That's the attitude you have to have, when you say "I like to think that when I picked Buttons up and we blew out my candles, Ziggy was being born, my new little partner.
Maybe that's what Buttons was wishing for when we blew out the candles." I'm sure Buttons was always a comfort to you, so why should he stop being one to you now just because he's not in physical form? You said yourself "Buttons was laid back". He would not have minded you taking on a new love for a new dog and he wouldn't want you comparing him constantly to another dog either. He's want you to continue to embrace life and honor his laid back spirit!
