Last thursday a lot of Maxoids joined the moderated chat that was held at the official site. There's a lot of talk about where Bella has gone, and Maxis promises she'll be easier to find with the patch. A date for that patch is unsure. If you want to see your problems fixed, e.g. a game crash or freeze, corrupt graphics, etc., then you can fill out the Feedback Submission form. Using the information from there, Maxis will be able to reproduce errors and possibly fix them.

Back to the chat: the first expansion is also mentioned many times. Maxis is working on it, but cannot reveal any details yet. It's been stated before it will be released early 2005. Also, the expansions for the Sims 2 will not be 1:1 recreations of the packs for the Sims 1, although some elements might return. If you want to read more, get the chat transcript.