Au Pair

Webster defines au pair as:
 
a usually young foreign person who cares for children and does domestic work for a family in return for room and board and the opportunity to learn the family's language 

We define an au pair as:

A BLESSING!!!!

As most of you know, our community stepped up after Miss P was born and took two shifts each day to help care for her.  It has always been risky for me to be left alone with her due to the seizures and her crying was always a huge seizure trigger.  Well, many of you prayed and the Lord answered your prayer that her crying does not seem to be too much of a trigger anymore.  Many sounds are triggers, but the Lord has allowed me to hold my sweet angel when she needs her Mommy.  Thank you, Jesus!

So, we had so many amazing people come and take shifts the first six plus months of P's life and love on our sweet girl and help me care for her.  Then, after the Foxhole Relief weekend, we were able to bring in a few nanny/babysitters that were wonderful!!!  We loved them so much.  However, if they worked 9-5, B couldn't go to work until they arrived and had to be home before they left (since, again, we couldn't risk me being alone with her).  This allowed B more of an opportunity to work, but he wasn't able to do much of what was needed for the business.

So, in walks my cousin.  She tells me that we have to consider an au pair.  They had one for their family and loved her.  However, I just made the assumption that there was no way that we could afford such an option.  We were struggling to afford a nanny/babysitter and so how could we afford something that had a french name?  Doesn't that make it more expensive?  Surely we can't afford that...As well, they live with you.  So, now I have to buy more food, utilities increase, etc.  It just didn't seem feasible.  Then, she pushed some more for us to consider it.

Once we did the math, we found, among many things, that we would actually pay less to have an au pair than we would for a nanny and she could work longer hours.  We started to truly see the benefits.  My cousin continued to tell me amazing stories that kept softening our hearts to the idea.

Then, came our trip to the Mayo Clinic in February.  It was a rough trip, but while we were there, we had the opportunity to have a Skype interview with a possible candidate from Brazil.  To keep the story short, we loved her and now that she's been living with us, in America, for seven months, we still love her!  She is an amazing blessing!!!  Miss P is crazy about her and so are we!!!

So, without further ado, meet Ms. C...a gift FROM the Lord THROUGH each of you that participated in the Foxhole Relief Project. 

Ms. C with J & her kiddos.  J is one of the two that created the Foxhole Relief Project.

Again, Ms. C is such a blessing and we love having her as a member of our family!!!