"Amy," Sheldon called into the hallway from Katie's room. "Where is the shirt you wanted her to wear for her birthday party? I found the shorts on her dresser, but the shirt isn't here."
Amy entered the room with a small t-shirt in her hand. "I had to wash it first. It was still in the dryer."
"Are you sure you want to do this today? It's Katie's first birthday party, we can wait a little while before we say anything. This will take the attention away from Katie," commented the physicist while pulling the shirt over his daughter's head.
"She won't remember this. Hopefully, we'll get some cute pictures of everyone reading his shirt and figuring out what it means. I had a different idea, but then I found this shirt online and knew it would be perfect for today. We had already decided on a cat theme for her party," Amy pointed out while taking the one-year-old from Sheldon. "My parents and your mom should be here any minute. I asked them to get here a little early so we can tell them first."
Twenty minutes later, Amy's parents and Sheldon's mom were in the living room, watching Katie attempt to toddle around the room. After landing on her bottom one too many times, she let out a wail. "I've got her," Mrs. Fowler announced to the room, bending down to pick up her granddaughter. Sitting her on her lap, she straightened the toddler's shirt. "Do you have a cat on your shirt? I heard your whole party is going to be cats." It was at this point that she read what his shirt said. "Amy, why does Katie's shirt say 'Are you kitten me? I'm going to be a big sister.' Are you pregnant again?"
"Yes," Amy smiled and nodded, causing her parents and Mary to rush across the room to hug her. "That's why we asked you to come over early today. We wanted to tell you before everyone gets here."
"Another child is a blessing from the Lord," Mary exclaimed while moving from hugging Amy to hug Sheldon. "May I ask when we can expect this new little bundle?"
Sheldon answered his mother, "Amy's only about six weeks along, so not until the middle of next April."
"Two little kids is going to be a lot to handle, but I know you'll be fine," Larry commented. "Plus, Max seems to be really helpful, so that will make it a little less stressful."
"Thanks, daddy. There's one other thing," Amy started before being cut off.
Mary Cooper gasped. "Is it twins? Isn't it too early to find out if it's twins?"
"It's not twins that we know of, but it is too early to find out, so it's a possibility. One that we're not hoping for, but it's there. We haven't told our friends yet. We want them to see Katie's shirt and figure it out, so please don't say anything?" asked Amy, taking her son back from her mother. The room agreed, just as the group heard the first car pull into the driveway.
Penny and Leonard were the last of their friends to arrive. Penny sent Leonard and Rory outside and found Amy in the kitchen with Bernadette and Mary. "Do you need any help in here?" She asked, making her presence known.
"Can you grab the veggie tray and bring it outside?" Mary directed her. "I think everything we should be good once these things are outside." The women chatted amongst themselves as they arranged the last platters on the table that had been designated for the food in Sheldon and Amy's backyard.
Bernadette had sent Halley and Michael outside with Howard when they arrived, but four-year-old Halley ran over the minute he spotted his mother in the backyard. "Mommy, Katie has a cat shirt on, just like me."
"That's exciting. There's lots of cat stuff here, isn't there. I better say happy birthday to Katie, let's go see her shirt," Bernadette followed her daughter to where Katie was playing with Rory and Michael in the sandbox. "Happy birthday, Katie. Michael wanted me to see the cat on your shirt." Katie smiled at Bernadette and pointed at the image on her chest. The short blonde read the words on the shirt before calling across the yard, "Penny! Come here!"
Amy stood near Sheldon, watching the women from the corner of her eye and nudged Sheldon's hand when Penny's eyes went wide reading the shirt. The girls watched the kids playing, kneeling to join them for a few minutes. Amy could see them whispering back and forth and was a little surprised they hadn't rushed over to question her about Katie's shirt.
The adults enjoyed conversation and the little kids continued to play, with Max bouncing between the two groups. Realizing neither Penny nor Bernadette were in a rush to ask about Katie's shirt, Amy suggested it was time for cake and presents. It was only when Raj wanted to take a picture of the birthday girl that someone brought up her shirt. "Uh, guys. What does Katie's shirt mean?"
Leonard and Howard quickly whipped their heads around to get a look at the shirt and turned back to stare at their wives. "Did Amy swear you to secrecy again?" Leonard questioned Penny.
"No," she defensively put her hands up. "I know nothing about this. I just saw Katie's shirt a little while ago when Bernadette told me to look at it."
Sheldon saw the confusion growing amongst their friends and spoke up. "Okay, you guys can settle down. Penny knows nothing about this. Yes, Amy is pregnant and due in April. I wanted to wait again, but Amy found the shirt and thought it would be the perfect way to tell everyone today since we had already settled on a cat party. She eventually wore me down and I agreed."
"Mom hardly had to wear you down," interjected Max. "You saw the shirt when it came in the mail and agreed right away when she suggested she wear it as the way to tell everyone today. I'm just glad they didn't make me keep this a secret for almost two months again like they did with Katie."
"Called out," snickered Howard. "You're about to have two babies and a teenager. I do not envy you whatsoever."
Bernadette punched Howard's shoulder. "Howard doesn't mean that. We're happy for you."
"Thanks, Bernadette," smiled Amy. "We're excited about it."
