Like many mums awaiting the birth of a second child, DIY guru Alice Pearson couldn’t help but worry about the impact a sibling might have on her precious toddler Alek, who recently turned two. As she awaited the birth of her baby girl, friends and family had warned her about the inevitable jealousy and suggested ways for Alice to help her little boy adjust.
“I’d been told to make sure I wasn’t holding the new baby when Alek came to meet her for the first time, and all sorts of things like that,” recalls Alice as she introduces us to the newest addition to her family.
“I was definitely a bit worried but it was needless because from the minute Alek met his little sister, he’s just been amazing. He walked straight up to her bassinet and said ‘baby’, then stroked her face. He was in love with her immediately. And now he’s my little helper, running around getting me things while I’m breastfeeding. He loves her so much, he gets upset in the morning if she’s sleeping!”
Alice, Caleb and their adorable family are a picture of contentment as they relax at their cosy Auckland home. The couple, both 29, who won DIY reality show The Block in 2013, are over the moon with the arrival of little Mika and say she’s slotted in beautifully. “Everything about Mika feels like it was always supposed to happen. It’s almost strange how natural it feels to have her here,” Alice declares. “The bond was immediate.”
With the new addition nestled in her arms, Alice tells us Mika’s arrival was a day she’ll never forget. Like her first labour with Alek, youth pastor Alice – who also runs a home staging company – had an easy and calm birth. Waking on the morning of May 5, four days before her due date, she experienced mild cramps and soon realised labour was starting. But thanks to her manageable contractions, hubby Caleb admits he wasn’t convinced!
“Alice kept telling me I’d better cancel my morning meeting because the baby was on its way. But because she never really looked like she was in pain, I wondered if it was a false alarm,” he laughs.
Alice was adamant, though, so the pair headed to Birthcare in Auckland, where just a few hours later their beautiful baby girl arrived safely at lunchtime. “I feel a little bit guilty telling other mothers how easy my labour was,” she admits with a smile. “I know how lucky I am to have these textbook deliveries. I just close my eyes and I’m so intensely focused, it seems to go quickly.”
Caleb adds, “Being with Alice as she gives birth is incredible – her strength and endurance is amazing. There isn’t much for me to do except hold her hand, which is great because I’m pretty good at that.”
The moment the couple met their daughter for the first time was unforgettable. Recalls Alice, “It was such a peaceful moment. She snuggled in and I had this huge sense of relief that she was here and healthy.
“It’s quite surreal having a second life to love. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s happened – it all feels like a whirlwind.”
See more photos of Alice and Caleb and their beautiful family here
Alice and Caleb are over the moon with their newly expanded family, which includes big brother Alek and now, little Mika.
A peek into Mika’s peach and rose-gold themed nursery.
Proud mum Alice – who won The Block NZ in 2013 alongside Caleb – oversaw the decorations for her precious daughter’s nursery.
While Alice was worried about how Alek would react to having a sibling, the adorable toddler happily welcomed the new addition to the family.
“From the minute Alek met his little sister, he’s just been amazing,” Alice says.
Mika was born on May 5, four days before Alice’s due date.
“Everything about Mika feels like it was always supposed to happen. It’s almost strange how natural it feels to have her here,” Alice reveals.
Big brother Alek holds on tight to a sleeping Mika.
“He was in love with her immediately,” Alice says of her son’s reaction to Mika’s arrival. “He loves her so much, he gets upset in the morning if she’s sleeping!”
Alice and Caleb, whose mum is half Japanese, decided on the name Mika months before the birth.
It means “beautiful fragrance” in Japanese and “gift from God” in Hebrew.
“Being a mum is the best. It’s so much fun. That’s the lovely thing about having a newborn again – it’s made me slow down and take it all in,” says Alice.
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