Nick Markakis, 2004 Bowman Signs of the Future #SOF-NM

I hope that everybody had a great Mother's Day. I've been fortunate to have several excellent mother figures in my life, from my mother and my dearly departed grandmothers to my mother-in-law. Of course I have to add my wife Janet to that list, as we're about seven weeks away from welcoming our little one to the world. Watching her balance home life and work while throttling breast cancer and going through the usual aches and pains of pregnancy has left me in awe. My kid is going to have an uncommonly strong, bright, funny, and kind mom; as I've told Janet, I'm just going to be trying to follow her lead.

There's some very encouraging news on the health front, while we're talking about it. Janet has completed the first of her two courses of chemotherapy, and the tumor has already shrunk significantly. It started out with a circumference of 3.4 cm, roughly the size of a golf ball, I'd say. Now it's maybe the size of a blueberry, and even the oncologist was having a hard time locating it by touch! If you are interested in keeping closer tabs on our experiences throughout this challenging time, Janet has been keeping a blog (and even trusting me to contribute occasionally). So hop on over to Janet versus the Titmonster...and yes, I'm to blame for the name. No apologies.