My name is Sebastian Sage Vanderbilt, I have Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes and I'm Twenty-Two Years Old. I'm an up and coming pastry chef in one of NYC's hottest restaurants - Le Bernadine. I graduated at the top of my class at Le Cordon Bleu in France and nothing has ever gotten in the way of my dream to become a world wide known name in the pastry circuit. Not family, not friends and most certainly not love. I have no time for any of those as they're all distractions towards my life goal.
One night while I'm at work my head chef tells me that a patron wishes to speak to me out in the dining room. I tell him I'm too busy, but he insists I go out and speak to this customer as it is very urgent. I sigh and throw my apron to him before walking out of the kitchen and over to a table where I see one of the most attractive looking persons I have ever seen. They have Black Hair and intriguing Green Eyes and are dressed to the nines in designer fashion. I do not recognize them and figure they are some prissy rich heir. As I walk over, a forced pleasant smile on my face the last thing I expect is the cockiest of grins on his face before he point blank informs me of just how terrible he thinks my dessert is.
I'm stunned. No one has ever spoken to me like this or challenged my cooking skills. I retort back and cause a scene in front of the whole room, demanding that he takes back his comment and who does he think he is to insult me in such a way! He simply smiles vivaciously and informs me that he is Fletcher Thorne Waldorf. I'm stunned, he's the newest food critic for the New York Times. I demand that he tries something else that this must have been a fluke. Fletcher only laughs and walks out. I'm infuriated and storm back into the kitchen.
Once I get home I research more about Fletcher and find out everything he loves and hates and it turns out the fennel panna cotta would have never worked as he despises anise. I also find out that Fletcher is one of the city's hottest bachelors, they're Twenty-Two Years Old. I work tirelessly for hours to create three perfect desserts based on his favorite flavors - Blackberry, Finger Lime and Saffron. I use all my contacts and find out where he lives and at three am that very same night I show up at Fletcher's apartment.
I knock on his door until he answers and make my demand - that he try my new desserts before they send in their review of Le Bernadine. At first Fletcher is reluctant, but he notices the spark in my eyes and lets me in. I watch him devour my desserts in silence before Fletcher suddenly asks me to leave. I ask him what he thought, but he refuses to tell me and says that I will find out in next week's paper. I go home feeling worried.
I spend the next week on edge - worried about the paper, but also thankful my boss did not fire me for my altercation in the dining room. When the day finally comes I come into work and am greeted with applause and a giant mash of hugs from my colleagues. The review was spectacular and the highlight of it your desserts. Fletcher goes into detail after detail and I get flustered as I read the copy of the paper shoved into my hands - I feel my heart flutter and my knees go weak. I only come back to the world when I'm told I have a phone call for me and its from Fletcher!
I pick up and he does something I never expected him to do... He asks me out on a date! I'm stunned into silence for a few moments, but I do say yes and agree to meet him at his apartment on my next day off. Suddenly, the prospect of love does not seem so frivolous after all.
I have been seeing Fletcher for a year, but it has been a whirlwind romance from our very first date! Out first date was magical, Fletcher showed up to Le Bernadine to pick me up from work and he even brought me French Macaroons. From there he took me out to do a very upscale date; An Exclusive Wine Tasting at Trump Towers! We had a fantastic time.
Fletcher and I just have so much in common - it tuns out that we both come from small families, but we want to have large families ourselves despite working demanding jobs, Fletcher has a love for any and all things travel based and if he could he would drop everything - except me of course - to go and travel the world for a whole year and we also both adore dogs! After our date Fletcher and I go for a walk through Central Park and the two of us discuss our desires, hopes and dreams together. Fletcher's love of writing and food and my own wish to one day open my own restaurant. The next thing I notice as we were sitting on a park bench was the sun rising, Fletcher and I had spent all night out in the park just talking. Since then I take every one of my days off and spend them with Fletcher. As much as I have worried in the past that having a relationship might do damage to my career I find that since I started seeing Fletcher my palate had become better and I'm working harder than before to strive for my dreams because now I have someone to share it with and that someone appreciates my drive and passion.
Our relationship moves fast in that first year and I honestly have no idea how I have lived my life without Fletcher as a part of it. On the morning of our one year anniversary, Hudson wakes me up with breakfast in bed featuring the three flavors of the desserts I fed to him the night we first met - Blackberry, Finger Lime and Saffron. The breakfast is a saffron jimmy cake and a finger lime whipped cream and topped with a tangy blackberry jam and syrup. I nosh down on it in quite the uncivilized manner given just how tasty the dish is that it is not until I got a for a sip of the mimosa that I notice a box on the breakfast tray and open it up to to reveal an engagement ring! It is a beautiful Engagement Ring. I say yes without any hesitation and cannot believe how excited I am to be engaged to Fletcher. However I realize we have so much to do! It takes Fletcher and I a whole year in and of itself to plan the wedding, but by the time it's done I know it is perfect, the wedding I have always dreamed of.
We've been so busy picking the theme and colors and choosing all the goes into a wedding but we think we may finally have it down, even if it is a little mismatched since everyone wanted something different! I had our suits picked out from the minute Fletcher proposed, we will wear matching and beautiful Slim Suits. Fletcher wanted a Peach, Sage & Medium Green color theme and we wanted Wildflowers for the flower arrangements! The Groomsmen looked dashing in Paisley Vest Suits. We all wanted the wedding to be a Gigantic Affair at Fletcher's Family Home in The Hamptons. I knew that there was no way that anyone, but myself was going to make my wedding cake and so I worked tirelessly on it until I had a wonderful Traditional Wedding Cake.
Finally the day came and Fletcher and I were married! My head chef - Eric Ripert - insisted he cook the meal for us and it was spectacular and was focused on Blackberry, Finger Lime and Saffron. The meal was divine! My father walked me down the isle and Fletcher's best man even cried as we said our vows! The guests were surprised at how the wedding turned out with so many different styles but everyone agreed that it fit perfectly! There were lots of pictures taken! As the day came to a close we all went to take a well deserved rest.
The very next day, Fletcher and I left on our honeymoon to Santorini, Greece. We spent two weeks having a blast! We indulged in fresh local shellfish, relaxed on Kamari Beach, and explored the ruins at Akrotiri.
It has been two years since Fletcher and I married and went off on our extravagant honeymoon together. We have been living together in his apartment ever since our return back into the city, but recently the two of us have been considering moving out of the city and onto Long Island so that we could start a family there. We know this means both Fletcher and I will need to commute to work from now on, but both of us want our future children to grow up with a backyard and in a community instead of in a city like we both had and did not enjoy.
Fletcher and I visit some different areas on the island and finally decided on Old Westbury. We both take some more time and absolutely fall in love with one home, A Nine-Bedroom Home with lots of space in the front and backyard, it is gorgeous and another reason Fletcher and I love it is because it has a well-lit library to keep Fletcher's extensive book collection, a master bath with jacuzzi garden tub, plenty of outside space with trees to climb, and of course a large luxury kitchen. It is a little out of our price range, but Fletcher and I decide that it is a worthy investment. Fletcher and I made a bid and it is accepted the next day, it turns out that the previous owners are going through a divorce and want to get everything settled quickly, so within a month Hudson and I are able to purchase the home and even move into it!
Now, that we have a home of our own and not an apartment, both Fletcher and I have always wanted pets and decide that now is the time to make a move on it and get a pet! We both settle on a Dog, but there is one problem. We cannot agree on a breed! I would like a Siberian Husky and Fletcher would like a Samoyed. We both try and make a choice, convince Fletcher while he tries to convince me that our pick is better. Finally, we both come to a unanimous agreement - we'll get both!
It takes us another month to find a reputable breeder for each breed, but the good thing is they have only a medium sized waiting list, but each are currently expecting half a dozen litters in the next two months and they should just be able to fill the waiting list and have two or three puppies available still meaning we can get one despite the short notice. The time comes sooner rather than later and our puppies are born only three days apart and we end up with little ones of the same gender - Girls. Fletcher and I decide to name them in a matching theme - Color Themes. We are so excited and spend most of our time when we're not at work playing or codling Cerise and Claret.
It's a good thing that we got Cerise and Claret because they've been great experience! So much so that Fletcher and I decide maybe its time to have our first baby. We begin to search for a surrogate and egg donor. Fletcher's twin sister offers to be a donor for us, and we are both very grateful for her selfless decision. Celia Blythe Waldorf has the same Black Hair as Fletcher, but her eyes are blue like her mother's. We then find and pay a reliable surrogate who had our close friends', Kurt and Blaine, daughter two years ago. Using Celia's egg, my sperm and the surrogate's womb we get pregnant on the round of IVF! As the pregnancy progresses Fletcher and I find out that we're expecting a Baby Girl. After Fletcher and I spend weeks setting up the perfect nursery for our little one and it looks absolutely stunning - It's a pink room that is singing in luxury and decadence.
The time finally arrives and our baby is born! The labor is fast and I actually deliver our little lady only six hours after going into labor. We watch in awe as our surrogate gives birth to our little princess, the experience is hard, but we each hold one of her hands and let her squeeze as much as she wants.
Our baby is perfect with ten fingers and ten toes and healthy as a horse. I cannot believe that Fletcher and I are going to have such an amazing little person in our life. They're the cutest baby in the world -not that we're biased or anything and she has Celia/Fletcher's Black Hair and she has Blue Eyes. Fletcher and I have had a lot of time to think about it and decided we really wanted to thank Celia for being our egg donor and allowing our baby to be related to both of us and so we decide to give the baby a first name after Celia - Blair. The problem is that Fletcher and I had a much harder time picking a middle name for Blair- Fletcher wanted to name them after a famous writer, but I wanted to name them for a famous chef. In the end, we decided to give Blair two middle names, double the honor and inspiration. We picked Austen after Jane Austen- one of Fletcher's favorite authors and Nigella for Nigella Lawson- my one of biggest culinary inspirations. Our little lady is Blair Nigella Austen Vanderbilt-Waldorf and as soon as we look at our baby, we know that this is the name for her. Fletcher and I are absolutely in love with Blair.
It has been two years since Fletcher and I welcomed Blair. Things have been going well and both Fletcher and I have been recently promoted in our jobs - the only problem is, I'm not very happy at work anymore. I'm tired of working for someone else's vision and want to orchestrate my own dreams and desires for all things culinary. I decide to talk to Fletcher about it and they support me fully on my passion and drive, offering to help me as much as they can. I speak with my employer - Eric - and while they are sad to see me go, they understand and implore me for my drive and promise to assist me as I am one of their favorite proteges. They lead me to possible investors, people to talk to for advice and assistance in garnering the location and products I need. It helps that just last year I won a Food and Wine Magazine Best New Chef Award so people know who I am and trust that I have a lot of potential in the industry.
It takes me the rest of the year, but I draw up a plan, get proper investors and save up enough of my own money to finally buy a place. I even have a name picked out - Blackberry and Saffron and it will feature a simple and light Italian menu and be more about the pastries and desserts than anything else. I've even invented two special desserts for the menu, one for Fletcher and one for Blair and it is made of their favorite flavor, Saffron for Fletcher and Almond for Blair. Blackberry and Saffron is in Old Westbury and I'm a little more than thrilled to have a much shorter commute to work than when you worked at Le Bernadine in the city.
It has been a full three years now since Fletcher and I welcomed Blair and we feel it might be time to give them another sibling. We begin to look into adoption. We enjoyed our time in Greece so much on our honeymoon and thus we have decided to adopt from there. It takes a lot less time and only after two months, but we're matched with a baby and Fletcher and I could not be more excited. I explain to Blair that they're going to become a big sister and they are feeling uneasy and I try to be cajoling with her.
As the adoption progresses Fletcher and I find out that we're expecting another Baby Girl, we inform Blair of the baby's gender and they are a lot more excited now as they wanted a baby sister and they got one. Due to Blair's reaction Fletcher and I decide to let her help out with the nursery and let her pick a theme - Patterns - After that you all assemble what you need to make the nursery for the new baby. It takes weeks setting it up, but the nursery comes out just as planned - Nursery- and Blair is very excited about the baby.
The time finally arrives and our second baby is arriving in the airport for us to pick her up. I cannot wait to hold her in my arms and for her to be truly with us all. In our home and as a part of our family. When the women bringing her lands and hands her to us, I hold our little lady ever so tightly and never want to let her go. I do though, I let Fletcher hold her and our parents and siblings come and see her, give her kisses and welcome her to the Vanderbilt-Waldorf clan.
Our baby is perfect with ten fingers and ten toes and healthy as a horse. I cannot believe that Fletcher and I are going to have such an amazing little person in our life. Our little lady has Blonde Hair and Green Eyes. Fletcher and I have had a lot of time to think about it and decide to give the baby the first name, Astrid. Fletcher and I remember how much of a stress it was picking the middle name for Fletcher and decide earlier in the pregnancy we actually flipped a coin and I won the coin flip and picked the middle names - Pansy Hermione. Fletcher and I are happy with the name as when I look down at our button nosed newborn, it feels right to call her Astrid Pansy Hermione Vanderbilt-Waldorf.
The moment finally comes when we introduce Blair and Astrid and despite all prior reactions we worry for a second that something might go wrong, but thankfully Blair is all wide eyed wonder and glee when looking to Astrid. She asks to hold Astrid and Fletcher helps them become situated and to hold the baby and the four of us sit together as a family and I feel entirely blessed. I only hope the future holds things as bright as they are now in the days to come.
It has been two years since Fletcher and I have welcomed Astrid into our home. As many people say, it has been a lot harder with two than with one, but I expected it and honestly both Fletcher and I love being parents even more than we love anything elsewe have ever done and I can only imagine how Twenty-Two Year me would have felt back then if I told them that. I probably would have laughed at myself.
Things are very good though at Blackberry and Saffron and we have been very good and the restaurant has never not had a fully booked Thursday-Sunday since it opened and just last month Fletcher got promoted to senior food critic and editor at The New York Times. The influx of money has been helpful in living in Long Island which is quite the expensive town. We've even been able to add quite a chunk of money to the college funds you have set up for Blair and Astrid. As Fletcher and I have been doing so well, not to mention I feel like the house is a little empty with Blair starting kindergarten - Fletcher and I have decided to expand our family with another little one.
We decide this time that Fletcher will donate the sperm and thankfully, my older sister, Stella Scarlett Sanders (nee Vanderbilt) - inspired by Celia's' donation to me, decides to donate for Fletcher to use. She has Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes. It takes three months for our surrogate, the same as our last one, to get pregnant. When we go to a visit to get the first scan and lo and behold you're expecting multiples - Quadruplets! It seems more than one of the eggs we implanted ended up taking and while at first Fletcher and I feel a little worried as we never expected multiples, we knew there was a possibility though and look on the brighter side, we have always wanted a big family and this is just makes it a little faster.
As the pregnancy progresses Fletcher and I find out that we're expecting Three Boys and One Girl! We inform Blair and Astrid about the gender of their expected little siblings and they do not really understand which makes sense since they are so so young. While it might have been nice for them to to be more excited, as long as the girls are okay with it, we do not mind.
Fletcher and I decide that the babies will share a room for the first year or two to make it easier on us for late night feedings, changing and other things. We set up a beautiful nursery for them - Nursery. While fixing up a room for the babies we decide it would be maybe a good idea and re-do the other bedrooms in the house. We don't want to make Blair and Astrid feel left out so we let them each pick out themes for their rooms - Blair picks ends up with a Harry Potter Themed Room and Astrid gets a Purple Room. Fletcher and I also redo our room to fit our tastes and it is both Classical and elegant. we then decided not to leave out anyone so Blair, Astrid and I redid a little area by the stairs for Cerise and Claret - A Little Doggie Pad. Fletcher, Blair, Astrid and I have a very fun time fixing up the house.
The time finally arrives and our babies are born. This time we end up having a planned c-section and all of our family is in attendance, they help us keep Blair and Strid occupied through the procedure which is thankfully an effortless one, the birth goes fine and takes less than three to four hours and though nurses have to check and look over the babies, in the end they are healthy and content little lasses.
As I look at our babies and hold them for the first time I feel a tug in my heartstrings. Fletcher and I love them so much already and we could not imagine our life without each and every one of them. Althea and I named them with a coordinating theme, Starting with the letter S, since they were multiples and picked out the names Silas, Sloane, Spencer and Stellan. Silas is a mini Fletcher with Black Hair and Green Eyes as is Sloane as she also has Black Hair and Green Eyes, Spencer has Blonde Hair and Green Eyes and Stellan has Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes.
Fletcher graduated from NYU with a minor in Classical Civilizations and has been in love with history since he was a small child. When we were expecting this time Fletcher asked if I would be alright letting him pick the babies middle names from some of their favorites they have run into in his studies and past readings. I say yes - I did get to pick Astrid's middle names after all - and I just ask Fletcher to run them by me first and he picked Tauria Crispina, Theon Romulus, Titus Cassius and Tiberius Severus and I have to admit that there is a sort of charm to them and we decide we will use them. Our names fir our little beauties perfectly; Silas Theon Romulus Vanderbilt-Waldorf, Sloane Tauria Crispina Vanderbilt-Waldorf, Spencer Titus Cassius Vanderbilt-Waldorf and Stellan Tiberius Severus Vanderbilt-Waldorf.
As Fletcher and I watch Blair and Astrid smile, make faces and wave fingers at the babies while they sleep in their hospital bassinets. I just know that our children will be close and be able to rely on one another which is what I have always wished for as I was not close with any of my siblings until after Blair's birth. Though I know the coming months with multiple newborns will be stressful I relish the challenge as I know the benefits will far outweigh the sleepless nights and hectic days.
The Vanderbilt-Waldorf Families
DH: Sebastian Sage Vanderbilt-Waldorf [32] [Blonde Hair & Blue Eyes] [Pastry Chef]
DH: Fletcher Thorne Vanderbilt-Waldorf [32] [Black Hair & Green Eyes] [Food Critic]
DD1: Blair Nigella Austen Vanderbilt-Waldorf [5] [Black Hair & Blue Eyes]
DAD1: Astrid Pansy Hermione Vanderbilt-Waldorf [2] [Blonde Hair & Green Eyes]
DS1: Silas Theon Romulus Vanderbilt-Waldorf [0] [Black Hair & Green Eyes]
DD2: Sloane Tauria Crispina Vanderbilt-Waldorf [0] [Black Hair & Green Eyes]
DS2: Spencer Titus Cassius Vanderbilt-Waldorf [0] [Blonde Hair & Green Eyes]
DS3: Stellan Tiberius Severus Vanderbilt-Waldorf [0] [Blonde Hair & Blue Eyes]
Dog: Cerise [Siberian Husky, 6]
Dog: Claret [Samoyed, 6]
Sebastian and Fletcher Vanderbilt-Waldorf; with Blair, Astrid, Silas, Sloane, Spencer & Stellan + Cerise & Claret