Well..........

no sooner do I start a dating blog then I appear to be done with dating! At least that's the working plan, according to Nice Guy. I have never dated someone so committed so quickly. For me, this is a very very good thing. I'm not a fan of ambiguity and I'm not getting younger. He said he knew when I walked in on our first date, it took me a bit longer. NG is family-oriented, kind, gentle, and fun. I have never been with someone so unintentionally thoughtful. He does random stuff like leaving me sweet messages on the refrigerator written with his daughter's magnet letters, making dinner on a Sunday when I will be travelling, and sending me a sweet text message when HE is outside walking MY dog. NG loves my dog (not her hair, but I don't love her hair either), loves me, and is excited to be a family one day. He wants to build an addition to his house, have two kids, and live between my family farm in VA and his in NY when we're old. We will literally have 2 1/2 kids and a dog. We will be the statistical average. Our kids will be short, and we joke about the need for ground level instead of overhead cabinets. I am frequently surprised by how much he wants to be with me, and how its not needy and weird, he just likes me that much.

So maybe my blog now becomes one of the perils of dating a man with a child. She is a pistol from what I gather. She's very bright and doesn't miss a thing. When she saw the food and water in bowls on the floor, she asked who has a dog. "My friend." "Friend or girlfriend?" "Girlfriend." "Girl-friend or girlfriend?" She's 8. The other day she wanted to know if I sleep with him when I come over. I'm a little concerned that this is a planted question from her mom, but 8 isn't what it used to be either. She really wants to meet me, and we're letting her get used to the idea of me for a little while first.

We're not really sure how much the ex dates or how much TD knows about her mom dating. I'm concerned about the whole situation, but NG says he isn't really. "She is a good judge of character, being the awesome person you are, she'll like you quickly." He also said the ex has always said she knows he'll get married again and have more children. She wants to set a good example for TD, and that seems to be her primary concern. I would never do anything to the contrary. I'm reading up on the stepparenting thing, really just trying to get some ideas of what not to do so I don't screw something up unintentionally. NG and I have talked about it some, and we're on the same page. That's one of the best things about us I think, we make a good team.

His dad is coming to visit the first week of October and he wants me to meet him. His dad and TD are close, so I'm wondering how that will play out. Advice, comments, and suggestions are more than welcome, this is totally unchartered territory for me!

As a sidenote, I am really amused and inspired by two blogs I have found in my search for reflections on stepmothering. One is http://witheyeswideopen2.blogspot.com/, wonderfully candid.  The other is accessed through the button below, unapologetically non-domestic and childfree, La Belle Mere has not lost her singleton soul since becoming a married.  :-)