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Our First Home couple’s baby news

The renovation show's winning family has another reason to celebrate this year.
Our First Home Karen & Jono

As they awaited the results of three gruelling auctions on live TV, the competing families of Our First Home were a bundle of nerves – although for the Schreuder family’s Karen Frankle, it was something different she was feeling. Having discovered the previous week that she and husband Jono were expecting their first child, Karen was in the throes of morning sickness and was simply hoping to make it through the experience without keeling over.

“It definitely took away some of the nerves during auction nights,” she laughs. “I was feeling so unwell, all I was wishing was for it to be over quicker!”

The gorgeous couple, along with Karen’s parents, Tom and Robyn Schreuder, sold their home for the biggest profit on the TV One show – making them a massive $190,400, as well as netting them $100,000 in prize money. But regardless of their windfall, Jono and Karen say they’ve taken away the best prize of all, with the couple expecting their new arrival in mid-November. Their news came as a complete surprise to their families, whom they gathered together days before the finals under the guise of saying thanks for their help during filming.

“We gave them each a card,” tells Jono.

“And they opened them up,” adds Karen (27), “and inside we’d written, ‘To Nanna and Pops, see you in nine months!'”

And for once in her life, bubbly Robyn, who became a fan favourite on the show, was completely lost for words.

“It was my mum who was doing the freaking out,” laughs Jono (29), “but my dad didn’t have his glasses, so he was sitting there saying, ‘What? What’s happening?!'”

Robyn, Tom, Karen and Jono celebrated their win – and, more secretly, their baby news – when the show wrapped in April.

Keeping it quiet – particularly with Karen feeling so unwell – was a challenge. One of her most trying times was when the Weekly turned up for a photo shoot to congratulate the winners.

“When the Champagne came out and I was holding it in front of my face for the photos – oh, just the smell of it! It was hard!” says Karen.

Now, after coming down from the high of winning – and their baby news – all the families have returned back to work and their normal lives.

“Dad went straight back to work – he didn’t take a break at all,” says Karen of Tom, who runs a building business with his twin brother. But she’s thrilled he’ll be forced to take a break – part of their winnings included a $20,000 luxury holiday to South Africa, which Robyn and Tom are booked to go on in August.

South Africa-born Jono is particularly excited, as his parents will also be there while the couple are on holiday, and have made plans to take Robyn and Tom to meet Jono’s grandparents.

While Jono and Karen have also each returned to work – Karen to her role as a nurse, and Jono coaching tennis – their spare moments are still consumed by houses. Since vacating the Titirangi home they lovingly transformed, they’ve moved back into Jono’s parents in Auckland’s Cockle Bay, and are still house hunting.

Yes, despite their hefty winnings, their dream home is so far eluding them, and they’ve been outbid at the four auctions they’ve attended. With Karen having spent the first three months of her pregnancy very unwell, she’s now feeling better in her 18th week – “although I’m still completely off coffee and chocolate, and I’m craving toast!” – it’s been Jono who has gone to auctions solo, sometimes in a beanie to avoid being recognised.

The couple’s new addition is set to arrive in November, with Jono and Karen choosing to keep its gender a sweet surprise.

“It hasn’t worked, though!” he laughs. “Luckily, we have some great agents searching for our house now, who know what we’re after.”

With increased confidence off the back of doing the home renovation show, the pair says they’re looking for another doer-upper to transform. “But this time,” smiles Karen, “we want to be able to keep it!”

“It’s definitely widened the range of houses we’re looking at,” says Jono, “because we can see different opportunities and options. Although a one-bedroom place is certainly no longer an option!”

The ecstatic couple, who say they’re not going to find out the gender of their baby – “I’m hoping the surprise might help me get through the labour,” laughs Karen – are thrilled about the next stage in their life.

“Karen is going to be a great mum,” says Jono, smiling at Karen. “Not only is she a nurse, she’s such a caring person. She’s going to be great.”

“And besides,” quips Karen, “Jono’s already agreed to do all the nappies, right?”

“Well,” laughs Jono, “How about I handle the tennis coaching and you do the nappies?”

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