3 Months Left! (And a Little Randomness.)

Baby's due date is getting closer and I am getting more eager and excited to meet her with every minute of it! My favorite thing to do is lie down on my back at night and push her, she almost always pushes me right back as if to say, "hi mom, I'm still here. Quit worrying about me!"  She's the cutest and I love her to death already!

I'm craving sugar. I'm always craving sugar now. WHAT THE HECK!

March is a big month, (not really, but kinda.) I start my third trimester in just barely over a week. One week! That is so insane! I can't believe that in three short months Valarie will be here and our lives will be forever changed! St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and the first day of Spring are all this month too! I am way too excited for Spring to start, I can't wait to start going on walks around the lake with my man again! And I've never been too big of a fan of holidays, but now that I know I'll have a little one to celebrate them with me soon, I get so giddy thinking about them! We'll do fireworks with her on the 4th of July, dress her up for Halloween, Santa will come at Christmas and the Easter Bunny on Easter. It's so exciting and I can't wait to start all these fun little traditions with her!

Usually I love my drinks room temperature, but for the past week or so, I need my cup filled halfway with ice before I'll drink. I'm not hot all the time, I don't need a super chilled drink to cool me down, I just am loving the cold going down my throat!!

I hate to admit it, but I do watch Teen Mom. . . I love it and Aubree is just too cute. She makes me laugh.

Been having a lot of back pain. I'm only comfortable when lying down or standing up. I've tried reclining my chair, putting it straight up, sitting on a pillow, sitting with a pillow behind me, and nothing is working. If anyone knows any tricks to help with the back pain please help this pregnant woman out!

I absolutely love Braxton Hicks! They feel so neat and crack me up when I'm lying down!

Being pregnant has made my baby hunger shoot through the roof! Basically, I need to hold a baby as soon as possible before I explode. Anyone need a babysitter??

Shane and I had a very sick weekend/beginning of the week. Yesterday was the first day we were both feeling great so we went out to dinner for one of our favorite foods that we haven't had in forever, Chinese! It was tasty, it made my taste buds smile, and it will satisfy me a second time as I eat the leftovers for lunch today.

Is it lunch time yet??

Barf Machine!

What a weekend!

Friday night was perfect! Spent it eating pizza, watching a movie, and cuddling with the husband!

Saturday started off well! Went to a baby shower, visited Shane at work, and then went to my job. Towards the end of my shift I started feeling nauseous and ended up throwing up three times, so I went home. Once home, I threw up three more times! I spent the night trying to sleep, but couldn't because the nausea was so intense, and by this time I'd started getting aches and pains everywhere.

Spent most of Sunday still feeling sick, so I stayed in bed until 4pm. Went to my mom's house and got some gatorade, I also tried eating a little dinner, but it just made me feel sick. Went back home and went straight to sleep.

Now here it is Monday, and I am taking my day job off. This is my first sick day I've taken, but I really feel like I need it. I am feeling a lot better than I was yesterday, but I am not 100%. So here I am, lying in bed, watching Dr. Phil, and blogging.

I think I will attempt to get some sleep now. I want to be all better by tonight. No more taking work off!

Our New Place!

We moved from a small apartment in Riverton to a basement apartment in South Jordan. It's almost twice the size of our last apartment and we are absolutely in love with it! Not only do we have our own bedroom, (and it's big,) but Valarie has her own room, we have an office, AND we have a laundry room! No more hauling our laundry to another building! Woohoo!

 Our family room and kitchen share the same space, so here is the view from the kitchen/front door area.

 This pillow is on the couch. LOVE it!

 Shane got me this for Christmas, and I think it's perfect for our family room!

We finally have a place to hang up my awesome picture I got in New York! It's 3D, and this picture just doesn't do it justice!

 Here is the view of our kitchen from the family room.

This is above the sink. I love the bowl, it matches the theater sign I got for Christmas!

The bedroom is not very exciting, but this is most of it. Dresser and TV are to the right.

Bathroom isn't too decorated yet, either. (And it's hard to get a good bathroom picture!) It's a blue and orange theme, there are two sinks and the toilet is next to the shower.

This is our office/craft/gaming room. Basically it's the most unorganized room ever. If we have art or decorations we want up, but don't fit in with the rest of the place, they go in here.

 The rocking moose that's in Val's room.

 Valarie's room isn't done yet, so this is all you get to see of it so far.

 Here's a closer picture so you can see the cute designs on some of the letters.

See the cute swirls on the R?

So that's basically it. The laundry room isn't exciting, so I figured no one would care to see it anyway. We love living here and think it's going to be the most perfect place to begin raising our little baby!

Blah Kind of Day

How I feel today.

What I think about all the snow we got.

What's on my mind right now.

What I really wish I could eat right this second.

What Shane and I are doing tonight. . .

What I'm doing right now.

What I'd rather be doing.

26 Weeks!

Ok, so I'm not quite 26 weeks, but I'm only 3 days away so I'm rounding up. I realized I don't post my belly photos on my blog, so I thought it was about time to introduce my few readers to Valarie Violet Randall.

She's pretty cute from the side. Not as cute looking at it straight on, but at least it's looking more like there's a baby in there and not an extra meal! 

I can't believe that in less than 10 days I will officially be six months pregnant! Six months, that's insane! Time seems to be going by so slow, but in reality, it's cruising! 

I've Had it Easy. . .

I complain about being pregnant a lot, but I know I shouldn't. In all reality, this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I was only nauseous the first trimester, (and only threw up a handful of times,) I haven't had any complications or reasons for worry, I'm not getting too huge too fast and I'm not swelling up . . . yet. I guess the hard parts are watching myself get big and know there's nothing I can do about it right now, not getting much sleep, and having an anterior placenta combined with a baby who likes to sit as far back as she can, (so I pretty much never feel her.) I have had a few braxton hicks, but they're not painful. They only bother me when I'm serving at work, but if they happen any other time I'm fine with them.


Me Want FOOOOOD. . . 

I'm pretty sure baby Val had a major growth spurt in the last week, because I've been hungry 24/7. Earlier in the pregnancy it was hard to remember to eat, I wasn't really hungry at all. Now I want sugar ALL the time, but I also love salt! Hot pockets, salsa, quesadillas, and turkey avocado sandwiches are my go to foods for the salty cravings, (but really I'll eat anything.)


I Can't Wait For. . .

Besides the obvious of just wanting baby to be here already, and being so excited to be a mom, there are things that I really am so excited for. I can't wait:

• Until I can drink Rockstars again!
• For September when I will be all healed from giving birth and will be able to go boating once or twice before it gets too cold! (Hopefully I'll be able to pull my new body weight out of the water and onto the ski!)
• Until I can eat medium rare steaks and all the fish I want without worrying!
• For stomach sleeping!
• Until everyone asks how baby is doing, not how I'm feeling! (The same questions are getting old. . .)
• To be able to only work part time, (not 55 hours a week.)
• For the stress of wondering if Valarie is ok and still alive in my belly to be gone, (and then I will only stress when she's not in my sight!)

My Favorite Parts. . .

Since I haven't been real positive about pregnancy, I think I need to take a moment to talk about my favorite parts. I really love the times when I am able to feel Valarie move, who knew little flicks in my belly would be so comforting?! I also love when she decides to move to the front and my belly goes a little lopsided. I love my obgyn, she's an amazing woman who has been so great to me this entire pregnancy. I am so glad she was the only doctor on my insurance that would take new patients, I hope I never need to find another doctor again! I love shopping for baby things! The cute little dresses and onesies and socks, the fun books, the nursery decorations, I love it all! I mostly love listening to my amazing husband talk about Val, he is the sweetest and it melts my heart when he talks about how much he loves her and all the things he can't wait to do with her.

I Picked a Good One. . .

Shane is the most amazing husband, I really couldn't have done better! He puts up with all of my crying episodes, (which are almost every night and usually about something stupid, like not getting the dishes done.) When I wake up in the middle of the night and have a breakdown because I have to go to work in three hours and haven't fallen into a deep sleep yet, he tickles my back, (my absolute favorite thing,) until I am able to doze off. He does the laundry all by himself every week, helps with the cooking and cleaning up of dinner, and runs errands for me! He even tells me I'm pretty on my ugliest days! He is an incredible husband and is going to be an even better dad! I am so grateful for him, I love him more than anything, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful guy in my life.

Blah Day Already

You know those days when nothing seems to go smoothly from the very beginning?

I needed to wake up at 6am to get to work on time this morning, I woke up at 7:47am.

It took me 20 minutes to get a hold of my boss just to tell him I'll be late,

My contact was bothering me so I'm sporting just one today.

I got stuck behind the world's slowest driver in my neighborhood. It took an extra 5 minutes just to get to Bangerter.

There was a car accident on my way to work, causing traffic.

My stomach isn't feeling too well, but it's growling at the same time, even though I just ate breakfast.

I can't seem to keep my eyes open.

Nothing major has made this morning terrible, it's all those little things that made it bad.

There was one thing that was nice this morning. . .

My amazing husband got up with me (he has the day off today,) and helped me get ready so I could be speedy fast. He is such a sweet, caring man and I just love him!

I'm also looking forward to tonight. We finally both have the same night off, so we will be spending it making dinner and cuddling on our couch. I can't wait!

JOB HELP!!!!!

I currently have two jobs.

One of my jobs I can't get enough of. I love being there, I love the atmosphere, I love the people, and I love what I do! I work with a lot of girls there and love getting to know them and making friends. I also love the interaction I get with the customers, and the fact that this job is less than 3 minutes driving distance from my home.

My other job drives me crazy. The people are nice, but there's only ten of us who work here, nine being older men. They're nice guys, but I never have things in common with them and they're just coworkers, not really friends. The only interaction I have with customers here are over the phone or through email. I sit at a desk for 9 hours a day, and about 7 of those hours are complete down time. Not to mention it's about a 35 minute drive from my home.

I have already made up my mind which one I am going to quit once baby is here, but the problem is they both think I'm staying. . .

My question is, how and when do I tell my boss I'm leaving? I really have a hard time at this job, I feel completely useless 95% of the time, why I'm even needed here I have no idea. I have so much more fun at my other job and wish so badly I could just be full time there. I know my boss is planning on me going on maternity leave in May, but is there any way I can leave sooner? My temporary replacement doesn't come until May. . . but I don't know if I can make it that long here. And can I just call them when I'm on maternity leave and tell them I'm not coming back? People, I really am scared to quit. I know when they hired me they were looking for long term, and I was planning on doing that. But then I learned that a desk job is most definitely not for me, and I got pregnant. I don't want them mad at me. . . Ahhhhhh. Help!

Sorry for all the rambling-ness. I'm just miserable at this job, I want to be doing the job I love, not sitting by myself at a desk all day long.

I'm a Porn Star?

The other night I was playing on my phone in bed, (couldn't sleep,) and Shane began sleep talking. He said something like, "You are just so hot. You're so hot, you're always being asked to be in pornos!" I looked at him, a little puzzled, and replied, "No honey. Never been asked that." He responded with, "Yes! You don't think you're getting asked, but when you're at the store and the cashier asks if it's credit or debit, they're really asking if you'll be in a porno!" He then broke out in song. It was all about his wife being asked to be in a porno. Some of the lines I remember were: (Keep in mind he was asleep, the rhyming was not the best.)

"My wife was asked to be in a poooooorno. At first I said no, then she showed me those dollar signs and now she's in a pornooooo."

"She went and flashed her boobs, then came home and told me the news."

"I'm a porno pimp."

"My wife was in a porno for those foreigners over seas."

"If someone says they recognize her, I will punch them into their crutches, because that means that they are sickooooooos, because my wife was in a porno."

The song went on for about 5 minutes, then suddenly ended mid sentence. I was roaring with laughter!!

Just so everyone knows, I have never been asked to be in a porno. If I were, I'd say no, even if they offered me a lot of money, (despite what my sleeping husband thinks.) 

And my husband is not a porno pimp, but he is freaking hilarious.

A "Beer"y Special Commercial

("Beer"y, heh heh heh.) 

I just saw the new Budweiser commercial with the horse. 

 I heard it was a good one.

I teared up. 

I teared up over a fetchin' beer commercial.

Yup, definitely pregnant.

Oh Happy Days

This week has been a pretty good one for several reasons:

• My mom bought me some maternity shirts, so I've had more options of what to wear everyday!
• I had my first training shift as a server and loved it!
• I saw Warm Bodies for the second time and loved it just as much as the first!
• I got to hold a little 6 lb baby for a really long time! She was adorable, cuddly, and had the tiniest little legs and hands and nose and awwwww!
• The Wood Connection, that's usually only open until 6pm, is open until 8pm tonight, so I have time to go after work to buy some crafts for Val's nursery!
• Shane and I are in our new apartment and loving all the space, cleanliness, and privacy!
• I've been waking up without hitting snooze once everyday this week!
• I got maternity pants for work, and just in time because my belt holding my pants together is on the last notch! 
• Valarie has been a little more active the past couple of days. I still don't feel kicking much, but I can feel little squirming once in a while!
• I have nice ladies who live above me, one made cookies and shared them. They were delicious!
• I was able to watch my guilty pleasure show at home because we now have the channel it's on! (I can't say what show it is, I'm embarrassed to admit I watch it. . .)
• The weather has been so nice, (compared to how it has been!)

This weekend will be pretty awesome also. Know why? 

• Shane and I both have Friday night off so we'll be able to spend time together, (finally!)
• My lovely friend Lesha's bridal shower is Saturday and I haven't seen her in forever!
• I get to go grocery shopping!
• Shane and I are going to go to all three church meetings Sunday and meet our new ward!
• We also get to sleep in on Sunday because church doesn't start until 1pm!
• I hit 24 weeks pregnant on Sunday, just a little over 5 months pregnant! (Time is flying!)

My Name is Candice and I'll Be Serving You Today

I've had a lot of jobs over the past 7 years. I've been a teacher's assistant, office assistant, server, day program coordinator, daycare worker, clothes folder, nanny, and the list goes on and on.

(Just for clarification, I don't rotate jobs a lot. Most of the time I have had 2 or 3 jobs at a time.)

If you ask me what my favorite job I've ever had was, I will tell you it was the very first job I ever had, a host and server at Golden Corral. I worked there for two years and only quit because my parents made me, (I was slacking in school because I was working too much.) I LOVE working in the restaurant industry. I love the atmosphere, the people, I just love everything about it!

When I got home from my cruise last June I found out I was once again jobless, (I was nannying for a wonderful family who ended up having a family member move in with them so they no longer needed me,) I decided to start looking for jobs at restaurants. Some may say that's taking a step back compared to past jobs I've had, but I really do just love working in restaurants. 

I got hired at Sizzler as a host. I wanted to be a server, but there were no openings at the time. That's ok though, a host will work for now. I got to know the menu, I learned the layout of the restaurant, and I got to know the staff. 

Shortly after getting hired at Sizzler, I found a full time job as an office assistant. It paid well enough that I didn't need to work at Sizzler anymore, but I was not going to quit this job, I enjoyed it just too much!

After six months of working for Sizzler, they offered me a server position. I'm currently in training to become a server and I can't wait! I really do love it, I don't work there because I have to, it's my choice, it's what I love.

So next time you're going to a movie at the District, stop in for some food first and I'll serve you! 

This Post is Way Longer Than it Should Be

This weekend was a busy one! Shane and I took Friday and Saturday off at both of our jobs so that we would have plenty of time to move into our new apartment. So Friday morning we rolled out of bed at 7:45am and packed up our cars with boxes we had stored at my parent's house. We unloaded at the new place, and then headed over to our storage unit to pick up the Uhaul we rented and load that. We met Shane's friend there who helped us load everything, (we were able to fit our entire storage unit in one load!!)

We began unloading at the apartment around 10:30am, and by that time my mom was there helping, which was fantastic because Shane's friend had to leave and I wasn't the best help because I can't lift really heavy things. We were able to get everything but the big furniture unloaded by noon. We had so many boxes that we had formed a maze in the apartment, it was pretty awesome. (Wish I would have taken pictures!)

At noon my mom went home and Shane and I took a break for lunch. After we finished eating delicious Panda Express, we picked up the nursery furniture from Walmart. We then went back to my parent's house to get our bed and dresser. My dad and one of his workers helped us with all the big furniture, (thank goodness, because I don't know how we would have done it without help!)

We were completely done moving and had the Uhaul returned by 5:00pm. We then began the long and boring process of unpacking. We worked on everything until a little after midnight.

Saturday we were able to sleep in until 9am! I went grocery shopping, which a big mistake, (never go grocery shopping at Walmart the day before the Superbowl,) and Shane worked on the apartment some more. I then went to a hair appointment, (a birthday gift from Shane,) while Shane set up the nursery. When I got home we went to Leatherby's to celebrate my birthday. It was heavenly! I'm pretty much obsessed with their caramel and fudge sauce, if you haven't had it you really do not know what you're missing!

After a way too big, but super delicious meal, we went to the movies. We saw Warm Bodies. Seriously, the best zombie movie I've ever seen. I fell in love with the characters and will probably go see it again.

We got home from the movie and did a little more organizing, but we were so exhausted we didn't work for too long.

Sunday we slept in way too late. . . I'm too ashamed to even say what time we got out of bed. Eventually when we pulled ourselves out we got ready for church and then hung some decorations to kill a little time. After church, we went to my parents for dinner.

We got home around 8:00pm, threw some trash away, hung a couple more things, and realized we were done. Completely done with the apartment. I can't believe we did it all in one weekend, but we did! It looks awesome and we are loving it!

I will post pictures once all the boxes have been thrown away and the floor's been vacuumed!

Yay for busy weekends!