I'm Hungry

April last weekend in St. Pete - on our morning walk she had a bit more than this cherry to eat.

Anyone who knows Apes knows that she is NOT a morning person. I take that back - she is a morning person, she attacks morning from the other side-- seems like after midnight is when she gets her second wind. But when she goes to bed, her brain puts out this "DO NOT DISTURB" sign that lasts until around 10 am. The only good thing about living a couple time zones away is that when I call her in the morning it is two hours later. I'm her snooze alarm though "I love you, can you call me back in 15 minutes?" -- that conversation repeats itself until she wakes up enough to look at a clock - and then she falls into a sprint and manages to shower, do her hair, makeup and drive to work in times that periodically produces a sonic boom over Tampa.

But now this has changed. Ok- it really hasn't changed, but something now wakes her up and brings her out of bed and into the kitchen. Her stomach growls more than the mating call of wild monkey's. You can hear it in China-- I am convinced. April has developed an appetite -- and I don't mean she has developed new food preferences - -well, that has happened too. I mean this woman is hungry.

This morning I woke up and was quietly reading emails when I heard the sound "I'm hungry."
"Its ok, honey, can I bring you something?"
Before I could turn around she was moving-- April - moving, before 7 am! I know, it is the Christmas season and miracles are what we talk about a lot-- but an April sighting on a Monday morning before 7 am is less likely than seeing the Australian DoDo bird.

I got her robe and slippers and off to the kitchen we go - where she gets the cereal out. She joked, "My dad calls me the cereal killer." I can see why - in the past few days we have gone through two boxes of it (I am saying we because April reads this, and she wouldn't want people to think that she alone has consumed enough cereal to keep four Iowa farmers in business).

I love it. I laugh so hard at this - and both of us fall into laughing spots.

Then there are the periodic cravings. Yesterday -after I'd fixed lunch, she said, "I'm still hungry can I have a sandwich?" So I made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich" An hour later, "You know what I want?"
I know not to answer this -- so I asked, "A new car?"
"No, silly. I want a bagel with everything?"
"You mean, cream cheese, lox, capers, onions?"
"No, microwaved, with butter and salt."

As I run off to the grocery store I give my mom a call. "What are you doing today, Terry?"
"Apes is having a craving for bagels. Did you have any of those."
"Oh my yes."
Mom loves this - and April loves my mom -- and I am lucky -- but that is beside the point.
In the grocery store I look at the ice cream -- I like peanut butter, but she said, "I'm not a peanut butter girl."
OK - here is passion fruit, she likes that, and coffee ice cream she likes that, and mocha, she likes that. Five kinds of ice cream.
Off to the bagel section. Not a good selection. Ask the baker "Any garlic bagels?"
"No, we do have onion, right here."
"No, its a pregnancy craving- gotta be a garlic or an 'everything' bagel"
The lady behind the counter gets a big smile on her face.
"Oh, here are some for ya, hon, fresh out of the oven. You take these to her, and she'll be happy. And Merry Christmas."
The universal experience -- makes me wonder how many guys in the Safeway Grocery store are there trying to get the right thing for their pregnant partner.
I love every second of this. I'm smiling so much --
I get home, April is in the kitchen (which for her is a foreign place) and I bring in the groceries.
She tears up, "You are so good to me."
There is a very positive side to the emotions of pregnancy.
She laughs as I bring out the five kinds of ice cream- and her eyes light up when she sees the eggnog ice cream (ah, I scored).
"Watch this." April says.
She pulls out a hot bagel, spreads butter on it-- puts lots and lots of salt on it, and into the microwave.
As she pulls out this fresh smoking bagel she has this grin -- "This is heaven, thank you so much."
It is wonderful, to be able to do such a little thing-- go to the grocery store, and have so much appreciation.
"So," she starts, "What are you thinking about for dinner."