I'd say that 2011 was a great learning experience for me, and it's definitely been more good than bad.
Started out with the knowledge that we could never have kids unless we did IVF/ICSI, which is a tough pill to swallow. So we cashed out the retirement fund and gave it our all.
First attempt with IVF failed a few weeks before spring finals, and I didn't handle it as well as I would have liked. Grades suffered as a result. But, I had landed an amazing summer job, which I loved, and has helped me realize what type of law I'd like to practice.
Celebrated my 10 year wedding anniversary with my amazing husband in the late spring. So blessed to have found him, to have a best friend and partner who knows me so well and suits me so well.
Took a couple summer classes and got completely back on the academic bandwagon. Did our second attempt at IVF mid-summer, and this time it worked!!! The amazing job ended badly, for a complicated reason, and that's a real shame because I loved it there and it was perfect except for the one thing that went wrong at the end, which was quite outside of my control. Trying to accept that it is for the best, even if I'm not quite sure why at this point.
Spent the fall semester dealing with lots of morning sickness, and realized that being pregnant and in law school isn't all that much fun, but is totally and completely worth it. Found out in November that we are having a baby boy.
Hubby sort of lost his job in the fall, but not really. His company lost the contract that he had been working. But, the client likes him so much they asked the new company if they would hire him so he could keep working their account, and the new company was happy to. So he's starting over in terms of benefits and seniority, but he's with a better company now and still doing the same job, so it's hard to be mad about that!
Decided at the end of the year that I want to enjoy every minute of this baby when he makes his arrival, so I'm taking a one semester leave of absence from school and won't graduate until Jan 2013, taking the Bar in Feb 2013. Which means I'll be without a job for a bit longer, but it also means I won't have to worry about being hugely pregnant and still going to class, and I won't have to worry about leaving a brand new baby at home so I can take finals. I'll have years and years to work, but only so much time to enjoy what may be (but hopefully won't be) our only child.
I am so excited about 2012!!