No Champagne Toast

5 weeks and we have an embryo, people! 21-22 days after conception, the heartbeat appears, just like all those roadside billboard babies who were lucky enough not to be aborted will tell you! The circulatory system is indeed the first organ system to form, and the embryo is 1/17th of an inch long.

Adorable, isn't it?

We have decided not to tell anyone until three months have passed and, along with them, the greatest chance of miscarriage. Some people are so excited about the idea of Pete and I having children that I don't think I could stand their disappointment on top of my own were something to go wrong. Being pregnant is already going to provide me with way too much focused attention, and the longer I can avoid the brunt of that, the better.

On New Year's Eve, we went to Liza's for her birthday party. I was sure that the cat would get out of the bag because everyone would notice that I was not drinking. But everyone was busy, and there was too much going on for them to spare a thought to my spontaneous sobriety. It was both a relief and a disappointment. At one point, Kira asked me if I had tried the wine that her boss had given her; I looked at the wine, and could not think of a single lie like, oh, I don't know... "Yes," or "No, thanks." I said "I... I can't." On the other side of me, Tiki asked a question. I turned and could see Kira looking at me, and I could tell she was figuring it out. She knew.

At the end of the night, which for me had actually come at 11:20 when I was so exhausted I could barely stay awake talking to interesting people, Pete made excuses that he needed to leave, and covered up for me. Luckily, everyone was well on their way to obliterated, and we did not have to make a big exit. No one really noticed the absence of Pete, me, and our embryo.