Meet Louie

After almost an entire week of deliberation, we finally settled on a name for our puppy! And, it's really the perfect name for him if I do say so myself.

Meet Louie!

Or, as we've been calling him around the house - Chicken Louie :).

As everyone who helped me brainstorm names knows, I was hooked on the idea of coming up with a name that had some kind of meaning or sentimental value to mine and Dan's relationship. Eventually, I decided the name would be New Orleans-related, as the time we spent 4 years ago in Louisiana doing Hurricane Katrina/Rita Relief was where we fell in love and our relationship really began to grow (aww).

I thought about naming him Beaux, Roux, Gumbo, Saint, Levee, Jazz, Jester... and Louie. Short for Louisiana, a nod to Louis Armstrong (an idol to my idol, Harry Connick Jr.), and just adorable and fun in general... Louie it was!

Our little guy is adjusting, but it's certainly not coming without a few hiccups. Here's what we've learned about Louie in just one week -

- He gets so excited about eating that he steps in his water, spills his food all over the floor, and generally doesn't even know what to do with himself he's so worked up. This is adorable, but has made for a lot of paper towel waste as we try to keep the floor dry. Hopefully the boot tray we bought this weekend to keep his bowls on will help.

- He has a hard time getting his bearings on the hardwood floors throughout the house, and slips around a LOT. I feel bad for him when he tries to do something and often just gets frustrated and lays down on his pillow in defeat. In a way, this is a blessing in disguise, as it keeps him fairly confined to the living room area on the rug without too much wandering.

- He doesn't like being on a leash, and he's afraid of nearly everything imaginable outside. This makes taking walks extremely difficult.

- He loves to lay behind Dan's feet when he's sitting in the recliner. While this is cute, I'm scared that one of these days we'll forget he's there and he'll get squished when Dan goes to get up. In general, he just loves being close to Dan.

- He's smarter than he looks. The majority of the time, Louie already understands "paw" (shake), "sit" (at street corners when we actually do manage to take a walk), "hurry up" (Dan read this is a good one to use when he's going to the bathroom), and "down" (although it takes a few tries).

- He's also LOUDER than he looks. Louie is not a fan of being in his crate if he can't see us but knows we're still in the house. Case in point - this morning when Dan had somewhere to be, I had to put him in the crate while I was upstairs getting ready for work. I had a horribly annoying song of whining and howling the entire 45 minutes I was showering and getting dressed, but he was quiet as soon as I headed back downstairs and sat down with my laptop where he could see me. I'm just trying to be as patient as possible and understand that it has only been a week.

- He has one or two times a day where he can be described in no other way but "spastic" for 10 minutes or so. It's hilarious to watch him chase his tail, pounce on his toys, and spin in circles.

As previously mentioned, my dad and Manda adopted Louie's brother the day after we found the litter at the shelter. They've had a couple of play dates already!

Reunited! -

Louie in back, Cosmo in front. See the resemblance? My mom pointed out the lefty and righty eye patches, which I think is adorable -

Our first attempt at a family picture! -