Meet Daisy Mae

I'm thrilled to introduce you to our newest family member: Miss Daisy Mae Dahle.

This weekend this three pound ball of fluff and love walked right into our home and into our hearts.

When we said goodbye to Gino in July, I wasn't prepared for the aftermath of the heartbreak on the family. I truly thought we would take a long break from having a dog and enjoy some newfound freedom for travel and adventure.

After months passed by, it became clear that the Peanut just wasn't herself without a puppy to love. Handyman Tim and Little Pea concurred and I was soundly outnumbered. It was obvious we were on the road to finding a new four legged friend to join the family, but they dragged me with them nearly kicking and screaming.

So take one guess who might now be the most smitten with our newest little lady. . . Because of course. I talk a big game, but who can resist this little bundle of joy?? Certainly not me.

Tim and I secretly hid the fact that we had reserved our puppy from her breeder in late November so we could surprise the kids on Christmas Eve. Their reaction went completely as expected:

The weeks between Christmas and picking the puppy up seemed to take forever for the girls but last weekend Tim and I drove to Nashville to bring our girl home.

Daisy is a 7 week old Cavachon puppy: ¾ Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, ¼ Bichon. I had never heard of this breed before but Cavaliers had been recommended to me by several friends and our vet. My only hold back was the amount they shed.

In the peak of my resistance phase, my friend Carey mentioned that her family was picking up their Cavachon the coming weekend. Out of curiosity for my friend I Googled the breed and immediately started seeing all of my required traits checked off the list one by one:

• intelligent & trainable
• loving and good with kids
• small size, less than 20 pounds
• low to no shedding
• not as clingy and more independent than an Italian Greyhound
• playful and sweet

Our Daisy was timid when we first met but the breeder laughed when I asked how long to expect it to take for her to warm up to us. The answer? "Minutes!" True to her word, the puppy was wagging her tail and kissing Tim before we'd even left town.

But the best part was once we got home:

It's only been a couple of days and we are all in love.

I can't believe how much having a puppy is like having a new baby. Sleepless nights filled with potty breaks, constant vigilance for housebreaking, and endless soothing and comforting. But I can already see our efforts paying off with the groundwork for solid good habits.

I'm looking forward to sharing more of Daisy with you in the coming months: how we picked her name, how we introduced her to the girls, how we prepared the house for her, and so much more. Having a puppy with young children is so different than our experience of having a puppy as a young married couple and I bet other families would find what we've learned helpful.

Do you have any puppy specific questions you'd like me to answer? Just like babies, this phase passes quickly and I'm sure I'll forget in time. I'd love to make notes to help you now while we're in the thick of it! Just leave me a comment and I'll use it for inspiration for future posts!