Where do I begin?

First of all, I should let you know that this is not your typical situation, although the lessons-learned will hopefully be relevant nonetheless.

I'm married, and happily so.  I have a toddler, and another little one on the way.  My wife and I wound up with a relationship transformation earlier this year, and could now be considered to be polyamorous.  Generally speaking, I'm not writing to comment on this sort of lifestyle, although I need to put it out there, since some things won't make much sense otherwise.  (If you're looking for further information on polyamory, I'd suggest reading through the material here -- it's a good background on the topic, and goes a long way towards clearing up misconceptions people might have about poly vs. swinging, cheating, and so on.  Although I may write more on the topic later on, I'll simply say that it has turned out to be the right choice for us, and has strengthened and deepened the bond between us immeasurably.)

This story begins a few months after opening up our marriage.  I had initially intended to use my free time while my wife pursued her other interest(s) to catch up on personal projects and such.  After a while, though, I decided that it would be nice to have a friend or two simply to chat with, who could relate to things and generally be good company.

One of the people I contacted really caught my eye -- we have so many common interests, it's kind of ridiculous.  I wasn't looking there for chemistry -- she wasn't looking for someone already in a relationship...even though I wasn't looking for it, we sure found it, and fast...