Millie Clementine!

This fall, we welcomed a new addition!  Millie Clementine Winterhoff joined our family in mid-September, and we are now again a Party of Five.  Millie is an Australian Labradoodle, and we knew her as Miss Orange for the first 8 weeks of her life (she wore an orange collar).  We watched her from the day she was born, thanks to a webcam set up in the nursery at her breeder's home.  We received weekly updates and pictures, and couldn't tear ourselves away from the live stream video of Millie's litter:

Millie's litter on Day 2 of their lives

Puppy Pile.

We watched the puppies scoot, get up on wobbly legs, and learn to walk/run.

Mama took such good care of her babies, nursing and grooming them.

We loved watching them play and then crash, often holding each other as they slept.
P.S. This slide was a riot: they'd actually climb up and slide down!

Getting bigger!

All seven puppies sitting in a row.  Almost time to meet their new families!

We wanted to give our puppy a name that was significant to our life here and chose Millie, as the Old Mill in our town is our favorite Oak Ridge landmark.  Clementine seemed like the perfect middle name for our orange bow-clad, Southern girl!  

One week old!

Week 2 photo.

Week 3: eyes open!

Week 4

Week 5-6: My favorite pic!

Week 7

Preparing for this puppy was so different for Mark and me vs. 15 years ago when we brought Winnie home.  Last time around, we didn't have a single dog supply and knew nothing about raising a puppy.  This time, we read stacks of recommended books on dog training, had dozens of Amazon deliveries (toys, crate, bowls, etc.), interviewed breeders and vets, and researched food/nutrition.  We deliberated the perfect timing for this dog to join our family, and were as prepared as anyone who has ever had a puppy.  

Millie's car ride home.

I love how tiny she looks in this picture!

First walk at home.

First nap.   Meeting your new family is exhausting!

Then the universe laughed at our planning.  This tiny little nugget showed us who was boss as soon as we brought her home.  She scampered from room to room, hiding under chairs and beds.  She chewed blankets and shoes, grabbed the toilet paper from the roll and dragged it throughout the house, and was ALL things puppy.  We took her out to go potty as frequently as every 15-20 minutes, and somehow we still couldn't master house training.  She whimpered in her crate at night and Mark and I took turns sleeping on the floor beside her, our not-so-young joints protesting.  I'm delayed in writing this post (it's December and I'm backdating this entry to September) as it took us several months to find our new routine.  Things are easier now for many reasons, and Millie really is precious and sweet.   The kids were absolutely smitten with Millie from Day One and loved this fluffy ball of energy.  Despite the nipping, slipper-stealing, and rotten puppy antics, Millie makes us laugh every day, and she adds so much to our family.  

Hiding under her favorite chair.  

Belly rubs!

These two girls are so sweet together.

Caught in the act of being mischievous:

Chewing on Mommy's slipper.

Dragging a blanket around.

Millie loves her yard:

Just like her big sister, Winnie, no stick is too big!  

She's such a silly puppy!

Millie is very good with the kids.  She lets them carry her around, and they even take her for scooter rides:

She's a great homework helper, too!

Millie comes in the car every afternoon with Leah and me to pick up Luke at his bus stop.  So far, she likes these trips and is a lively addition to our car rides:

The best part of the afternoon: Reunited again!

Here are some more adorable photos of Millie's first few weeks at home.  She's growing quickly, and was 6 pounds when she joined our family (and was almost 20 pounds at her last vet appointment!), so we are taking tons of pictures to capture her tiny puppy days:

Meeting "Max", our neighbor's Great Dane.  This size difference is comical!

Tug of War.

The girls catching up on some reading.

This is supposed to be her toy basket, but she likes to empty it out and sit in it!

Under the bed.  We look ridiculous trying to crawl under to reach her!  

Relaxing under a chair on the porch.

Precious puppy paws.

She loves her toys.

We love you, Millie.  Thank you for bringing joie de vivre that dogs add to our life.  You remind us so much of Winnie when she was a puppy, with your "frappy" moments (frantic, random, activity periods) and your sweet kisses.  You're the fluffiest bundle of energy and love, and we can't wait to watch you grow and create years of precious doggie memories with our family!