Not another bite ... until an hour from now

The strangest part of pregnancy so far is how it's affecting what I eat.

For weeks I didn't want to look at food. Then my appetite came back, and I really got my game on for healthy foods, things that had vitamins and omega-3 acids and all that good stuff that the books say makes your child's brain capable of understanding advanced physics and American politics.

I bought arugula and had at least one big salad a day, and they all tasted like they were covered in dirt. Broccoli tasted like it had been dipped in sugar. I made it through with baked chicken, rice and pasta -- and plain-glaze doughnuts every now and then.

(The arugula was how my friend Leslie knew I was pregnant. She read some messages I wrote complaining about arugula and thought, Kathleen eats bacon cheeseburgers. Not arugula. SOMETHING IS UP.)

Now I'm hungry constantly. Get-up-in-the-night-for-toast hungry. I'm sick of eating by the time I go to bed, and my body still wants more.

So all day I snack on yogurt, fruit, almonds, granola and PB&J sandwiches. Also, Doritos. But I keep those to a minimum. I have no consistent cravings, but I do often Want This Thing Immediately. Usually that happens with bacon cheeseburgers, proving Leslie knows me well.