So Superman, Superboy and I did the 4 hour drive to see my parents, sisters, brother-in-law and kids.  It was the first time any of them had met Superboy, and the first time my sister and her family had met Superman.  I have to say it went better than I ever expected.

My family has been so supportive and encouraging through all the stages of this relationship.  They were so excited to meet my new family.  Superboy can be really shy, and had been really upset about so many people wanting to talk to him when we were at church, so I wasn’t sure how a new situation and new people would go.

But it went great.  My family was really patient and slowly and surely Superboy warmed up to them.  My parents live on a farm so we were about to go outside and see baby kittens, take a ride in the tractor (Superboy was a little scared of that one), and have all of those opportunities for him to bond with my dad and sister.  We had a great time taking the kids to the park and swimming, and it allowed Superboy to relax enough to open up a little.

Superman really dumped the “mommy” responsibilities on me this weekend.  At times it was a little overwhelming, but I couldn’t really complain because it was what I wanted all along.  I put him to sleep two nights (once with Superman, once without) and I managed to endure the crying.  I changed my fair share of the dirty diapers, packed the bags, remembered the sippy cups, and did a pretty good job if I don’t say so myself!  It was rather draining, however.  There was a time or two he was having a break down and it was scary to feel powerless to do anything to stop him from crying.

But he’s calling me “mommy” to Superboy all the time now and teaching him that’s who I am – even in front of his parents!  I’m glad he’s feeling less of a need to protect them and more focused on us becoming a family.

It was also great to have time with Superman and Superboy away from Superman’s parents.  Every time they are around, Superboy runs to them, and Superman doesn’t agree 100% with how they have been choosing to care for Superboy, so it can be stressful at times.  When we were with my family, Superboy actually cuddled with me to fall asleep with his nap and wasn’t running to grandma every 5 minutes.

What was amazing was how normal things seemed at times (besides the overwhelmed feeling).  Superman fits in with my family amazingly well.  It wasn’t weird to see him with my family.  Other men that have met my family before always seemed a little awkward when they spent time with us.  Superboy loved playing with my niece, and actually was pulling her into the other room to play – he’s never initiated play with other children before!  Superman commented to me while the kids were playing that it looks like they could be related – and he was pretty pleased about that.  It warmed my heart to hear that and just to watch how seemlessly things seemed to flow.

I’m still feeling a little scared to be a mommy, probably more than I ever have.  I’m beginning to realize how exhausting parenting can be, and I wonder how it will impact Superman and I as a newly wedded couple.  Will we still get the time we need as a couple?  I certainly hope so, and I know that we will need to be very intentional about the time we spend together.