1 week down.

We've officially made it one, full week. Hallelujah!

Mark's mostly out of his old place, save for some light cleaning and the need to transport his fish tank over here.

His lease expires Oct. 31, so he still has a few days to reconsider this whole move. It's noisier and a little messier over here, but there's also delicious home-cooked meals, the sound of laughter (only briefly interrupted by the sounds of fighting and crying) and, well, me. Who could ask for more?

When the fish make the move, our pet quota will make a significant jump. The kids are super excited to report that we will be the proud owners of 10 pets now.

1 gerbil (Stella)
1 dog (Bandit)
8 fish (for now, unnamed)
10 pets

And it looks like they'll all be able to stay. I'm thrilled to report that Bandit has not bothered my allergies too badly. This is amazing, because anytime I come into contact with other dogs, I'm a mess.

A friend told me she thinks it's because of the type of hair. The other dogs have slick, smooth short-haired coats (a beagle and assorted labs). These dogs make me sneeze uncontrollably for a full day or more. Bandit (a Pomeranian-poodle mix) has light, fluffy long hair. This makes me mildly congested but no major sneezing.

I really hope this lasts. The dog is such a sweetie and we're all growing attached to her. The Deuce even wrote about her for a class assignment:

Bandet

Bandet is my step dog. She's a ponerunian. (flufy dog.) the reason she's called bandet is because she has a black strip around her eyes.

I've called Bandit my step dog here, but never in front of the kids. So, when The Deuce called her that in the essay, I was a little surprised.

"Well, Mark's going to be my step dad, so I figured Bandit is my step dog."

Makes sense.