Finally!

Finally, Puppy Day arrived! We went to the Helping Paws center and waited patiently (not!) outside. When we went in, there were 2 large pens, one for Cheer's litter and one for Faith's. We all gathered around the pens, and watched the puppies cavort. When everyone had assembled, Eileen started pairing puppies with families. First from Faith's litter, then Cheer's - back and forth.
Finally, she said "male, left hip - goes to the Novaks!" (each puppy had an identifying mark) We were told his "litter name" was Finnegan. He is the 2nd largest of the litter, and is unbelievably handsome!

After group photos, we loaded into the car to bring him home. You'll notice there aren't any photos of his car ride and very first moments home...I'm afraid we made a tactical error and decided to make the short drive without a potty break first. Ahem. Let's just say he had a quick bath when we got home - THEN a photo session!

The first night went really well. He got to meet LOTS of new friends, and then he pretty much passed out. He woke at 11:30 when Barry came to bed, and cried for less than 10 minutes. He conked back out until 4 am. I took him out in the yard, thinking it would be a quick tinkle and back to bed. Oh! But dewy grass is so fun to roll in! He didn't Think it was at ALL funny that he had to go back into the kennel. After hollering for another 10 minutes, he wore himself out and slept until 5:45. Not bad for a first night!