In the last few weeks, however, I’ve been able to put a present from Cathie-mom to good use. For my last birthday, when Sarah was about 6 months pregnant, she got me a great Prana sweatshirt. It’s very comfortable, looks really good on me(!), and, most importantly, is sweat wicking.

As the delivery date was approaching, and Sarah’s nesting instincts kicked in, and I was sick, and have I mentioned that Sarah’s in medical school, and oh, by the way, she’s pregnant, there was an occassion or two, where Sarah needed to shed a few tears.

But let me tell you, this sweathshirt has kept me snug and dry through the whole thing. I remember the days when I would let her cry into my t-shirt-wearing-shoulder! Damp, damp, damp! Now: Damp no more! Thank you, sweat-wicking outerwear!

Great, and here’s why: I told the waitress that Sarah was pregnant and they gave us FREE COFFEE and DESSERT!

I am now going to make a point of telling everyone we encounter that Sarah’s pregnant. I will then look at them encouragingly. Encouraging a free gift.

I think this will work for those of you without pregnant wives, too. When asked how far along you are, just say, “it’s the end of the first trimester.” That way you at least sound pregnant.

(epilogue: the cheescake they served us for dessert was quite possible the worst Cheesecake we have ever had. I thought my mouth had gone numb because I couldn’t taste a thing, and the texture was so waxy. The coffee was also weak. So though it was awful, it was still free; and since the rest of the meal was good, we had nothing to complain about. If you go to T-Bones DO NOT get the cheesecake.)

…and, of course, after the workout was over, Sarah said, “Y’know… I think I just want a shake for dinner.”

Call it husband’s intuition.

As we’ve fallen into our husband and wife rhythmn over the past couple of years, it’s ended up such that Sarah does almost all of the cooking. Partly because she really enjoys it, and partly because if she knows she has a plan for dinner, she doesn’t have to stress out about it during the day. This means that I’ve become spoiled. So spoiled that when when she makes an announcement like, “Y’know… I think I just want a shake for dinner.”, I find myself curled up in a ball and shaking in front of the snack cabinet.

So be prepared. If her diet changes, and you don’t have a fall-back plan, you could end up like me: cold, hungry and shaking.

Right now I should be starting my “slim back down” phase. This has proven difficult because every time Sarah needs a snack or a meal, I sit down and have a snack or meal with her. I mean her body is creating another HUMAN BEING (see image at top of page), so she should eat more often than usual. I, on the other hand, am not, so I should not.

On the plus side, Sarah’s making sure to keep her snacks healthy. Earlier today we had baked corn chips, bell pepper and hummus. With time, though, there’s a chance this could devolve into Oreos, pie and ice cream, so I better be on my guard early.

Oh, I could go for some Oreos right now!