With her piercing brown eyes and gorgeous grin, one-year-old Addison Whitelock is a perfect hybrid of her hockey star mum Kayla Whitelock and her former rugby player dad George.
The tot, who celebrated her first birthday on April 27, is growing so rapidly that mum-of-one Kayla, 30, is doing her very best to savour every second with her daughter. It’s especially important to the devoted mother to make every minute count due to her busy hockey schedule.
“Addi’s already a pro at video chat when I have to go away,” says Kayla. “She’s started kissing the phone to give Mummy kisses and she beams with huge smiles when we’re talking.”
While Kayla tries to take her little girl on as many of her travels as possible, she’s just spent the past few weeks without her in London with the Black Sticks for the Champions Trophy. And while she’ll be taking Addison to Rio de Janiero for the Olympics later in the year, there will be inevitable stints apart during the lead-up.
Thankfully for Palmerston North-based Kayla and former Crusaders stalwart George, who live in a cosy cottage next to his parents Caroline and Braeden, they have plenty of childminders in the form of doting grandparents.
In fact, in the past few months, Kayla’s mum Jan, a part-time dental assistant, has become Kayla’s official hockey tour nanny. She was Kayla’s right-hand woman on a Black Sticks trip to Argentina in February – Addison’s first long-haul flight, aside from a jaunt across the Tasman.
“Unfortunately, she picked up a tummy bug, but poor Kayla bore the brunt of that!” laughs Jan.
Otherwise, the tot slept all the way through the 12-hour flight, even managing to doze during the gruelling seven-hour bus journey to Mar del Plata, where she and Jan shared a room while Kayla slept next door, so she was able to get much-needed sleep while still being close to her baby girl.
“It was so cool having Addi in Argentina,” grins Kayla. “She’s got into the habit of saying, ‘Go, go, go!’ She’ll hold her arms out and get really excited. It’s the best thing to see when we’re warming down and I’m running across the turf.”
Mother and daughter agree that missing out on milestones is unfortunately one of the sacrifices Kayla has to make for her sport. But happily, when Addison took her first steps in Hawke’s Bay, Kayla was there.
“I was so excited and happy to see that,” she says. “It was a really emotional moment.” Kayla readily admits she couldn’t have continued her hockey career without Jan and dad Phillip’s support. “Mum’s been amazing. We had a good run in South America. By the time we get to Rio, we’ll have nailed it.”
Kayla’s clan, including hubby George, who is now a farmer after retiring in 2014, and her siblings Verity, 28, Abby, 24, and brother Sam, 26, are planning to cheer on their big sis in Brazil in a few short months, making it a big old family affair. And not forgetting her baby girl!
“I’m the only hockey player with a baby,” she says. “I guess Addi’s become the team mascot! The girls love having her there. It’s an exciting time, and I’m so happy Mum and Addi are a part of it.”
Already a livewire since the last time she was photographed for Woman’s Day, Addison is charming all and sundry with her cheery, inquisitive energy on our photo shoot. Currently teething, her big beam reveals five little gnashers – two on the bottom and three on the top. “Moo!” she says, as she sees a picture of a cow.
“Cows are her favourite,” smiles Kayla, who baked a bovine-themed cake for Addison’s first birthday party. “She loves living on a farm,” tells Kayla.
Ironically, despite Addison’s liking for country life, she’s recently been diagnosed as dairy intolerant, so at the tender age of one, she’s a soy-drinking sweetie.
“Kayla’s allergic to the hay, so it’s a double whammy,” explains proud granny Jan, 53. “Addi reacted to the formula and started scratching underneath her chin aggressively until it bled. We’re still working through the allergies, but she’s a happy little girl.
“She will be a bit rough and tumble. I can see her stumbling to the milk shed with her boots on. She’s exhausting, but I love looking after her. I can definitely see aspects of Kayla in her! She is starting to assert herself when she doesn’t want to stop doing something. She’s very determined.”
