Woman's Day
His eyes are a little more tired these days, but Israel Dagg’s smile is broader than ever as he gently holds the legs of his newborn son Arlo Henry Dagg, wheeling them in a cycling motion.
“Look at those long legs,” says the star All Black proudly to his wife Daisy, 29, as their gorgeous blue-eyed boy gurgles and giggles on the couch at their modern Christchurch home.
“We’ll do some crunches next,” announces Israel, ever the joker.
Looking at Arlo, it’s hard to believe that the bouncing baby weighed just 2.9kg when he was born on April 9. “He’s more than making up for it now,” grins the sports star, who himself weighed a whopping 5.2kg at birth. “He’s gone up to 10 pounds [4.5kg] already and has grown 5cm – he’s a big boy!”
See more photos of Israel Dagg and his gorgeous family in the gallery below
Despite feeling a little panicked when Arlo first made his appearance, besotted Israel’s tackling parenthood with ease.
Baby Arlo was born April 9, weighing in at just 2.9kg.
The proud dad cradles his baby boy in their modern Christchurch home.
Proudly noting that their darling wee boy is “getting more and more like Izzy”, doting mum Daisy says life with baby is “so tiring, but also so rewarding”.
“Arlo is already a real mummy’s boy. And who can blame him? Daisy’s an amazing mum. I’m pretty proud of her,” Israel gushes.
Daisy, a food blogger and interior designer, says their life has “done a 180” since Arlo was born.
The couple insist there was no special reason for Arlo’s unusual name. Israel tells, “It means fortified hill. Daisy saw it on a name tag in a baby shop. We had a few other ideas, but when the nurses asked us what his name was, we both just looked at each other and said, ‘Arlo.’”
Baby steps: Arlo’s nursery is pimped out and perfect, but now she’s a mum, organised “clean freak” Daisy has “had to let go”.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Daisy of their new life as a family of three.
