Mmmmm, chocolate

In the past I have mentioned my love for a local coffee shop, Allison Espresso, and in particular for their croissants. A little while ago, they stopped making the fresh croissants that had so stolen my heart, and I was boycotting the place as a result. To make matters worse, Allison suddenly closed their doors and taped newspaper over their windows about a month ago, never to be seen again. What does this mean to me? How about that I've been denied one of my major pregnancy cravings for several weeks? I'm quite sure that my coworkers would tell you that my mood has not been the same. And no, I experience to guilt or feelings that I might have somehow contributed to their little disappearing act.

At work, we have fresh bagels delivered every Friday. I'm a little sick of bagels, but I partake because hey, they're there. Today though - oh my gosh. Fresh croissants were delivered as well. I wanted to sing, I was so happy. To make my morning even more delicious, my buddy Greg suggested having a chocolate croissant - we sliced them in half, put little squares of dark chocolate Dove candies inside, then stuck them in the microwave. I can't even describe how good that was.

Yum. I want another.

I Heart You

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Yes, that is the same photo that I posted last year. The Valentine bandits struck again this year and put a heart on the door of every business on Pearl Street in the downtown business district. And yes, once again this year I was thwarted in my attempts to get the picture I took this morning from my cell phone to my stupid Windows laptop. *sigh* What I wouldn't give to work on a Mac....

Yesterday I was reading the news and checking out pictures from Mighty Girl and her beautiful new addition, and was reminded via the footer on her home page that I could put a ticker on the site! I have one set up already at Baby Center, but duh it didn't occur to me to post one on this here site. So check out the bottom of the page to see where I am.

Where I am is uncomfortable. Just the last couple of days or so. Pants that didn't used to bother me are now digging into my middle (or what passes for my middle these days). It's getting a little harder to tie my shoes - and since it's winter and snowy and all that, I have to wear hiking boots most day to avoid slipping and falling on my ass. You try lacing hiking boots with a soccer ball stuffed under your waistband.

Wild Things

I've been telling people about the elk that I see all the time on my drive home. There's a herd that frequents a meadow about 2 miles from my house, near some open space called Walker Ranch. It surprises me that they like it so much there, as Walker Ranch is a pretty big destination in Boulder for the hiking/biking crowd. I do know that this particular meadow clears of snow faster than most, because it slopes sharply and is nicely exposed to the sun - so their food must be much more accessible there.

I took this on my way to work Monday morning, just from my car. They're actually much closer than it seems. The elk seem more skittish than the deer for the most part. When they see me stop and look at them, the elk are much more likely to run off.

20w 5d

Everything was fine with the ultrasound. The baby is big, but that's to be expected - I was the smallest of my mother's three babies, and I weighed in at close to 9½ lbs. They think it might even be a few days ahead of schedule, but they're not going to adjust my due date as the late term ultrasounds are somewhat unreliable for measuring the baby's age.

We've been basking in warm weather the past few days, finally a break from the cold and snow. We still have about 4 feet of snow outside the house, firm enough that Ruby can walk on it without sinking in. I guess it will be months before that snow leaves. Denver is approaching an all-time record for consecutive days with snow on the ground (I believe the record is 63 days). For me personally, I've been going out in just my vest, happy to leave the big down coat behind. I've even had the window down (just like summer!). I know it can't last, so I'm determined to enjoy it while I can.