his child sadly pass away. It's a very sad moment, an intimate one....one that neither Nathaniel or Susan will forget. Unfortunately, Nathaniel Park Estmore was simply not meant for more than a few minutes with his parents and brother.

    Susan and Nathaniel both grieve the loss of their firstborn, it can't be denied the trauma of that moment. Yet they grieve differently, Susan's tears come up most when she is spending time caring for her precious Michael. Whenever she looks at him she can't help but think of Nathaniel Jr. and how much Michael deserves to have his godsent companion by his side. The grief and pain just simply exhausts her and once Michael is content, she often takes to bed. While for her husband he expresses his grief when he is alone, when he doesn't feel pressure to be anybody's strong man but rather just simply Nathaniel.

    They lay Nathaniel Park Estmore Jr. to rest behind their house. They don't have much of a ceremony because their son was deserving of so much more than formalities. His life was so short, only a few minutes, one that seemed full of physical pain. They want their darling boy to just rest in peace, close to his family's hearth.

    William Bray comes over in the night and finds Nathaniel outside just trying to find comfort in the trees that make up his orchard. William introduces himself to a very calm and numb Nathaniel, explaining that he heard about the loss of their child. William simply wanting to be able to be here as a possible friend and companion for Nathaniel, especially as it is so hard for men to have the space for the emotion of sadness. The two men end up chatting for a few hours and genuinely it is what Nathaniel needed...a conversation focused on other matters. The two men bond over childhood stories and their love for their wives.

    It is with time and focus on their son, Michael that the hearts of Susan and Nathaniel truly begin to heal. While they will always long for Nathaniel Jr. and have wished life turned out differently for him, they begin to cope with the reality that time does heal and their surviving son deserves active and available parents. Michael Joseph is such an adorable and precious baby with his mother's ginger hair and brown eyes. It is in him that they find hope and a way forward. 

    Susan has changed since she gave birth and lost one of her babies, but she knows she must stay looking towards the future and when she does think of the future she thinks of her blond husband who she deeply loves. When she asks to paint a portrait of him, he readily agrees in an effort to not only reaffirm his support of her passions but also because he knows that for her art will help her heal. 

    These two also begin to continue in their passion, the loss of their son only seeming to add to the depth of their bond and love. In Nathaniel, Susan finds not only a foundation but also a man who can both be strong and soft. A proper companion, a provider  and a good father. In Susan, Nathaniel finds not only his beautiful wife who has been made timid by the world but also a woman who he wants to protect and forever cherish. Not only is she a good mother but she also brings out in him a feeling he never experienced before. It is in each other's eyes that the world makes sense and life feels worthy of living. 

    When the portrait is finished and Susan does her grand reveal, the reaction Nathaniel has feels otherworldly. He not only feels seen but also genuinely feels himself close to tears, which of course he tries to push down, but it's just simply beautiful. He genuinely feels so thankful that Susan is his wife, the woman he gets to have by his side till they're old and grey. It is in her that he finds his confidence. They share a rather intimate moment before finding their way back into their marital bed where they spend an hour or more just being in each other's embrace. For Susan, Nathaniel is her muse which is something I find simply beautiful. 

    Michael Joseph Estmore grows up into a rather adorable toddler. The young boy has his mother's freckles, paler complexion, ginger hair and brown eyes which only makes him more loveable. Seeing their son grow and develop has made both Susan and Nathaniel long for more children because being parents simply seems like the most beautiful calling that one can have. 

    Whenever Nathaniel is able to find time to step away from the business and spend with his son, he does. Michael is simply a wonderful and easy little boy and being a father is just simply so rewarding. Michael has the privilege of being spoiled and deeply cherished, hopefully something which will provide him with a strong foundation for the life ahead of him.

    The rotation for the Estmore family ends with a very happily pregnant Susan doting on her precious little boy. While she is not a family sim, she does find much fulfillment and comfortability in being his mother. Through his eyes she is able to seeing the world again for the first time and it's been not only inspiring but an important reminder of what actually matters in life. Truly she feels so happy that God sent her this little boy.