Life with Lilly.

Life with Lilly is fantastic. Louis and I are still feeling surreal about this whole thing. Our little pup has been a wonderful addition to our family! We also received her health history from the Animal Humane Society and learned that Lilly's exact birthday is December 14th (we were close with our guess of the 19th).

The first six days of having her home have been all about getting to know each other. We've noticed that Lilly is one smart pooch. She's picking up on lots of things--improving each day on her walks and heeling, going outside (no accidents to report so far!), and sitting to get her leash on and sitting when she wants us to pet her (she does jump every so often).

See? I'm very good at sitting. No big deal!

All in the past few days, Lilly has:

-Had not one, but TWO play dates with Basil. They had fun fetching tennis balls together in our backyard.

-Met our friends, Derek and Leona.

-Taken her first trip to PetCo (and first car ride not in the crate) to pick up a new ball and get an ID tag.

-Went to the vet for her first check-up (and got to see Louis' uncle for her appointment). All is well; she's a healthy puppy!

-Taken countless trips to the park, explored her new neighborhood, and met some of the neighbors. Tonight the neighbor boys tossed the ball around for her. Lilly can be a little timid at first, but loves everyone she meets!

-And she's been so good, we let her sleep out of the crate after two nights. Aside from coughing up a stick she ate earlier (still working on sticks=not food concept) in the middle of the night, she's had three good nights sleeping in our room. She's a good little alarm clock, too; we were both out of bed an hour earlier than usual today (she must know this means more playtime for her).

Lilly's only real challenge so far: how to fit two balls in her mouth at once. She's determined to do it. I'll have to get video of this as it's pretty funny to watch.

Surveying backyard activities.

And making sure things are all clear out front.

Today I was at the eye doctor, so I missed coming home for lunch with Lilly. On a very sunny day with very dilated eyes, this photo Louis texted me summed up perfectly how I was feeling! Lilly could relate.

"Hey dad, I can't see!"

I love the tail-wagging action and her shadow.



We're not sure how we ended up so lucky. We're just happy to provide Lilly with a nice home and to have her love and bonding in return. Tomorrow is another first for Lilly--her first vacation! We're headed up to Detroit Lakes with Louis' family. Lilly will get to meet some more family and dog friends. And I get to check out the opening weekend of the Shady Hollow Flea Market. For the win!