Jenna Fischer Reveals How Jim and Pam’s Baby Got Its Name

[Brian Damage]

Jenna Fischer became a mom and an aunt the very same week.

“The same week that we were shooting the episode where Pam’s baby is born, I was becoming the aunt for the very first time,” says Fischer, who spoke with PEOPLE about Thursday’s hour-long episode of The Office, in which her character Pam gave birth to a girl, named Cecelia Marie Halpert.

“Literally the day we shot Pam’s going to the hospital, my sister was going to the hospital, and the same day we shot me coming home from the hospital, my sister came home from the hospital. It was crazy! And so my dad [Jim] had one daughter going through it for real and another faking it.”

And thanks to Fischer, both babies have the same name.

“I got to name my baby!” says Fischer, who successfully lobbied The Office writers to use the name Cecelia. “I said I would really love to name the baby after my niece, so I did.”

For Fischer, the hardest part of shooting the birth scenes didn’t involve acting at all, but keeping her family in the dark about Cecelia’s TV namesake. “I am going to wait and let her watch the episode and it’s been so hard!” she says. “I spent a whole week with her and I didn’t tell her and it was one of the hardest things. I haven’t told my parents and will let them watch the episode. I’m just going to sit by the phone and they are going to be watching it in Missouri, so they see it two hours ahead, and I’m just going to time it out and sit by the phone when the part comes on because I know I’m going to get a screaming phone call!”

While the Halperts adjust to parenthood on TV, Fischer will get a chance to see her new niece again this spring. “I get to see my sister about four times a year, probably,” she says. “I bet those trips will be more frequent because the baby is just so cute. She’s the cutest, sweetest little girl. I make my sister send pictures and videos every day. Maybe I’ll have to post a photo on my MySpace page so that everyone can know where the name came from!”


http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/03/05...-got-its-name/