We are so excited for you to meet our Au Pair, Laura! As if 2022 hasn’t been full of enough adventures for us, we decided to embark on another by inviting an au pair to join the family. And we couldn’t be happier to welcome Ms. Laura into our home and lives.
Do we need a Nanny?
When we told my dad we were adopting twins, the literal first words out of his mouth were “Stacey, Dave is MY age… you’re going to need help!” We all had a good laugh about it, but then Dave and I began to wonder if we would, in fact, need help. And boy have we been all over the map with that question. Pre-babies, we were certain we could handle this 100% on our own. Then we brought Atlas home and we were even more certain that David and Stacey Miller were up to the challenge. Then tiny, sweet, little Aria arrived and a week later we were hiring a nanny!
She worked here a month or two but one of my sisters decided to take a day helping out each week, and my mom took another day. Then the babies kind of hit a sweet spot and we decided we didn’t need much help beyond the two days a week my mom and sister were coming… so we opted out of having a nanny.
Suddenly though, the babies needed a little more attention again. They no longer liked their swings, or just playing on the gym mat alone. They wanted to be entertained and that made it impossible to do much of anything else around here. Like laundry, cook a meal, take a shower, keep up with my email, etc. So we decided to pursue the Au Pair program.
The Au Pair Program
For those unfamiliar with it, the Au Pair program is a government sponsored program for foreign, young people to come to the USA on a student visa and live with a family in exchange for childcare. They receive a weekly allowance, room and board and do have to complete some classes since they’re here on a student visa. But the au pair program is more common than we originally thought. There are 7-10 au pairs in this area, so we are told.
Meet Laura
We met Laura on one of the program websites and after exchanging some messages, video chats, etc, we knew she was going to be the perfect fit for our family. She arrived here from Colombia a few weeks ago and has been doing an incredible job. We just love having here around the house. She is so courageous to take on a challenge like this in a foreign country! She’s also a natural with the babies and has a love for them that is so sweet.
Laura loves to cook! I haven’t done much cooking since the babies arrived, but Laura is inspiring me. She frequently suggests recipes and we make them together. I’m enjoying the Colombian food she has prepared for us as well. Super delicious! One word, Arepas! Yum.
If you happen to see her in photos, or if you’re lucky enough to get to meet her this year, please give her a warm welcome. I’m only beginning my journey with the au pair program, but if you’d like to know more about it please let me know. I’d be happy to answer any questions.