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I had just come home from a long day at work that began at 7:00 am and ended around 9:00 pm. My pregnant wife was in bed watching television as I got undressed, put on my pajamas, and went through my normal bedtime ritual of brushing my teeth.

As I crawled into bed, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

Now, I know that this is a trick question. If I answer no, she might feel guilty asking me to get up and get her food. But, if I say yes, then I am lying because I am not hungry.

"Sort of," I respond. That seemed to be a nice safe answer that said if you want something, I'll get it for you, without me being a liar.

"What would you like?" I asked, thinking that I would be asked to go fix something for her in the kitchen.

"I McDonald's cheeseburger," she replied. This was her craving during her pregnancy I soon discovered.

I stood up out of bed, got dressed, grabbed my wallet, and gently kissed her on the forehead.

"Would you like fries with that?" I asked as I gave her a funny little grin.

Once I hit the door, in my head I started complaining. I'm tired, it had been a long day, and here I was heading out at 9:30pm to get my wife a McDonald's cheeseburger. As I drove and went through the drive-through, it dawned on me. I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing as a loving husband. I ordered myself a little something so that she wouldn't be eating alone and headed back home.

I have found from experience that the best way to help my wife through pregnancy is to simply be there for her and show her that I am going out of my way to help her (without being arrogant about it). Happiness is something that we all long to find and even though when I got into my car to head to McDonald's to satisfy my wife's craving I was not happy, I soon realized that making her happy, made me happy. It was a revelation that I had not expected, but I realized that her happiness was important to me. I always new it was, but somehow it became very apparent that night.

My son was born with cerebral palsy and a form of epilepsy. The years that followed were rough and our marriage was tested many times. Then, she became pregnant with our daughter. I learned during these pregnancies that it was important to listen to her, comfort her, and put her needs ahead of mine. We can all get caught up in life's busy days, but if we don't stop to pause during pregnancy, we will miss a great many things.

I never knew that someone could find that much gratification in a McDonald's cheeseburger, but I think the pleasure of the cheeseburger was more in my willingness to go out of my way to do something for her, instead of the cheeseburger itself. At least, I hope it was.

Learn more about this author, Adam Woodworth.
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