Pecked by Ducks

Vicky was our 3rd au pair. She is from Colombia and was an amazing part of our family for a wonderfully full year. Vicky arrived in October of 2007, just two weeks after we had moved into our new house in North Carolina. Vicky’s favorite colors are blue and yellow, so I bought blue and yellow towels, shams, accessories, a blue toothbrush and even yellow tissue boxes. I was a wee bit excited about the “au pair suite” we had made by adding a closet and a full bath to our bonus room.

NC was a big change for our family. The first time we had left the bulk of our friends and families who live in New England. However, it was an even bigger change for a shy, computer savvy “geeky girl” from Armenia, Colombia. We loved her instantly.

We also worried about her at first. She was so homesick and she was so tiny that she had to shop in the girl’s section at old navy. She was so timid that she would have to try closing her car door like 3 or 4 times before it shut.

But then, we got her set up on skype so she could see and talk to her family every day. We taught her how to slam her door and how to hold her own with the boys. Not just give them time outs but enforce them too. We put a little meat on her bones and I fed her Omega 3’s. She tried out some “receipts” (recipes) from home, taught the boys Spanish and did art projects. The boys loved to snuggle her and give “bessitos” (little kisses). They went to the playgrounds, museums and play dates with other au pairs and their kids.

My favorite Vicky quirk is that she loved to photographically document everything. She literally took over 3000 pictures of the boys, our trips, other people’s dogs, the turtle she accidentally ran over in the driveway, sunsets, things she saw out of the window in the car, my messy house, the lighting of the menorah candles, the entire contents of her Christmas stocking and Easter basket. Anything and everything was her subject.

And really, if I knew nothing else about her, that fact that my boys adored her would have been enough.

Thank you Vicky for such a wonderful year and happy, happy birthday!