Cavapoo size and grooming questions

Our family previously had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who passed about 2 years ago, and my three children have been asking to get a new dog for about a year now. I was resistent as my wife and I were in the beginning process of getting a divorce, but we've now sold our family home and moved into two separate homes. We share custody of the children 50/50, and I've found my home to be uncomfortably empty when I don't have the kids. Between enough time having passed since our last dog passing, my children's desire for a new dog, and my desire for companionship when my children aren't with me, I am starting to look into getting a new dog. I was thinking of simply getting another Cavalier, but I recently heard about Cavapoos and wanted to look into them, as well.

Our Cavalier was on the larger size for their breed as he was about 25 lbs. That was a great size for our family. However, if we get another Cavalier the chances are that it will be substantially smaller at between 12 - 18 lbs., as that is more typical for that breed. I have read that Cavapoos can come from either toy or miniature Poodles, with the ones from miniatures being larger. I know that size obviously fluctuates with the individual dog, but would a Cavapoo from a Cavalier + Miniature Poodle average closer to the 20 to 30 lbs. range that we would prefer?

We kept our Cavalier groomed with a "puppy cut," which is short hair on the body and ears. I know that is considered sacrilege to many Cavalier owners, but we preferred it. In order to maintain this, we had to get him to the groomer about every two to three months, with at home baths and brushing in between, obviously. From the pictures I've seen of Cavapoos, most of them seem to have the length coat that would work well for us, especially with not having long hair on their ears that would get dirty easily while eating. Is that their typical natural hair, or does that require regular grooming to maintain? If it does require grooming, about how often should I expect to take one in to to the groomer?

Is there anything else that you can think of that I should be aware of before looking for a good Cavapoo breeder?