I have a pig and I call it Paco

Yesterday I officially went public with most probably one of the biggest announcements one gives in life: I'm pregnant! I took what was supposed to be a few office friends but ballooned into 8 people including 2 principals who surprisingly wanted to slum with us at IHOP, and there I was spilling the beans with a bunch of shrieking women and somewhat confused men, and an assortment of turned heads in a downtown IHOP that appeared to be populated largely by people visiting family in the local jail. It's amazingly difficult to keep a secret like this one for 2 months....esp. when I'm on my way to a meeting and feeling like throwing up in the car.

It's a funny thing when something that has been the hidden truth for awhile suddenly becomes a reality. For 3 months I've been cautiously holding off on celebrating...not buying any baby books, not researching baby products or squeezing stuffed animals...trying to make sure I didn't get too emotionally attached just yet until I was past the 'riskier' period. (And for the worriers, I have been taking folic acid and other vitamins) When people ask if I'm excited, I would reply, 'well, the reality hasn't quite hit me yet...' And now as everyone around me becomes aware and starts to flood me with advice and excitement, suddenly I am excited. It's almost like I needed people to tell/ask me 'You're pregnant!!??' in order for me to believe it myself. So now we are starting to get books from parents and I made my first trip to browse the maternity stores. Paco is really the name for what looked to me in those fetal development renderings like an alien worm-it was a much more appealing moniker than calling it 'the embryo'. Apparently, this is highly desirable year for a birth amongst many Chinese, it's the year of the golden pig. So I could say I'm having a Golden Pig, and (for now) I call it Paco.