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Matthew was skittish and quiet when he first arrived and preferred to talk mostly to Rover than to Eben or me. But children, it seems, are resilient, because within a few months, he was out of his shell and very lively. He’s been here nearly six months now and he surprises us all the time. He’s a very clever boy and gets good reviews from his teacher. He’s taken an interest in the boats that dock near the house and in horses that Eben often rides and visits. We will probably let him begin taking riding lessons after the football season ends. While he did have a few questions about mine and Eben’s relationship at first, he is still young enough to be open minded and has taken the idea of two fathers in stride. I think he has found that I’ll mother him endlessly regardless of my gender. He has began to play with the other children in the family, cousins and Eben’s much younger brother and sister who are all five, six, and seven. Not to mention, they all love one more in the mix. He has also become a remarkable big brother for little Joanna.

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Joanna, the little dear, as learned the wonders of Skype. We’ve been allowing her to talk on there with her mother as often as she’d like and we‘ll most likely plan a trip to visit her around Joanna‘s fourth birthday. She truly is the gentle touch in the house though. As much as I try my best to mother and be the soft sided one, she’ll probably always beat me with tenderness. She mothers her dolls and stuffed animals for hours and usually it’s me and Rover that get dragged into playing with her. Since Joanna has joined the family, I’ve become quite gifted at dressing dolls, changing their nappies and brushing their hair. Rover hasn’t quite discovered the art of being so patient, but he has learned that she’s small and fragile and he takes care of her almost as much as he does Matthew.

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So far, I’d say it’s going rather well here and having them in the house has brightened my and Eben’s lives in ways I cannot describe. I’m very happy we can all be there for each other and I would like to think things will only continue to get better from here.