Paintbrush? Check! Stepladder? Check! Baby bump? Check again! It’s a case of déjà vu for lovable DIY couple Quinn and Ben Alexandre, who are once again in the midst of a renovation project while also expecting a baby!
“It just feels totally normal for us,” laughs 21-weeks pregnant Quinn as she downs tools to share her excitement about baby number two. “And this time around, the pace isn’t quite as fast – so I’m having the odd break!”
The down-to-earth Christchurch duo won a legion of fans after they discovered Quinn was pregnant while filming TV3 home improvement show The Block NZ in 2014. Rather than walk away from the gruelling renovation, they ploughed on, eventually coming last, before welcoming little Cooper, now 18 months old.
And today, as they throw themselves into doing up their new Christchurch home, they tell us they couldn’t be more excited about adding to their brood, especially as this time they’re expecting a little girl.
“We are so happy!” says Quinn, 28, who admits she said she wanted another boy. “I don’t know why I was so sure I wanted a boy. I think maybe deep down, I was just saying that because I really wanted a girl. Who knows? All I know is that I’m stoked about having a daughter. It feels very lucky to get one of each gender. It’s like everything is falling into place.”
It’s been a straightforward and much-wanted pregnancy for the young couple, who’ve been married for four years. “We always wanted there to be a close gap between the kids,” says Ben, 32. “I love the thought of them being good little mates.”
While Quinn suffered some morning sickness at the start, she’s now feeling full of beans. As well as raising adorable 18-month-old blondie Cooper, she works as a freelance make-up artist and runs her own online kids’ clothing store.
But with a house to do up before their baby’s arrival in January, Quinn confesses there isn’t much time for resting. As always, though, doting hubby Ben – who is now the South Island sales rep for Hitachi power tools – is encouraging Quinn to take it easy.
“For the first few weeks, I was just so tired, but I knew that if I slept while Cooper had his naps, I would never get anything done. After a while, though, Ben was like, ‘Listen to your body – you need to slow down!’ So I started taking naps and it definitely helped.
“These days, I’m spending most of my spare time painting – it’s like being on The Block all over again,” she laughs.
“It just feels totally normal for us,” laughs 21-weeks pregnant Quinn as she downs tools to share her excitement about baby number two. “And this time around, the pace isn’t quite as fast – so I’m having the odd break!”
But Quinn confesses there are moments when she wonders how on earth she’ll manage with a toddler and a newborn. She tells, “Coops was being a total ratbag at the supermarket the other day. He started throwing all this food around and he was squirming so much, I couldn’t even get him into the trolley. That’s when I started thinking, ‘What will happen when there’s a baby too?!’”
The couple are crossing their fingers that this baby won’t have the colic that lively little Cooper suffered from. Thankfully, though, Quinn knows that hands-on dad Ben will be a rock.
“Coops screamed from the afternoon ’til midnight some nights, so we’re hoping this baby isn’t like that,” she admits. “We are a good team when it comes to parenting, though. I love watching Ben with Coops –they have so much fun. He’s an awesome dad.”
The couple are in regular contact with former Block winners Alex and Corban Walls, who recently welcomed their own baby. They can’t wait to meet their friends’ little boy. “I was messaging Alex yesterday actually,” Quinn tells us. “We were laughing because they’ve been so busy opening their shop that they’ve only just got their nursery ready.”
It’s a different story for Quinn and Ben, who are well into planning their little girl’s bedroom – complete with a flower-themed mobile that Quinn is creating herself. She tells, “It is so exciting to be getting ready for another baby. And even though he’s little, Coops is excited too. He always comes up and kisses my tummy. He’s a bit confused, though, because then he’ll point to Ben’s and his own tummy and say ‘bubba’.”
Ben adds, “He’s such a caring wee kid. I think he’s going to be an awesome big brother to his wee sister. We can’t wait.”
Paintbrush? Check! Stepladder? Check! Baby bump? Check again! It’s a case of déjà vu for lovable DIY couple Quinn and Ben Alexandre, who are once again in the midst of a renovation project while also expecting a baby!
The family’s newest arrival will join big brother Cooper, now 18 months old.
The down-to-earth Christchurch duo won a legion of fans after they discovered Quinn was pregnant while filming TV3 home improvement show The Block NZ in 2014.
Ben and Quinn
The down-to-earth Christchurch duo won a legion of fans after they discovered Quinn was pregnant while filming TV3 home improvement show The Block NZ in 2014.
And today, as they throw themselves into doing up their new Christchurch home, they tell us they couldn’t be more excited about adding to their brood, especially as this time they’re expecting a little girl.
“We are so happy!” says Quinn, 28, who admits she said she wanted another boy. “I don’t know why I was so sure I wanted a boy. I think maybe deep down, I was just saying that because I really wanted a girl.”
“Who knows? All I know is that I’m stoked about having a daughter. It feels very lucky to get one of each gender. It’s like everything is falling into place.”
“We always wanted there to be a close gap between the kids,” says Ben, 32. “I love the thought of them being good little mates.”
While Quinn suffered some morning sickness at the start, she’s now feeling full of beans. As well as raising adorable 18-month-old blondie Cooper, she works as a freelance make-up artist and runs her own online kids’ clothing store.
The couple are well into planning their little girl’s bedroom – complete with a flower-themed mobile that Quinn is creating herself.
“He’s such a caring wee kid,” Ben says of little Cooper. “I think he’s going to be an awesome big brother to his wee sister. We can’t wait.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
