My life as a stay at home wife/mom has officially started. It's definitely hard getting back into the routine of cooking and cleaning. Jesse and I have had lots of time together since I stopped teaching and it has been so nice. We are definitely going to continue to soak in all the together time before he starts working and grad school and the baby comes. The pregnancy is still going really well and the amazing warm weather we have had in Utah has only made things more enjoyable. We spent yesterday with friends at the pool all day and today we lounged by the river up the canyon. My cravings lately have been pina coladas, watermelon, dessert every night, and recently, the fresh squeezed limeade we had at the local farmers market. Nothing too crazy and we hope it stays that way. We move in less than three weeks and really need to get the packing into full force. Here are a ton of pictures of our life the last few months from Jesse's phone:

Friday was my last day of teaching and it was bitter sweet. This year I had some really challenging students and I have been eager all year for summer break, but all in all I do love teaching and even the students that test my patience have a special place in my heart, but most of all I am really sad to be leaving my wonderful co-workers. They have become some of my closest friends and have been really supportive the last couple of years. They all threw me a surprise baby shower before I left and spoiled me and the baby with loads of cute clothes. These women are all advocates of staying home and raising your children and they get me so excited about getting to be a stay at home mom and wife. I'm grateful that I am able to stay home with our baby and experience being a mom full time. These women have been my second mothers and best friends and family when mine has been so far away. I'm really lucky to have had such amazing examples of women in my career.

(Tonya Snelson: my room buddy)

(My fourth grade team: Karalee Reeves, Megan Messer, Teresa Taylor)

(My second grade team: Ali Cecil, Alyssa Christensen, Michelle Parker, Laurel Fox)

(My best friend and venting buddy: Tonya Palmer)

(My special education team: Sylvia Kearny, Janine Talbot)

I think I have finally hit the normal phase of pregnancy. It took a whole 19 weeks to finally feel like I could function without puking and the last half of this second trimester is so much better. I lost 13 pounds in the first trimester but have now gained that back and then some. The two lowest points of the pregnancy were throwing up in a barf bag on an airplane(note to self: never fly when pregnant) and having to pull over on the side of the road on the way to work and throw up out my door while cars had to swerve around me. These are the "joys" of pregnancy that I'm so grateful I get to experience. I am basking in the uncomfortableness, stretching stomach, weight gain, waddling, and the fact that my life now is planned around scheduled eating times. I finally felt the baby move around 19 weeks and Jesse was able to feel her too. All her movements have been so fun to feel. We had our anatomy ultrasound last week and it is still a girl and she is developing normal and looking strong and healthy. At our 15 week ultrasound her head was under my placenta so we couldn't see her face and last week at the 21 week ultrasound she had her face smash against my back so we couldn't see her face again. She seems to be a little shy and maybe stubborn. After our anatomy ultrasound Jesse and I went to La Jolla Groves and had a delicious dinner to celebrate our healthy baby girl and our 3 year anniversary. Life is good.

(baby bump at 21 weeks)

Two weeks ago Jesse graduated from the Marriott School of Business at BYU and I couldn't be prouder. We were blessed to have both our families in town for the occasion. His graduating brought about decisions of where to go for grad school and what our plans for the future will be. Jesse decided to go to USC for grad school and we are thrilled to be going back home to sunny weather and family. We will move back at the end of June and prepare for our baby girl's arrival in September. There will be a lot of changes for our little family, but we are excited to for the future and what it could bring. Utah has been good to us for our first three years of marriage. It was the perfect place for us for this time, but we are ready to take on a new adventure. 

Jesse and I made a trip out to Washington DC in March so Jesse could interview for grad school at Georgetown. Despite what my husband thinks I really did enjoy the trip and was glad I got to see the sites because the history over there is incredible. I was seven weeks pregnant and puking all the time and not able to eat anything so I may have seemed grumpy and I was definitely out of energy. My favorite part of the trip was definitely Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum. Our hotel was so nice and we even got to spend a day in the city with some of our good friends, which brightened my spirits. We did so much walking and my feet were killing me by the end of the day. We experienced the metro and the biter cold weather. It was a great experience, but I learned that if I had a choice DC is probably not the place for me, but I do understand why people love it there so much. Jesse did get accepted to Georgetown, but ended up declining the flattering offer. If we were to do this trip again I would suggest we do it in the warmer months with the cherry blossom trees and while I am not pregnant. 

I have been neglecting this blog for a while, hence I am just now posting about Christmas break. We had a great break at home and were spoiled with gifts as usual. On my dad's chest in the last picture is Vinny. He didn't last long in the Conley family, but he sure was fun to have around while it lasted.

Well, what we were beginning to think was impossible actually happened. It's hard to articulate the experience we have had and if you could be in my head and heart for a day only then would you know what this means to us. My last post was about our failed IUI and infertility treatment. Well the next month came and those fertility drugs were working full force apparently  February came and I obviously know my body's schedule down to the day by now after having to track it for two and a half years. I knew I should have started that day and didn't but I had already taken pregnancy tests that week that were the usual negative. I was cramping and felt like I was starting my period, but thought to take another test because our infertility specialist needed to know the status and approach we would take for the next month. Mind you we had already scheduled our LDS adoption services first meeting and it was to take place on Wednesday. So it was Monday February 4th and I took another test and walked away knowing in my heart it would be negative. I came back to find another line and brought the test to Jesse to double check and make sure I wasn't willing another line to be there, that it was in fact reality. I started crying immediately, not out of happiness, but out of panic and fear that because of the cramping I was once again experiencing a miscarriage. I told our infertility doctor the news and they had us come in and do an early ultrasound to make sure there was in fact a baby and everything was measuring normal. I held my breath during the ultrasound as I have every time since then and the doctor found the baby which at the time looked like a speck of dust on the screen. They were happy to announce that I would be graduating from their office and moving on to a regular OBGYN. I told then I loved then but that I honestly hoped to never see then again.They gave me a new mommy bag with lots of goodies in it and to be honest I wanted to hide it as we walked out past all the people in the waiting room who knew exactly what that bag meant. This pregnancy does not change our infertility experience or make it easier to bare. Those were the darkest days of my life and we may have to return to those every time we want to have another baby, but I feel so much lighter as the weight of disappointment and hopelessness has been lifted off us for a while. Infertility is a burden that some couples have to bare much longer than us and I know they are the only ones that are strong enough to cope with it. My heart aches for those who still battle with this and I'm grateful that I can relate somewhat. Couples who go through infertility have earned a different perspective on parenting that you cannot get  any other way and I'm grateful to have that. The pregnancy has been really hard. I lost a ton of weight, haven't been able to eat much, and throw up constantly, but it is so worth every second. This is exactly what I wanted for years and I am clinging onto every moment even the ones I spend with my head in the toilet. Infertility opened my eyes to how amazing our bodies truly are and pregnancy has only enhanced that. I'm now 15 weeks along and have nothing to complain about. The second best moment of my life next to marrying Jesse was hearing that baby's heartbeat so loud for the first time on the ultrasound. We got the neat chance to go with mine and his mom to an early gender detection office to find out the sex of the baby. Nothing is growing between those tiny legs and the lady assured me there wouldn't be. It's a girl! I haven't let myself get excited or too attached yet and those who've had miscarriages will only know the true feelings of why that is, but knowing it's a girl has made it finally a reality. I'm due September 29th and Jesse is hoping I can hold out til October. We couldn't be more full of gratitude.