2 weeks later
Elena's POV
"Caroline, the scan isn't for another hour, we have time!" I laugh at my friend, who seems more stressed about us making our appointment than we are.
"I'm just trying to make sure you're on time, that's all." She brings her hands up mock-defensively and I can't help but smile.
"It won't take more than fifteen minutes to get there, don't worry." I take a sip of my tea before seeing Stefan and Klaus reenter the room, both laughing with each other.
"Now that you're both in the room, are you going to find out the gender?" I glance at Stefan, silently questioning whether we're planning on letting people know that we're going to find out the gender. He replies with silent encouragement to answer.
"Yes, we are." Cue the squeals and clapping from Caroline. She looks so excited you'd think it's her who's having a baby.
"That's so exciting! What are you betting it's going to be?"
"I think you'll have another girl," Klaus states.
"See, I'm not sure. I reckon a boy," Caroline counters with a smile.
"I think it's going to be a boy, mother's intuition," I smile smugly.
"What about you, Stefan?"
"Boy," he replies. "Three against one." He laughs before turning his attention to Klaus, who looks as if he's trying to hold back a laugh.
"I can't wait to find out! Are you telling everyone when you know?"
"Yeah, we're telling everyone. My mum made us promise we'll tell her as soon as we know," I reply.
"She's such an enthusiastic grandmother, I love it."
"She is, she was like this with Layla too. She's been talking about being a grandmother practically since Stefan and I got together," I laugh.
Caroline laughs as well. "Oh, I remember that! Your dad used to go bright red whether she brought it up!" I grin at the memory, he used to always avoid talking about it and always used to stutter if he was confronted with the idea of Stefan and I getting married and having kids. To be fair, Stefan and I would react in the same way since firstly, we hadn't been dating for all that long before she started teasing us about it, and secondly, at that time we were too young to be thinking about kids and marriage.
"In his defence, I think all dads are like that with their daughters. Isn't that right, Stef?" I reply, turning towards my husband.
"Oh, absolutely. Layla isn't having a boyfriend until she's at least 40 minimum." I laugh out loud at my husband's protectiveness over our daughter, I've never thought he'd be anything different. He's such an amazing dad that it makes my heart melt. I think Caroline can tell what I'm thinking since she subtly winks in my direction, which I return with a knowing smile.
We spend another twenty or so minutes talking with Klaus and Caroline before deciding to head off so that we won't be late for the appointment, even if there is traffic. As soon as we get into the Maternity Unit in the hospital we check-in at reception before taking a seat and waiting for my name to be called. It's fair to say that I'm not hiding my excitement very well as I see Stefan suppress a laugh at my giddy expression. Although, he must be feeling the same way as he squeezes my hand in response to my excitement.
"Elena Salvatore." We immediately stand up at the sound of my name being called and follow her into the consultancy room, where we're then met with our midwife, Mary.
"Hey you two, have a seat." She greets us before we both sit down on the two chairs against the wall.
"So, you're well into your second trimester now. Have you noticed any changes to the first trimester?"
"I've definitely got more energy now than what I had in the first trimester, and I feel like my emotions are a little more under control."
"That's good, definitely normal for the transition from the first to the second trimester." She types something into the computer before turning to us. "Would you like to see your baby?"
Of course, we both nod at her question and make our way towards the bed. Once I'm on the bed and my top has been pulled up, she squeezes the gel onto my stomach and glides the wand over the gel.
"Okay, so here they are." We both smile at the beautiful baby on the screen and subconsciously my fingers entwine with Stefan's. We're both silently mesmerised by the sight of our second child.
"Are you planning on finding out the gender?" I break out of my trance to answer her question with a nod.
"Okay then, an exciting moment." She concentrates on the screen again, moving the wand to a new position on my stomach, I'm guessing to work out the gender.
"So... it would appear that you're having a baby girl!" My lips immediately curl into a smile before I turn to Stefan and equally see a smile on his lips. We're both drawn out of our moment as she begins to speak again.
"Oh wait, my apologies," she says. She concentrates again before moving the image."No, you're actually having a boy. The angle I was looking at him from was misleading." Wait, what?
"We're having a boy?" I question, the smile on my face growing even at the mere possibility.
"Yes, you're having a boy."
At that moment the tears begin to make their way down my face as I continue to admire our son. Our son. The words run through my head over and over again, like a roundabout. The most wonderful, enjoyable roundabout.
"Stefan," I say, barely a whisper. "We're having a boy." I gently cup his cheek with my free hand, catching the tears that are spilling from his eyes.
"We are," he replies. "I love him already, and I love you."
"We love you too." We share a small, light kiss before continuing to gaze and admire our son, our hands still tightly entwined together.
"Okay, so I've documented the gender and I'll just print these out for you. Everything looks fine and healthy, he's growing and developing well and the kicks will start to get more prominent now."
When the pictures have been printed, she hands me a tissue so I can wipe the gel off my stomach, before handing me the ultrasound photos.
"So we'll do a check-up in the next few weeks but your next ultrasound will be at 26 weeks so we can document how well they're growing and make sure everything's healthy."
"Thank you," we reply as Stefan helps me off the table. I shoulder my bag as we both listen to the last bits of information she gives us.
I'm still buzzing with excitement as we leave the hospital and make our way to the car. "So... who to call first?" He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me in closer as we walk across the car park. I realise I'm still holding the pictures so I, to prevent any damage to them, place them in the folder inside my bag.
"I'm thinking our parents first."
"Good thinking." We both get into the car and I take my phone out to dial my mum's number before putting her on speaker.
"Hiya!"
"Hey mum, we just got out. You're on speaker." I turn to Stefan and we share a smile before he laces his fingers with my own.
"And? Did you find out the gender?"
"We did... we're having a boy!" My smile widens at the simple thought, and I feel Stefan place a light kiss on my knuckles, expressing his content.
"Oh, you're having a boy! Ah, that's so exciting! I take it you're both happy?"
"Very happy," I reply and Stefan nods in agreement, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ah, a boy..." Her voice is wistful, and I can tell she's staring off into space again. "I'm so happy for the two of you. Congratulations."
"Thank you," we say. If I know my mum and believe me when I say I do, she's already begun looking up baby boy clothes and nursery ideas.
After my mum had been informed, we told Stefan's parents, Caroline and Klaus, Bonnie, Brian and Lexi, all of whom were overjoyed and happy for the two of us. As Stefan ignites the engine I get a message from my mum and when I open it I can't help but laugh at the fact that she's already begun to send me screenshots of cute baby boy outfits and boy decor for a nursery. She did this as soon as we found out I was pregnant with Layla, except she sent me neutral nursery decor ideas and clothing. I show Stefan the pictures and he laughs at her enthusiasm before mentioning that we'll have to start getting everything ready since we don't have any boy clothes or nursery items. Since the majority of baby things that we have are for a baby girl, we're going to have to start from scratch with this baby, meaning that there's a lot to be done and a lot of things to be bought.
I was so lost in thought thinking about everything that needs to be purchased that I didn't notice that we've made it home until I feel the jolt of the car stopping in our driveway.
As soon as I make contact with the sofa I let out a sigh, today has been exhausting and it's barely begun.
"Ugh I want to sleep but we have pick Layla up in an hour so I can't sleep," I say, closing my eyes and resting my head on his shoulder.
He kisses the top of my head. "You should sleep, you were up half the night. I'll go and pick her up."
"No, that's not fair on you. You're tired too, you stayed up with me." Layla's teething at the moment so she's been waking up consistently throughout the night, which has resulted in her being very restless during the day. She woke up so much last night that we ended up bringing her into bed with us, which helped some but not much since it resulted in us not being able to sleep since Layla tends to move around a lot when she sleeps.
"I'm used to sleepless nights." I smile, kiss his shoulder and snuggle my head against his chest. Despite my best efforts to fight off sleep, I feel myself slowly succumbing to it and drift off to sleep wrapped up in my husband's embrace.
When I wake up and after my vision clears, I realise I'm no longer sat with my husband and that I'm lying on the sofa with a pillow under my head and a blanket over me. I smile. Every time I fall asleep or take a nap Stefan always covers me with a blanket and gives me a pillow, he's adorable that way. I check my phone to realise that I slept for just over an hour and that Stefan must be out picking up Layla. I sigh before pushing myself off the sofa and making my way into the kitchen, sighing again when I see the state of the kitchen table and floor which is littered with mail, Layla's toys as well as mine and Stefan's paperwork. I figure I might as well be productive and tidy whilst the infant of the house is not here and isn't contributing to the mess. I manage to put away Layla's toys and begin sorting out my paperwork when I hear the door open and close before hearing the footsteps of a pair of little feet and smile as her little frame waddles into my view. She's been getting better at walking but she's still slightly wobbly and lacks confidence when she walks without something to hold onto.
"Hey baby," I smile and pick her up. "Was she good today?" I ask as Stefan comes into the kitchen.
"They said she was an absolute angel as always. Those exact words."
"Aw did you enjoy yourself today?" I kiss her cheeks and smile as she looks at me with a clueless expression on her face. I glance back at Stefan to see his gaze shifts to something outside, a smile stretching across his face.
"What-?" I turn around and realise what he's so interested in. It's snowing, and quite heavily too. Without saying anything else, we both move towards our back door to admire the snow falling from the sky.
"Layla, look! It's snow!" I say and smile at the fact that this is the first time that Layla has seen snow. It takes her a few moments but once she sees the snow a look of fascination spreads across her face and she leans forward to press her hands up against the glass of the door.
Considering how much we love the snow it doesn't take us long to decide to go out. We bundle up in coats, as well as gloves, a hat and scarf for Layla, before making our way out into the garden. The grass and patio are beginning to turn white from the settling snow and the air is crisp and fresh from the low temperature. I've always loved snow, and it always reminds me of the Christmas lights switch-on, as it never failed to snow during the event.
I close my eyes and look up, smiling as I feel the sting from the cold snow on my face.
"Look Layla," I say to her. I catch a few snowflakes on the palm of my hand and show her. She looks down at my outstretched hand and touches the snow with her gloved hands. She smiles at the cold on her fingers. I feel the contrasting warmth on my back from Stefan's body as he stands behind me, laughing at the fascination and amazement plastered on Layla's face.
After a few minutes of enjoying the snow, we both decide that it's far too cold to stay as we slowly lose feelings in our toes and fingers. I take off Layla's coat, hat, gloves and scarf before putting her down, seeing as she had already begun reaching for a toy that I'd apparently missed whilst I was tidying.
"You have a little red nose," Stefan smiles at me before kissing it and wrapping me up in his arms.
"It's because I'm secretly Rudolph."
"Well that would explain a lot," he replies.
"Hey!" I protest, all the while laughing. I look up at his smiling face and can't help but to smile back. He kisses my forehead before wrapping me up in his embrace again, which I'm immensely grateful for since I'm still freezing.
"Speaking of Rudolph, we should probably start getting ready for Christmas. Since it's just under three weeks away."
"I feel like this year just slipped away from us." My head rests on his chest as I let out a small sigh. I smile when I feel a kiss being placed on top of my head.
"Come to think of it, we've done a lot this year," he replies.
"We had our first baby," I start.
"We got pregnant with our second."
"We went on our honeymoon."
"One of the best years of my life." Hearing him say this makes my smile grow.
"Mine too." We connect our lips in a kiss that I never want to end (so, pretty much like all of the kisses that we share).
"I love you."
"I love you too." I rest my head back on his chest and let out a small sigh. We both watch as Layla babbles and giggles to herself whilst she pushes her toys across the kitchen floor. If I could, I would freeze this moment and live in it for the rest of eternity. It's the small and simple moments that I cherish the most. The sound of Stefan's voice brings my mind back to reality.
"You know...I have some ideas on names."
I smile in anticipation. "Oh yeah? What are they?"
"I was thinking..."
AN: Oh wow, it's been a while! I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated! I've had a recent surge of motivation to start writing again and what a good way to spare myself from boredom in this quarantine. Honestly, the last year has been absolute hell for me hence why I haven't actually updated in so long- but I'm hoping things will get better and I'll update more often! I hope you liked it and thanks for reading- you the true MVP!
-Chelsea x
P.S Did you really think I was going to give away the names that I had picked? Come on... ;)