The Chocolate Chip Pancake

You see, after I got over the initial shock of my first pregnancy, I eagerly anticipated those wild cravings that women talked about. I waited, but it just never happened. Don’t get me wrong...I definitely took advantage of my “need” for more goodies. What woman doesn’t use her pregnancy as an excuse to get that extra scoop of ice cream, piece of cake, whatever her poison? The cravings never came. Subsequently, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that pregnant women actually experience these so-called hungers and food aversions. Sadly, when pregnant women would then share their eating woes with me, I had no empathy and would secretly think, “please, are you sure that’s not in your head?” So insensitive… I know.

My judgment caught up with me. It happened during the summer of ‘07. We were on vacation and driving through the desert to get from Albuquerque to Durango. We were on the brink of starvation and stopped for chow at the only restaurant for miles …KFC. You think I’m exaggerating, but have you driven that stretch? Anyway, after about two hours I felt sick, horribly sick. I vowed, with John as my witness, to never eat KFC again. Interestingly, the sick feeling did not subside and 3 days later we found out that I was pregnant.

For the next 2 months I felt awful, and the most difficult part was the eating issue. The mere thought of nearly every food sent me into a tailspin. Only a few foods, one of them being pizza, kept me and the baby alive. Yes, I had those late night cravings. John, bless his heart, was a servant. I'd see a late night Papa John's commercial and within minutes he'd be out the door. Anyway, the major inconvenience was that every breakfast food sounded absolutely disgusting to me. Then, like a miracle, I thought of the chocolate chip pancake. I got crazy and made pancakes every morning for 3 weeks straight. In fact, I was so obsessed that I even got up at 4:00 A.M. one morning so that I had time to make them before an early flight to Seattle. Ok, this post is getting way too long...

I never turn down Chocolate Chip pancakes… they always sound good to me. So, when Anna requested them for breakfast this morning, I replied, “you got it, babe!”