make my mistakes look gracious;

text to: hubby

Grayson: marriage and pb/mustard/pickles meals are 2 different things

Grayson: but ok fine if u think it'll help u should obviously eat ur weird pregnancy foods (and i will still get two kinds of ice cream too)

Sophia: You said you'd love me for better or for worse!! In sickness and in heath!! This counts!

Sophia: But thank you babe :*

Sophia: Mint chocolate chip and cookie dough, please! (for the ice cream I mean)

Sophia: Can you also check to see if they have portable chargers at the store? I think I saw a few the other day.

text to: hubby

Grayson: k

Grayson: wait ok ur not like....gonna combine all those things right

Grayson: bc i love you and you are beautiful, the mother of my unborn chidlren, etcetc....but i dont think i could stomach watching you eat pickles dipped in peanut butter and mustard

Sophia: You're telling me you can marry me but not watch me eat pickles dipped in peanut butter or mustard?! I'm offended.

Sophia: The mommies in the yoga class said it was good :(

Sophia: Ok fine-- but i expect two different kinds of ice cream to make up for it!!!!

text to: hubby

Sophia: Hey hot stuff, father of our unborn child, your darling wife would be greatly appreciative if you picked up the following items:

Sophia: 1. pickles

2. peanut butter

3. mustard

4. chocolate-- lots of chocolate!!!!

5. ice cream

6. potato chips

Sophia: Andrew has also requested all of his favorite junk food!!

Sophia: Also I think we should order a pizza tonight. Love you! xoxo

Well…let’s do it for sure then! God, I haven’t been back to Oakview in…actually I’m not sure how long it’s been. Ages.

And yeah, of course I have! He’s doing good. I guess Ashwin’s off traveling for some art show again so he’s sulking a bit, but otherwise good.

#lOSER #but ok fine we can do that #lol 'inseparable' more like pining over each other bYE

I haven’t been back in a while either. Part of me thinks that, like, we’ll make it there and my phone will buzz with an “unknown number” again. Ridiculous, right?

That’s great! Not the sulking part, obviously, but I’m glad he’s doing well. They really are inseparable, aren’t they?

Really? …yeah, it might be kind of great to see my mom’s face when we tell her.

If we go over the next break, Sam might be home too.

#sophia loves sAM SO MUCH #forget my pregnancy hOW IS SAM

Right? My dad, too. I think it’ll be nice to see everyone and tell them in person.

That would be great! Have you heard from him? How is he doing?

Of course! What’s up?

#wow sophia sounds so grown up #gross

So, I was thinking... I would be nice to go back to Oakview, right? Tell everyone in person about our big news.

Hey, Gray? Can you come here for a second?

somehow, baby, it’s part of me and part of you.

“Oh. What’s up then?” Grayson asked when Sophia spoke up again, asserting that she wasn’t sick. He expected a simple answer, but apparently that wasn’t what was going on. At her suggestion, he followed her to the couch, heart picking up speed before the conversation even started: Grayson knew Sophia well enough to know that this wasn’t normal behavior, and that this could mean something either very good, or very bad. Either way he kept quiet, waiting for Sophia to explain what was going on. She started off by merely explaining things he already knew: she’d been sick lately, for no discernible cause.

It wasn’t until she mentioned the pregnancy test, smile on her face, that Grayson froze in place, fervently praying that she was saying what he thought she was saying. It seemed like it was fairly obvious what she meant, where this was going… but Grayson almost didn’t want to believe it until she confirmed it. Although he had been optimistic for the past few months, this was something else entirely that he felt now, something more intense than mere optimism. It would be too painful to get his hopes up this high without cause.

But then there it was, spoken aloud — I’m pregnant, Gray. We’re having a baby.

Even though he’d hoped and suspected for days, it still seemed almost too good to be true after the past six months of trying. “Are you sure?” he blurted, more of a rhetorical question than anything else. As if she would ever lie to him about this, or somehow misread the pregnancy test. His grin threatened to overwhelm his face, and Grayson didn’t really wait for an answer, his mind already jumping ahead to what they’d need to do over the next nine months. Prepare space in their house, tell their families, talk to Andrew about what being a big brother meant…the list went on and on, and Grayson knew their lives were about to change drastically.

Because they were having a baby together. Officially.

“Oh my God,” he said uselessly, the full impact of it hitting him. They were having a baby. He might’ve known that abstractly ever since Sophia agreed to try, but this was different. This wasn’t abstract. This was real. There was the beginnings of a child in Sophia right now, slowly but steadily growing. The last time a partner had told him she was pregnant, Grayson remembered feeling like the nine months were a deadline, a countdown to a death sentence. Now that he knew how wrong he’d been about though, Grayson only felt ecstatic this time around. Hopefully the next nine months would fly by. “Oh my God,” he repeated, looking over at Sophia with a smile that felt full enough to burst at the seams. Then, after a pause to collect his thoughts, Grayson managed to say something else. “Have long have you known?”

Sophia could burst with excitement over Grayson’s reaction. She didn’t think he wouldn’t be excited, of course, considering this was his idea. Sophia was on the fence about it for a while, even while they were trying to conceive for what seemed like forever. Her biggest fear was that she wouldn’t be a good mom. Every child deserved to come into the world ready and welcomed, and Sophia thought she could nail that perfectly, but could she do it right? The brunette hadn’t had enough time to solidify what she thought made a good mother. She could see herself down the line, stomach large and round, wishing she could call up her mother for advice. Right now baby books would have to do, and the occasional ring for Grayson’s mother or her own step mother, Jacqueline.

She couldn’t help but beam brightly towards Grayson, who looked just about ready to burst himself. His reaction was overwhelmingly endearing, and she reached out to hug him out of impulse. Whenever anything happened-- good, bad, or otherwise-- Sophia wanted Grayson’s arms wrapped around her. It made her feel safe, secure, and as if nothing bad could ever happen to her. She also wanted to hold him, her husband, the father of her child. This was a huge step for them, and one she couldn’t picture taking with anyone other than Grayson.

“Like, a few hours,” she admitted, still giddy from the announcement. Once letting her arms fall from around Grayson’s neck she looked him right in the eye, blue to blue, and felt her orbs start to water. She would like to blame it on the crazy amount of hormones swimming through her body at this very moment, preparing to house a baby for nine months, but she also knew she’d become very emotional over the past few years. With age came the realization that crying wasn’t weak, but a way to cope and get bad emotions out. Sophia whipped a few tears that dared to spill on her face, all the while smiling so wide her cheeks were starting to ache. “This is crazy, right? Good crazy, but like... we’re having a baby. God, we made a baby,” she could say it again and again without getting tired of it. “Can you imagine, just... Wow, I never even thought about this-- about all of this-- about you and me, a baby... I mean, we met in high school.” Sophia laughed to herself, fully aware of her incessant rambling. “And now we’re having a baby.”

somehow, baby, it’s part of me and part of you.

Grayson leaned into Sophia’s arms again, melting a bit at the pride in her voice and in her words. Sure, Grayson was no longer the insecure wreck he used to be, but he still loved to hear that Sophia was proud of him and happy with what they were building together. “Thanks,” he said, smiling as they pulled away. Part of him just wanted to stay curled up with Sophia, but there would be time for that after a celebratory dinner. He’d become more of a homebody than ever now that he loved home so much, but he wanted to take Sophia out for her own sake too, not just to celebrate the raise. He was fully aware that she’d given a certain standard of living to be here with him, and while she didn’t seem to mind, he still wanted to treat her once in a while.

She seemed opposed though, and Grayson frowned slightly. “You can’t?” he questioned, until she pressed her hand against her stomach, her expression worried. “Oh, are you still feeling sick?” Grayson said, believing that he understood the situation now. Given the past few mornings, it didn’t seem too far fetched of an answers after all. “Here, we don’t have to go out. We can stay home, heat up leftover soup, and watch some TV if you want? Or we can just go to bed, if you’d rather lay down and be near the bathroom.”

If she threw up now then that would make it the second time today, and he frowned in sympathy. “And you said you don’t have a temperature or anything too, right?” If it was a fever that would be one thing, but it didn’t seem to be. And so as much as he wanted to track down some anti-nausea pills for her at CVS Pharmacy, it might be a bad idea to take random pills — just in case it ended up being pregnancy as opposed to illness. Again, it was something neither of them had dared to say out loud yet, but she had to be thinking it as much as he was. Either way though, Grayson was fully prepared to stay in for the night, trying to help her feel better.

“Oh, no, I’m--” Sophia was about to interject, but Grayson kept going, talking about spending a comfortable night in. It sounded inviting, really. Sophia liked when they had nights to themselves where they could go out to a nice dinner and come home when they had enough. Nights where they stayed together cuddled up against one another, a mindless movie playing in the background; those were her favorite nights, honestly. Sophia had always been a homebody, even when she lived in a congested area like New York City.

“I’m not sick,” she started up again. It was the truth, and she didn’t want Grayson to think they needed to spend the night in or head right off to bed just because she’d been having morning sickness. Sure she’d fought off a few nauseous feelings during the day, but at night she was perfectly fine. They could still go out, just no to a place that had only raw fish on the menu. “I just...” She could continue to say she wasn’t in the mood for seafood, and offer up an Italian restaurant, or some other alternative. But the jumping feeling was back, the feeling that made her think she could run a mile and not even break a sweat. She was beaming inside, excited and nervous but happy. She was like that all of the time with Grayson, but now, it was so much more.

Instead of holding it off, forcing out a lie she knew Grayson would see right through, she suggested he accompany her on the couch. Once she felt his weight next to hers, she suddenly felt nervous. This was what they’d been working for. It took them six months to get here, and they had finally reached the finish line: she was pregnant. But she wanted to put it the right way, so it in a way that made it memorable. She also wanted to just say it, finally say that she was having a baby-- that they were having a baby.

“So, y’know how I’ve been like, getting sick a lot recently?” She was sure he’d nod along, obviously aware of her runs to the bathroom at the wee hours of the morning. “Well, I was worried-- but, like, we checked my fever, and I didn’t have one. And I haven’t had one.” Now she was just rambling, her clammy hands reaching out to take his larger ones. “So, I went to the pharmacy today after work, just to humor myself and get a... a pregnancy test.” Sophia wanted to force the smile from her face, knowing she’d give away the news long before even having the chance to say it. “And, like... it was positive. It had two, little pink lines. I’m pregnant, Gray. We’ve having a baby.”

somehow, baby, it’s part of me and part of you.

Grayson wasn’t the type of person who ever told himself not to get his hopes up. Not anymore at least. Maybe in high school he would’ve focused on trying to stay cynical, but nowadays things were just too plain good for that. He had Andrew, he had Sophia, and sooner or later, they’d have a new addition to his family. Possibly sooner rather than later. Grayson felt like a bit of a jerk, but this past week, as Sophia spent each morning in the restroom, he couldn’t help but secretly hope that it was a good sign. Sure vomiting was hrrible, but what if it was morning sickness? He hadn’t been able to bring himself to say it, but the thoguht was still there. Especially since he remembered holding Alexis’ hair back all those years ago. This could truly mean that Sophia was pregnant, and for the past few days, that had been the only thing he could think about.

….until today, at least. Because today, his boss had pulled him into her office and rewarded him with a pay raise. The timing was perfect — even if Sophia wasn’t pregnant yet she would be soon, and with a new baby on the way the extra money would be a godsend. They might both love their jobs, but neither of them were exactly lucrative, and babies were expensive. There was food, toys, new clothes every few months as they aged…Grayson remembered his college days, subsisting entirely on ramen and borrowing textbooks on friends so he could send that extra few hundred on things for Andrew. Of course it had been completely worth it, but that didn’t mean things had to be that way the second time around. Essentially, the raise had single-handedly made his day, and Grayson happily made his way home to tell Sophia.

She seemed to be in a good day as well, immediately enveloping him in an embrace before he’d even entered the house. When they pulled away, Grayson beamed at her. “Guess who just got a raise,” he announced, grabbing her hand and walking into the house. “Me, obviously,” he added, answering his own rhetorical question. “Are you feeling up for celebrating? There’s this new sushi place that just opened up downtown. It’s kind of pricey, but like I just said…I got a raise!” Grayson said, sounding as excited as he felt.

Sophia was nothing less than ecstatic after hearing the great news. Today just seemed to be a great day. “That’s amazing!” She cried, quickly pulling him back for another embrace. After she encircled her arms around his neck the let go to place a soft and delicate hand on his cheek. “I’m really proud of you,” she spoke softly, hoping that her endless smile spoke volumes of her pride. “Really, I am. You deserve it.” Sophia let her thumb stroke his cheek gently before pulling away and allowing him to continue on with what he was saying.

The brunette liked to indulge every once and a while. As a highly payed journalist she was having sushi and drinking expensive wine on the regular, but now as a high school guidance counselor she had to cut back on the not-so-needed lavish expenses. If she wasn’t pregnant-- which she was, holy shit she was-- Sophia would be excited at the idea of the two of them sharing a California Roll while she sipped a glass of red wine. But all of that was out of the question now.

“I can’t eat that,” she blurted out, her mind already canceling out all of the foods she should be avoiding in order to keep a healthy pregnancy last full term. All too suddenly she realized that Grayson wasn’t aware of the fact that she was carrying his child, so she cleared her throat in order to buy some time for an explanation. “I mean, that’s a great idea, babe, but I’m not in the mood.” with a tight frown Sophia placed a hand on her stomach as if to allude to the fact that there was something there. It was instinct almost, and she finally understood why every pregnant woman every seemed to place their hand on their stomach at random times. It was all so surreal.

somehow, baby, it’s part of me and part of you.

Sophia would be lying if she said she didn’t think this was all going to be easy. She knew how babies were made, thanks to the extensive high school education she had received, and yet... it wasn’t working. Sophia was starting to get frustrated, even worried that she would never be able to have a baby. After six long months of trying it seemed like they might have to find other options. Although Sophia was enjoying herself,-- even far past all of the sex. She was happy and excited and so in love with Grayson. Even if it was just all of the hormones she was taking-- she was doubting herself. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be a mother.

And then she got sick. It was Monday morning at three-fifteen am when she was awaken with the sudden urge to vomit. She quickly pulled the covers off of her limp body and rushed her way into the adjoining bathroom. The first time Grayson hadn’t even shifted in his sleep, but by six am he finally got up to comfort her. It had been happening the rest of the week as well: getting a few hours of sleep only to hurry her way to the bathroom to get sick. Sophia was sure she and Grayson had the mutual thought, but no one brought it up. She didn’t want to jinx her chances, so instead she bought herself a pregnancy text on her way home from work that day. Resisting the urge to have a glass of wine while she waited, Sophia paced back and forth in front of the bathroom sink. By four and a half minutes she started to see the formation of two pink lines, and she triple checked the given instructions. Two lines meant she was pregnant. Sophia was pregnant.

She cried first, sobs of pure joy rolling down her cheeks mixed with the black tint of her mascara. Sophia tried her best to look presentable by the time Grayson came home, and although she wanted to burst with how excited she was she wanted to make the moment special. She could barely sit still, trying to focus on the television in front of her and not pounce when she heard her husband’s car pull up in the driveway. When he got to the door, however, she couldn’t contain herself. She offered a warm hug and a welcoming kiss before he entered the door.

Aww, it’s always nice to be appreciated.

Gabe’s okay I guess, but Layla? Have you ever, in your whole life, met anyone who’s actually named that?

That’s the point! Look, I don’t want our kid worried to raise their hand for attendance not knowing if they’re looking for another student. Did you know in college I had a class with three other Sophia’s-- three of them, Grayson. I want our kid to be unique.

#but sophia DOES

I didn’t know having a grande total of one, possibly two A named kids made it an obsession.

But fine, fine, I’ll branch out to other letters.

#and here sophia tries to think of cute and kind of uncommon names #and grayson's like #'lets name our kid alexander'

You’re no help. It’s a good thing you’re really hot or else I’d say you’re completely useless.

What about Gabe? That could be cute, right? Or Layla.

Always. And uh…Alexander, Alexandria? Landon? …Grayson Anthony the Second?

#awks bc they don't even pICK A NAME that starts with A

So, you want Andrew to have a brother named Alexander or a sister named Alexandra? Since when were you such a fan of A names? And as much as I love your name we are not making our kid a junior.

Avery? Abigail? Aiden? Austin? How about those to fuel your A obsession?

I don’t know…there’s nothing really wrong with them, but I don’t really love them either. Jamie’s my fav from that batch though…mostly because it cuts our work in half.