A Much Needed Update!

It's been awhile since our last post(obviously) so I thought I'd update everyone on what's been going on with us lately. And I'm waiting for my Christmas candies to cool so I can eat them...I mean put them together for my Primary kids....yeah...

We've been busy living life as usual the past couple of months. Steven finished his rotation in Powell and was back just in time for Halloween. His dad sent him back with a couple pumpkins for us to carve, but we only managed to use one of them. Also a few days before Halloween, we took Steven's sister Tiffany to Fort Collins to the haunted corn maze for her birthday. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures but had to mention how much fun it was. (Even though we stood in line for 2 hours surrounded by annoying little girls. These same teenage girls got scared once inside the corn maze and followed us for awhile before we could lose them. I hope I was not this annoying as a teenager, but something tells me I probably was.) Halloween night we were pretty lazy and watched a couple scary movies and waited for trick-or-treaters. Don't worry, we got one. The fact that tradition kept up this year and southern Wyoming got completely dumped on with snow that week probably had something to do with that. Cheyenne got what we usually get all winter in 4 days. And Steven and I both got snow days from work/rotations. Can't complain about that! I wish I would have taken pictures of all the snow, it was crazy.

Here's our October pictures:

Steven and his usual silly picture face My favorite part, cleaning out the gunk.

Steven wanted to get a side picture so everyone could see my belly.

This is me at 26 weeks.

I'm not sure how I caught this picture, but is it not hilarious! And maybe a little creepy :)

Our finished product. As you can see, we don't get overly creative with the Jack-o-lanterns.

November seemed to be super busy for us, although looking back I'm not sure why. Steven had one of his toughest rotations, ambulatory care, at the UW Family Practice clinic here in town. His evenings were full of projects and presentations. Mine were filled with feeding and cleaning up after him :) JK. He finished his rotation the week before Thanksgiving, and now has a break until March! We traveled up north to Lovell for Thanksgiving again and it was great to be home for a few days. We ate dinner with both my family and his, and let me just say this year went a lot better than last! I think we both realized last year that there was no reason to stress about being on time to one house or the other and we there was no need to rush around. I think we also realized that we didn't have to eat EVERYTHING at both houses. We were a lot less full this year, and the food was still just as delicious the next day! Thanksgiving night we went to A Christmas Carol movie with Steven's family at the Hyart. Not my favorite, but it was ok. The rest of the weekend was spent playing with kids, shopping in Billings, playing cards, and taking my nephew, Ross, to Powell to the movie Old Dogs. Once again, not my favorite but it was decent.

November pictures:

Treyson and Kennedy love Uncle Steven! They wanted him to be their horsey and they rode around like this for about 20 minutes. I'm thinking Steven will be a fun and PATIENT daddy! Steven taught Kennedy how to box, too cute!

This is me at 30 weeks. I think I look a lot bigger in the picture than I actually was, but maybe not. It could have been all that Thanksgiving food :)

December has been flying by! The first weekend of the month we made an overnight trip to Denver for some Christmas shopping. Steven surprised me that Friday night with tickets to the Colorado Ballet's preformance of The Nutcracker at the Denver Performing Arts center. He knew that I was wanting to go the past couple years, and even though he wasn't overly thrilled about going to the ballet, he wanted to take me. It was SO good! The dancers were amazing, the staging, backdrops, and costumes were awesome, and the orchestra was great! Steven admitted that he enjoyed it a lot more than he thought he would. Our favorite parts were the Land of the Snow, the Russian dancers, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Mother Ginger(HAHAHA). It was a great surprise and a fun way to start off the Christmas season. Thanks babe!

Before going to The Nutcracker, me at 31 weeks.

We had big plans to get ALL of our shopping done the next day, but we weren't as successful as we hoped we'd be. Luckily, I finished the last of it yesterday and we are DONE! The other night we made our annual gingerbread house. We decided to go with a mini village instead of one big house this time. It turned out to be a lot harder! Everything was so small, and for some reason neither one of us was feeling overly creative this year. But, we had fun and it turned out alright.

Like I mentioned before, Steven has had a break from rotations for a few weeks. He's been keeping himself busy by playing Xbox and sleeping in, and actually has been keeping up on the housework and laundry while I'm at work. It's been great! He has also been going over to Laramie to work at the Walmart pharmacy a few days a week, also. Everyone in his class gets two months worth of "off months" and his happened to fall back to back in January and February. When we first found this out he was kindof bummed, but now we look at it as a blessing since that's when baby will be making her appearance! Right now he's in Powell getting a few days working there. He'll be back tomorrow and we'll leave for Lovell Tuesday evening after I get off work to stay for Christmas. We are looking forward to being with family and having a break for a few days.

As for a pregnancy update, things are going great! I'm 33 weeks along now and feeling pretty good. Other than the regular feet hurting and back pain, I've been fine. Starting to get a little uncomfortable, but my pregnancy has been pretty dang easy so I can't complain too much. Funny story- Thursday at work I had a patient that his wife is pregant and due in June. He asked when I was due and I told him Feb 3rd. He said "Oh so about 6 weeks left" and I said "No, I was 33 weeks yesterday so I have 9 weeks left". And he was like "Huh? How?". For some reason in my head, I was thinking I had 9 weeks left to get ready, but really it's only a little over 6! Not only did I feel like an idiot, in my mind I lost 2 1/2 weeks! AAAHHH! There is still so much to do and after Christmas time is going to FLY! But we are getting so excited and anxious to meet our little girl. We still haven't 100% decided on a name, but have one we really like and have liked since we found out we were expecting. We shall see if it fits, if not we have a couple others that we like too.

33 weeks

Well, that's what has been happening with us! We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Baby Hultgren is A .......

GIRL!!!

We had our ultrasound yesterday afternoon and everything went great! We were so excited to see our little one. Before we went in, Steven asked what my final thought was. I was definitely feeling that it was a boy, he was pretty sure it was a girl. I was so surprised when she said "This is a little baby girl" and showed us that it definitely is! The ultrasound tech was very thorough and explained everything in detail to us. Everything looked wonderful and baby girl is measuring right on. She took tons of pictures and I can't believe how many she gave us. Hopefully I'll get a couple uploaded on here soon. We feel very blessed that things have gone so well and continue to look good. We have talked about a few names(really only agreed on about two!), but we want to wait until we see her to decide what fits best. We haven't bought hardly anything yet, but I told Steven we have to go buy a cute girly outfit today! He is so dang cute about it already, and I know he will be a sucker for his daughter! We are so excited and can't wait to meet our little girl!

Just in case you were wondering....

We are still alive!! It doesn't seem like we've been up to much, but of course we've been busy as always. Steven finished his rotation in Scottsbluff and has been here in Cheyenne for the last 4 weeks at the Air Force base. It was so nice to have him home every night! Even though he was busy with rotation projects and working on a big presentation, just having him here was wonderful. The big presentation he was working on is for reflective week which started today in Laramie. All the students are given an assigned topic and have to do a 45 minute presentation on it for their whole class and professors. Steven is lucky, or unlucky (depends on how you look at it), and gets to give his during the first of the three reflective weeks and does it on Wednesday. I think he's glad that he'll have it out of the way. He'll be in Laramie for the rest of the week and then starts his next rotation in Powell next Monday. It's crazy that he's already done with half of his rotations. YAY! As for me, I've been staying busy with work and....that's about it :)




And now for a baby update...I'm officially halfway through my pregnancy! I was 20 weeks on Wednesday. To me, it seems to have flown by and I've been lucky that it's been pretty easy so far. (Something tells me that will change :) ) We had our 20 week appt on Friday and things are looking great! Steven was able to come with me for the first time since our very first appointment. He was excited to hear the baby's heartbeat, even though it kept kicking where the doppler was. Our baby already has an attitude, oh great! I just started feeling the baby move about a week and a half ago. It definitely makes it seem more real and it's amazing to feel that there really is a baby in there! I also, all of the sudden, have an obvious baby bump! It just showed up one day and I can't believe how much it's grown just in the few weeks. My loving hubby loves to remind me how much I'm growing. Thanks babe, I didn't notice! Here's proof:

Next time I'll stand up straight :)

Everyone keeps asking if and when we'll find out the gender. They do things kind of wierd here and don't do the ultrasounds until the 22nd week. Kind of a bummer, but what's a couple more weeks I guess? We are scheduled for the ultrasound on October 2nd, and YES we are finding out! I need to plan! As of right now, I think it's a boy and Steven thinks it's a girl. I guess we'll see! Well, that's what we've been up to. I'm actually looking forward to Steven's rotation in Powell. Mostly because I'm excited to go visit him up north and see family that I've been missing a lot lately! And just in case you forgot what Steven looks like here's us at a baseball game on his birthday in June. Right behind home plate, Go Rox!

Update on Us

First of all, thanks to everyone for the well wishes and congratulations on our last post! We are very excited, even if it was a total surprise! :) We had planned on waiting until Steven graduated to start a family, but obviously the Lord had something different planned! Funny story-we hadn't really talked about it too much, but right after we moved to Cheyenne in May we starting talking about how this time next year we'd like to be getting ready to start a family. Turns out I was already pregnant :) Anyway, for those people who have asked, I'm just about 12 weeks along. I've only had a few days that I've been a little sick, but nothing like what I've heard from what others have experienced during the first trimester. I've had more headaches than anything and have been super tired. Works seems to be kicking my butt lately, but I love my coworkers for their willingness to help me out when they can. I got to hear baby's heartbeat on Friday, which was amazing and made it seem more real to me! Steven was bummed he wasn't able to be there because he's in Basin on rotation right now. (FYI, I'm OVER rotations.) We finally told our families our news on the 4th. It was super hard to keep it from them for that long, but it was worth it to get to tell them all in person. Steven's parents are super excited as it is there first grandchild, and mine are equally excited for a new grandchild! Needless to say, I'm pretty sure our child won't be missing out on any spoiling by any means.

Nothing else overly exciting is going on with us right now. Like I said, Steven has been up north all month and will be in Scottsbluff, NE next month. We enjoy our weekends together and can't wait until he's in Cheyenne for a few consecutive months. This week is Frontier Days here in town. I'd love to say we're all over it and going to the concerts and rodeo, but with Steven being gone all week the last thing we want to do on the weekends is be around thousands of other people! Yesterday we went to Laramie to see my brother Jordan who was there coaching Legion baseball. We live about 5 minutes from I-25, but it took us a good 20 to get on it. It usually takes me 3 minutes to get to work, but Friday it took a good 10. I'm not one for big crowds and traffic and was rather annoyed about it. I think I'll ride my bike tomorrow. Last night when we got back we had a picnic at the park (one FAR away from Frontier Park) and then went to the batting cages. It was a lot of fun and we got some good pictures with the beautiful sunset that we had here last night. When we got back to our apartment, we could hear the King of Country George Strait himself singing away up at the Park. And we didn't even have to pay for tickets :)

So that's what we've been up to. I only have 2 days of work this week because of all the Frontier Days mayhem, so I'm heading to Lovell on Wednesday for a few extra days with the Hubs. Have a wonderful week!

Coming Soon

Baby Hultgren

Due to Arrive

February 3, 2010

And So It Begins...

Steven left for his first rotation today. And guess what? I already hate it. I've pretty much been dreading this day since before we got married. He'll basically be gone all summer, so for me today is just the start of a horribly long summer. Although I'm sad and hate not having him here, I am excited and proud of him for working so hard to get to this point. I've made a goal to stay positive and am trying to remember we're on the downward slope now. I have a list of things to get done and keep me busy while he's gone, so wish me luck! This month he's doing a rotation with the Wyoming Pharmacy Association. He'll be helping get ready for the Pharmacy Convention 2-3 days a week, and working in Powell at the hospital also. The office is based out of Byron, so he'll be in Lovell staying with his parents, getting Mom-cooked meals and laundry service, golfing and playing baseball; and getting to play with the niece and nephews. It's also a good excuse for me to be home almost every weekend :)

We also celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary yesterday! I can't believe how fast time flies! We had a very relaxing and enjoyable day together. We headed down to Fort Collins yesterday morning and went shopping for some new coffee and end tables. (Thanks for the birthday money, Mom & Dad!) We found some we liked and were able to get a great deal on them. We then went and had an hour long couple's massage at a day spa. It was WONDERFUL! Definitely something we both needed and enjoyed. After eating and shopping around a bit, we headed home. There was some assembly required on our new furniture but luckily it was minimal and very simple, so we were able to do it without any frustration or arguing :) To end the evening, we ate the top of our wedding cake and watched our wedding video. Without getting too mushy, I just have to say how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband. The past year has been amazing and more than I could have ever imagined. Steven, thank you for being the man that you are and making me feel like a princess. I love that we can talk for hours, laugh together, cry together, and get through anything together. I look forward to the rest of eternity with you! I Love You!




I also realize I haven't posted anything since February. We aren't that exciting, but believe it or not a few things have happened since then. I've started a post about it all, but have yet to finish it. It's one of the things on my list to get done, so hopefully soon!

Valentine's Day 2009

Our Valentine's Day was great this year! We chose to stay at home rather go out and have to deal with the craziness. This summer we went to The Melting Pot for dinner one night and loved it. My brother and sister-in-law gave us a nice fondue set for Christmas, so we decided to have our own little Melting Pot here at home. We bought different kinds of meats and vegetables to cook and found a great broth recipe online to cook them in. We also found some recipes for different dipping sauces like a chipotle mango sauce and a spicy curry sauce. If anybody wants them, let me know and I'll post them, they were yummy. We moved the table into the living room and had a little candle lit dinner while we watched Phantom of the Opera. It's in Denver right now and I really wanted to get tickets, but they were a little too expensive for us right now. So Steven bought me the movie for V-Day instead. He also got me Crash, which is one of my favorite movies, and a big ol bag of candies from the candy store in the mall. He sure knows the way to my heart :) I got him a blue ray, a new Swiss Army water bottle for school, and some treats. It's a good thing we watch a lot of movies, since we both got them for each other! We took pictures, but I'm too lazy to upload them right now. Maybe another day :) We had a great first Valentine's Day as a married couple! It was a great way to celebrate our happiness and love for each other.

Tag

I was tagged awhile ago by Andrea and Lindi, so here ya go!

25 Random Things About Me (Only if I can think of that many)
Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 5 people to be tagged.

1. When I was 2 years old, my parents were putting an addition onto our house and I fell off a saw horse and cracked my head open.(If you're wondering why my parents let me play on a saw horse, your guess is as good as mine.) Instead of stitches/staples, the Dr. simply tied a bunch of knots in my hair to keep to wound closed. I have a nice little scar right where I part my hair. During that same addition, my older brother Jordan got ran over, so I think I got the better end of the deal on that one :)
2. When I hang my clothes up, they have to be on hangers that are either the same color as the clothes or a color that coordinates. For example, a white shirt goes on a white hanger, black on black, a pink shirt goes on a white hanger, etc. I've learned to only buy white or black hangers.
3. I hate lunchmeat. Something about it absolutely disgusts me. My sandwiches consist of bread, mayo, and cheese. No meat. Weird, I know.
4. I have to wash the forks about 3 times each when I wash dishes. I have a phobia of food being left in between the prongs. OCD...I have it.
5. I would sleep in until noon everyday if I could.
6. The only semester of college that I got a 4.0 was my 1st semester of Dental Hygiene school. After that, I realized that DDS's only care if I passed Boards and had my license, not if I got an A in Clinical Seminar II :)
7. My favorite household chore is laundry. I love folding warm clothes right out of the dryer. And they always smell so good.
8. I eat more candy than any dental hygienist should! Steven has found many a candy stash around the apartment. He thinks I hide it from him, but really I hide it so I'll forget about it and then be excited when I find it! I know, I'm lame.
9. I love Neil Diamond. Steven bought me a 2 Disc set for Valentine's last year, it was awesome.
10. My very best friends in the world(other than Steven)are my brothers and sister. My parents are a very close second.
11. I have never ridden a horse. I'd love to say I want to but....
12. I REALLY dislike animals. I think I got this from my dad. They just gross me out and really, they intimidate me.
13. My plan if I didn't get into Dental Hygiene school was to move to Utah with my friend Ashlie and get my teaching degree. I think I would have hated it.
14. It is impossible for me to take a shower any shorter than 15 min. I usually average 20-30 min.
15. I hate socks.
16. I hated the color pink and refused to wear it until I got a pink outfit for my HS graduation. Now, it's one of my favorite colors and I wear lots of it!
17. After I broke up with my last boyfriend who I dated for 2 1/2 years, I promised myself I wouldn't date for at least a few months. Two weeks later, Steven and I were dating.
18. I'm a total Daddy's Girl and I always will be! My dad is my hero, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
19. I always turn the faucet on when I use the bathroom. I hate the thought of anyone hearing me, because I HATE hearing anyone else.
20. I really want to try a new hairstyle, something totally different, but we all know I'm a wuss and won't do it.
21. I watch way too much TV. I don't think I could function without it, which is really sad.
22. I love my alone time. Give me a half hour to myself, and I'm a happy girl.
23. I am currently calling-less at church. We were released from nursery a month ago and Steven got a calling the same day. I'm really enjoying Relief Society, and hoping I can fly under the radar for a bit longer :)
24. My dream vacation would be a trip to Italy and Greece. I'd love to go to Switzerland, too. Steven and I plan to do this someday.
25. I'm taking the last of my classes for my Bachelor's degree this semester online. To be perfectly honest, it's one of the last things on my mind and I lost all ambition before I even started the classes.

Whew! That was hard! I tag anyone who has enough time to do this, it took me 3 days!!

World's Worst Blogger?

Ok....I'm a horrible blogger. I've had good intentions of getting caught up for the past few weeks, but by the time I'm home from work, I lose the motivation. And I hate to break it to everyone, but I'd rather spend my evenings hanging out with the Hub than blogging :) I know I said I'd post about Christmas, but it's beyond late so I won't bore everyone with details. I'll just say we had a great time being home for over 2 weeks. We got to spend lots of time with family and catch up with old friends(thanks Dani & Lindi!). We got some great gifts and appreciate all that our families did for us during the Holidays.



Things have been beyond crazy here since we got back. I started my new job Jan 5th and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The other ladies I work with are great and Dr. Lambert is one of the nicest people I've met. Everyone was very helpful and patient with me while I was still learning everything in the office. I think I've picked up on everything really quickly and don't want to toot my own horn (ok, maybe I do a little :)) but I produced over $1500 more in January than the last hygienist ever had. The drive to Cheyenne everyday hasn't been too bad. I missed one day due to closed roads, but was able to make it up on a Friday since my usual schedule is Mon-Thurs.



Steven is back in the swing of things at school. He's in his last semester of actual classes and is ready to be DONE! We will put in his preferences for rotations on Friday, so here in a few weeks we should know what his schedule will be next year. We're excited, but not looking forward to having to spend time apart. Steven is still working part-time at the pharmacy in Walmart, also. We are super busy and have definitely learned to enjoy the evenings and weekends when we get to relax together. Well, that's what we've been up to! I'll try to be better about blogging, but really, we're not that exciting :) Click here to see our pictures from Christmas, enjoy!

One Year Ago Today...

We got engaged! I can't believe that was a whole year ago, but time flies when you're in LOVE! :)

Stay tuned for a nice long post about Christmas and such. (Yes, I realize that was almost a month ago, but I've been one busy girl!)