One of the hardest parts of being a part of the au pair program is the change that comes with goodbyes.. Lovis' time was ending and she was off to enjoy her last month of her visa: vacation month! However, the bittersweet feelings of goodbyes are replaced by excitement and energy that comes with meeting a new family member and friend! We were welcoming our new au pair, Sophia, to our home! She is adventuring over from Austria and is taking on the challenge of watching our boys for a year while I transition out of medical school and into residency.

Sophia arrived promptly after the holidays. The boys were tired from how hard we were running them around the Midwest during interview season and they welcomed Sophia with pure madness and tantrums - like all good toddlers should. They allowed me to demonstrate our many techniques of time outs, emotional restarts, and taking time to figure out our big emotions and breath deeply - hah! Our youngster remained as cool as a cucumber, but our 3 year old was likely experiencing a lot of change and channeled it into fierce independence. Sophia is so sweet, I was scared that boomer (our oldest) would run all over her - but soon she assimilated into the chaos quite nicely and the boys started listening. :)

The first few weeks were crazy. She landed, rested momentarily after a tiring week at training school, and I took her around Pittsburgh to get her ID, checking accounts, and phone - only to leave her home while I had to run away to interview. Paul attempted to hold down the fort while I was away. After a few days in Pittsburgh they threw all the kids on the plane in the middle of the night to meet me on the east coast for an interview. When they arrived, I could sense the exhaustion of the whole team. It had not been a relaxing entry into the family, but we sure showed her the extreme experience!

I'm so thankful for the Au pair exchange program We've been fortunate to open our home to such wonderful, dynamic individuals!. It has been a wonderful part of our last two years, and has made it possible for me to continue to do all the things I love: school and motherhood. I am excited to see where our mutual Austrian-American exchange takes us.

Welcome to our home Sophia! The days can be long, but the year is FAST! Hold on!

Curious about hosting an Au Pair?! Check out our agency: Cultural Care!

Welcome to our family!

related posts