‘We proved them all wrong!’
REMEMBER THE BACKPACKER WHO DISCOVERED SHE WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT WHILE TRAVELLING? NEW IDEA CATCHES UP WITH THE FAMILY
Watching her precious threeyear-old son Mason excitedly blowing out the candles on his birthday cake, Kate Hudson’s eyes brim with pride.
‘He’s the friendliest, happiest little kid,’ she tells New Idea. ‘Everyone that meets Mason loves him.’
Kate was backpacking through Europe three years ago, when she discovered she was eight months pregnant.
It was a huge shock considering she was wearing a tiny, size-six bikini, had no sign of a bump and was still having normal periods!
Kate went into a mad-dash to reunite with her partner of 18 months Aaron Allport back in Australia and prepare for the surprise birth.
‘We had spoken about marriage and children, but not in so much detail because we didn’t think it would be coming so soon. I imagined having children in my late 20s,’ Kate, now 25, says with a chuckle.
Kate had planned to have a glamorous career in the media, splash out on exotic holidays, and have a portfolio of renovated properties under her belt before starting a family. But Mason’s surprise arrival unlocked a joy she simply never knew existed.
‘As soon as the midwives put him on my chest, I felt an immediate rush of love. It was beautiful. It was very much like: “How can I have lived without you?”
‘And when I saw Aaron holding Mason, it just made me love him so much more.’
Despite having only a month to get used to the idea of becoming parents, Kate says her and Aaron’s relationship has thrived since Mason was born.
‘Aaron and I are stronger than ever.
‘Having a kid and living together makes you stronger, because you obviously understand each other a lot more and you appreciate each other in a different way.
‘We’ve gone through each stage not knowing what to expect. But we’ve just taken everything in our stride and Mason is OK – so we’re doing something right!’
During our photoshoot, it quickly becomes clear Kate and Aaron, 26, are doting parents doing a wonderful job.
The walls of their Melbourne
home are adorned with photographs of treasured family memories, and within minutes of arriving, an excited Mason is giving us a guided tour of his bedroom. The adorable three-yearold instantly has us wrapped around his little finger with his impeccable manners and an infectious zest for life. In one touching moment, as Kate and Aaron bend down to pose for a photograph with Mason, he can’t resist smothering them in kisses. ‘We are so happy,’ Kate smiles. ‘People always compliment how well Aaron and I have taken on everything. It makes us feel very special and it just reaffirms we are doing a great job as well.’ For the first 10 months of Mason’s life, Kate and Aaron, lived with her mum, Eveline. And while it was very convenient having a babysitter at hand, the close family dynamics also presented some challenges for the new parents. ‘It was easier at my mum’s. But a couple of times a week I had to say: “OK that’s enough, back off now, we need time and Aaron needs time with Mason. You can’t just hog him,”’ Kate says, laughing. The loving couple now have their own place and are enjoying watching their bub grow into a little boy. ‘Mason looks like me, but his personality is just like his dad’s. ‘He’s very charismatic, loves the ocean, scooters and skating,’ Kate tells.
‘[Mason] idolises his dad. Anything that Aaron is trying to fix, Mason is trying to fix. They are very cute when they are together.
‘He’s really cluey too – the other day something fell out of his bicycle, so he went off and got his toy hammer and started hammering it together.’
Mason seems to have inherited his mother’s love of travel – perhaps something he developed while touring across Europe in utero!
‘In May, we drove up the east coast in a camper van, up to Noosa. It was spontaneous, stopping wherever we wanted.
‘We went fishing and Mason loved surfing. He loves to pretend he’s just like his dad, so if he sees his dad in the water and on his surfboard, Mason wants to go on his boogie board. It was really good family-bonding time.’
So what’s next for this beautiful young family?
‘Mason keeps asking for a sister,’ Kate says, smiling.
‘Aaron’s sister had a child last year and Mason was so affectionate and good with the baby. He’s always really gentle.
‘We have spoken about having more children, but at this stage I’ve gone back to work full-time and we are still saving for a house and trying to travel as much as we can, so I don’t think it’s the right time.
‘Mason will just have to keep pretending with his teddy and dolls for the moment!’
‘Mason looks like me, but his personality is just like his dad’s. He’s very charismatic’