Our New "Baby"

We may have lost our minds.  Somewhere in between the planning and building and packing and everyday life, we decided that we needed to add another member to our family.  And since Russ is against that being a human we decided that the addition would be a canine.
And then the discussion was what kind.  Russ was leaning towards a small dog and I wanted another chocolate lab.  If I could have cloned my last chocolate lab Kramer, I truly would have.  He was taken from us way before we were ready to say Goodbye and he would have been great with the kids.
We decided a lab would be best.
Then the discussion was do we get a puppy or an adult lab from a rescue group?
A puppy would require training and years of puppy antics.  However, a puppy could grow up with our kids and be accustomed to their noises and crazy behavior.
An adult dog could have already been around and be good with kids.  And would possibly already be house trained with exceptional manners.
(As I'm typing this I'm trying to figure out why we got a puppy. . . )
I had been following a breeder that raises lab puppies in her home on their farm with her family of 4 children. The puppies are loved and handled and treated like family.  One litter was born on January 29 and when I learned that there was a chocolate male available my heart strings were pulled.
I had been the one wanting an adult dog because I just wasn't sure I could handle the puppy years.  Kramer I swear trained himself because I don't remember it being that difficult.
But Jan 29 is an important date for us.  That last week in January anyway.  It was the week Russ asked me on our first date, it was the day we moved in together 2 years later, it was the day he proposed the next year, and it was when we discovered we were pregnant with Rhiannon.  And I'm funny and I guess superstitious about signs.  And I felt like this was our baby.
So we reserved him.  A puppy.  A crazy chocolate lab puppy with two young kids and a brand new house.  See?  We have lost our minds.
On March 23 we picked him in Lincolnton GA.  We decided not to tell the kids and let it be a surprise.  We told them as we were pulling in the driveway.
We had the last pick of males so I thought it would most likely be the smallest.  Kramer was the runt and that was perfectly fine with us because he will be primarily an inside dog.  And that was what originally happened but when the first family arrived to pick up the largest male, the small one tugged on their sons pant leg and he stole his heart and earned a trip home instead of the "big guy".  When we arrived, we met the largest puppy of the litter.  Woah.  But oh so sweet and gentle and calm.  His Daddy is a 95 pound gentle giant and the breeder says our baby reminds her the most of Ruger (his Daddy).
We decided to name him Prince Leroy.  Leroy is a funny name I call the kids when they are acting crazy.  And Rhiannon thinks that everyone should be royalty.  So that is how we came to his name.  His full registered name is Highlands Royal Prince Crain.  Where we live is known as the Highlands in our county.  The subdivision that we live in that used to be our family farm is named Lawson Highlands.
So now we have a 10 week old newborn that requires all our attention but we love him so much.  I call him my Chocolate Baby.  I have called him "My Baby" a few times and Henry has expressed his dissatisfaction with that as he tells me that HE is my baby.  Leroy can be my chocolate baby.