Grace, today feels like I’m gliding to the start of the prettiest ski run ever.  I know there’s perfect powder and glistening terrain just a single push ahead and unexpected twists and turns that will command me to be fully present. 100% in my own skin.  Listening, feeling my body and adjusting with every thrilling challenging mogul.  It’s about time for me to leap.  The anticipation about your arrival is starting to fill me from top to bottom.  My maternity leave transition has begun, the leaves are starting to turn to golden hues outside, pumpkins flank the sides of the doorway to our house and the air is crisp and chilly outside.  I finally succumbed to turning the heat on today.  Your dad and I went to the Pepper Festival yesterday.  You probably already knew that from all the spicy harvest goodness I sampled - habanero ice cream and jalapeno macaroons.  Yum!  There were little ones running around everywhere and it made us really excited about the thought of meeting you soon.  The last 48 hours have been a change in season in so many ways.  I dove into my big list of pre-Gracie prep and found myself doing something this weekend that you wouldn’t have caught the me I knew from just a few months ago doing… thinking about a “birth plan”.  First of all, just like many things in pregnancy, I had never heard of such a thing.  I initially passed it off as absolutely ridiculous.  With so many doctors in our family and just the sheer logic of it all, how could you plan how labor was going to go!?  My initial thoughts were that I would just do whatever the doctor on call told me to do.  What I’ve started to learn is that, while you can’t plan how your labor will go or what your body will do, you can prepare your thoughts about it and make choices about a whole host of things ahead of time that will affect that day.  Who knows what God will have happen on the day you arrive, but I truly believe now that labor is something I want to pray about, prepare for and make choices about… where I can.   Grace, the things on my heart lately are things that the newly-pregnant me would never have thought or cared about.  God sure has a way of radically changing us from the inside-out.  I have no idea what He has planned for your birthday and I’m truly up for anything that keeps you healthy and happy.  I’m excited about preparing for this adventure and so grateful.  Speaking of adventure… the only thing I can think of that I want to do close to your birthday, if I have to labor for a long while, is to watch this.  Yes, I just ordered it.  I don’t think it’s coincidence that the one thing I envision watching when your birthday gets close makes me feel pure awe and trust in what God makes us capable of… whatever His plan for us may be.  Here’s to all the adventure and glistening terrain ahead and the exciting mysteries yet to unfold, little one!  Love, Mom